Carl Frampton is the WBA featherweight champion of the world.
It’s been a few days, but we’re still enjoying letting it sink in that the Belfast boxer stunned the world and overcame the previously undefeated Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday night in New York.
Not many gave The Jackal a chance, but he pulled off an impressive majority decision victory over his Mexican opponent to become the first Northern Irishman to claim a world title in two different weight classes.
https://twitter.com/BoxingBritain1/status/759599337479503872
Despite his success, Frampton isn’t forgetting his roots in a hurry as he made sure to thank his fans for all their support.
The 29-year-old invited his legion of supporters to a Manhattan bar where he footed the bill for all their drinks. But Frampton joked that he was surprised with the number of people who showed up and was worried that he “might be skint” after covering the bill – though he admitted that his win means he probably won’t have to worry about buying his own pints in his home city any time soon.
And the fans duly repaid the world champion with a re-working of a song of another Northern Irish sportsman, chanting “Frampton’s on fire, Santa Cruz is terrified” as The Jackal joined in.
Frampton's on 🔥🔥🔥🔥@RealCFrampton parties with fans in Manhattan after winning WBA world featherweight titlehttps://t.co/kmDqubDPH7
— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) August 1, 2016
Now it’s a matter of figuring out what’s next for the Belfast-born boxer, as he will look to defend his title.
It’s not exactly clear who his next opponent will be, but many are tipping him to opt for a re-match with Santa Cruz after Saturday night’s potential fight of the year.
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