There’s only one Carl Frampton.
24-1.
The Jackal is back with a unanimous decision points victory over Horacio Garcia that really had to be dug out because this was a serious test. But, by hook or by crook, he got his way back – whatever it took.
It was nearly three years since Carl Frampton last entertained the Belfast crowd and, Christ, it was a heart-filled homecoming.
The featherweight superstar returned to the ring for the first time since his first loss back in January but it wasn’t his typical masterclass – this was a proper fight that he really, really had to dig deep in and not just sort out his ring rustiness, but answer some very real questions of himself.
How loose and composed he looked in the first round was incredible. He caught the Mexican from the crouch position early on before landing a straight left and rocking him back with all the power behind that infamous right. It was a comfortable opener for the Belfast boxer who was dancing around and weaving through Garcia’s fruitless efforts to the familiar songs of the home crowd.
Frampton took all three of the opening rounds on the scorecards and caught his opponent with another right in the third but, finally in the fourth, the rangier and heavier Central American settled as the pair stood toe-to-toe and began trading blows, right in the wheelhouse of the Mexican who has never been stopped in his professional career.
The fifth round drew an eerier atmosphere at the SSE Arena as Frampton was on the end of an uppercut on the ropes and blood started trickling from his right eye.
Again, in the sixth of the 10 rounds, the Antrim native was penned in and absorbing huge shockwaves but he dug deep to come through it and react not just with courage and resilience, but in reestablishing his superior skill set.
In the seventh, Frampton went down but to count him looked to be a really harsh call as replays showed he slipped rather than being caught. That was a decision that tied up the fight on points with just three rounds remaining.
He reacted well with some quick combinations but, as the fight wore on, it became more and more obvious that he hadn’t fought since January as Frampton looked a little jaded – if not jaded, just not sharp.
The ninth round had more cause for concern with a number of heavy shots examining the stability in Frampton’s legs but the Belfast man took every one of them and boxed his way back out through heavy breath.
When he returned to the corner for the last time of the fight, the instructions from his trainers was very damn clear:
“Suck it up.”
They knew he was tired, they knew that was expected but, with 180 seconds on the clock, it wasn’t the time to succumb to that.
The 10th and final round was crucial. Carl Frampton knew that, his corner knew that, Belfast knew that. The crowd, the coaches and that inner steel of the 30-year-old responded perfectly with an important finish to dominate the last three minutes and take the fight on points on a unanimous decision:
- 98-93
- 97-93
- 96-93
