TOP RANK CEO and founder Bob Arum is keen for his WBO World featherweight champion Oscar Valdez to defend his strap against Belfast’s Carl Frampton, and says the Mexican would be willing to fight at Windsor Park if an away trip made financial sense.

Frampton earned an impressive unanimous-decision victory over former four-weight world champion Nonito Donaire at the SSE Odyssey Arena last night, picking up the WBO interim world title with Valdez currently recovering from a broken jaw.

‘The Jackal’, a former two-weight world champion in his own right, is almost certain to fight for a world title in Northern Ireland’s football stadium this August, with the winner of Lee Selby’s IBF defence against Josh Warrington being earmarked as a potential opponent.

Valdez, too, has been mooted, though his injury and Frampton’s insistence upon his fulfilling a dream of fighting in Windsor are thought to be obstacles.

Arum, however, told The42 that Valdez is more than willing to put his title on the line against the Tiger’s Bay native, be it in Belfast or across the Atlantic

“Frampton’s promoter now, Frank Warren, is a very, very good friend of ours,” he said. “We do a lot of business together.

“Frank has mentioned it. Oscar – I’ve talked to him, and he wants to fight Frampton.

“I know he [Valdez] is recovering from the broken jaw that he got in the [Scott] Quigg fight – heck of a fight – but Valdez versus Frampton will not be difficult to make.

It’s really a question of how the money breaks down. As long as we get neutral officials, Valdez would have no problem going to Belfast. But the fight would also be a tremendous attraction whether it be in Los Angeles or in Las Vegas. So we’d have to see.

“I’ll sit down with Frank and we’ll figure out what makes the most sense.”

Arum and Warren are already working together in a different capacity: Top Rank and Warren’s Queensbury outfit will co-promote Michael Conlan’s homecoming card in Belfast on 30 June.