Boxing
Nick Parkinson 6y

Carl Frampton: I want Oscar Valdez over Lee Selby or Josh Warrington

Boxing

Carl Frampton is targeting Oscar Valdez rather than a crack at the winner of the all-British fight between Lee Selby and Josh Warrington.

The Northern Irishman will earn a shot at WBO world featherweight champion Valdez if he beats US-based Filipino Nonito Donaire at the SSE Arena, Belfast, on Saturday.

Frampton (24-1, 14 KOs), 31, contests the WBO interim belt with Donaire (38-4, 24 KOs), 35, and says fighting Mexican Valdez is more appealing than either of his British rivals Selby or Warrington.

Selby defends his IBF world title against Warrington in Leeds on May 19, but Frampton believes Valdez, who beat England's Scott Quigg in gruelling battle last month, is a bigger fight.

"There are people in the past who have won these interim titles and called themselves world champion, but I won't," Frampton told ESPN.

"It's a belt, but it's basically a final eliminator. You get a belt rather than being told you are mandatory challenger.

"It's a final eliminator for Oscar Valdez basically and it's another option.

"People are talking about fighting the Selby and Warrington winner and that's an option but Valdez is more appealing because it would be a much more bigger fight. Selby or Warrington is big in the UK but not on the worldwide stage.

"Valdez is a more interesting fight worldwide. Me against Selby or Warrington is not going to catch fire in the States, but Valdez is a big name there.

"I think Valdez would make more money fighting me in Belfast in a full Windsor Park, it makes financial sense for him to come to Belfast.

"I know he is champion and it will be difficult getting him away from home comforts but he's a brave guy and I think he would take it."

Frampton's goals are to win back a version of the world featherweight title after losing the WBA belt on points in a rematch with Leo Santa Cruz in January 2017 and fight at Windsor Park, the home of the Northern Ireland football team, in his home city of Belfast.

But Frampton says there is no danger of him overlooking the danger of Donaire, California's four-weight world champion who out-pointed Ruben Garcia Hernandez last September in his only fight of 2017.

"People keep talking about who's next but I don't think about that for a second -- I'm not taking my head off Nonito Donaire," Frampton told ESPN.

"He can punch but I will need to be on my game but the way I've been going about my business in training, I know I will on it. If it goes to how I've been going in training, I could get rid of him.

"I've seen that Showtime has picked the fight up in the States, that would help me get back into the big fights.

"I've topped the bill in the States three times, I love boxing there, and if I beat Donaire then hopefully I will fight at Windsor Park in the summer or late summer and after that I would love to fight in the States again.

"For me this is make or break because I have the carrot of fighting at Windsor Park dangling in front of me. If I win this fight I'm going to be fighting at Windsor in the summer, so I understand how important it is and how dangerous he is.

"But there can be banana skins in boxing. You have to been focused on every fight.

"There won't be any excuses after the fight, that's for sure. I'm going in there in a good place."

Frampton denies a court case with former promoter Barry McGuigan, who he split from following his points loss to Mexican Santa Cruz, is distracting him.

"Not really, subconsciously maybe, but I don't think so, it's not something I'm thinking about," Frampton told ESPN.

^ Back to Top ^