With just one day left until the big boxing event in the SSE Arena, the Belfast boys seem as cool as a breeze.
Carl Frampton, Jamie Conlan and Paddy Barnes will fight in front of their hometown crowd on Saturday night and despite everything that’s riding on the event, they all seem to be taking fight week in their stride.
Headliner Frampton will be hoping to get back into the win column against Horacio Garcia in his highly-anticipated comeback fight from his first career loss to Leo Santa Cruz. It will also mark his first fight in Belfast since 2015 after his initial fighting return to the city in August was scrapped when his scheduled opponent suffered an injury in his hotel room shower the night before the fight.
It will be a huge occasion for Conlan too. He takes on Jerwin Ancajas of the Philippines for the IBF super flyweight title. Barnes will face Argentina’s Eliecer Quezada for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental flyweight title on the same card.
The rest of the room really enjoyed it https://t.co/gFxHbJLf7r
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 16, 2017
The significance of the event doesn’t appear to be having a negative impact on the hometown heroes though. IFL TV caught up with three of them getting their suits fitted before Thursday’s press conference and spirits were high.
There was one particularly humorous moment where Frampton pulled a couple of Northern Ireland football jerseys out of a plastic bag and attempted to give one to Barnes.
“Bought myself one of these the other day. Here you are, Paddy. got you one for yourself because you started supporting them.”
Sure showed him https://t.co/oQcO95IhZI
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 6, 2017
His joke about Barnes switching allegiances to the Northern Ireland soccer team after the Republic of Ireland’s hammering at the hands of Denmark earned a reactionary“fuck off.” However, Frampton persisted.
“Go on, Paddy. There you are. That’s for you.”
Barnes then plead ignorance, asking “Who’s that? Who are they?” although ‘the Jackal’ wasn’t letting him away that easily.
“What do you mean, who are they? You said you started to support them after the other night.”
At this point, Barnes tapped out. He had enough of the game.
Just to clear everything up, Barnes revealed which international team he actually supported.
“I support Brazil, anyway… sorry, Germany, sorry.”
We wonder if he’s still hurting from the time Shane Long stuck the ball in his beloved team’s net!
