CARL FRAMPTON’S DREAM Windsor Park fight culminated in a fitting conclusion as the Belfast sporting icon earned a ninth-round stoppage of rugged Australian Luke Jackson – Frampton’s first win inside the distance since February 2015.
The former two-weight world champion ground down his previously undefeated opponent, eventually dropping Jackson to the body in the eighth round before the visitor’s corner intervened a round later.
As the 25,000-strong crowd filtered out of the stadium, promoter Frank Warren guaranteed that Frampton will square off with IBF World featherweight champion Josh Warrington before the year is out.
Frampton bossed a tentative opener during which he marched the Aussie around the ring but neither man threw much with anger.
‘The Jackal’ clipped Jackson with a short left hook to the head halfway through the second and followed it up with a tidy attack to the visitor’s rib cage. Jackson sneaked a straight right hand through Frampton’s guard at the bell to end the second, but it was another fairly tame round in Frampton’s column.
Both fighters began to unload a minute into the third: Jackson targeted Frampton’s body to some effect but the former world champion, still feeling out his foe, unbalanced him slightly with a right hook to the top of the head and a strong left launched from centre-ring. A neat uppercut rubber-stamped Frampton’s dominance through three.
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He controlled the fourth as well, planting his feet and attempting to blow a hole in Jackon’s defence. The 2012 Australian Olympian found some of his own success, too, however, landing a couple of tasty right hands over the top which at least curtailed Frampton’s advances somewhat.
William Cherry / INPHO
William Cherry / INPHO / INPHO
The hometown hero attempted to counter more to begin round 5 before stepping on the gas towards its finish, bloodying Jackson’s nose and finishing with a nice four-punch combination to body and head before firing a couple more for good measure.
Jackson landed the first scoring punch of 6 before Frampton sent him sprawling backwards towards the ropes with a right hand over the top. A right-hook, right-uppercut combination drew the appreciation of Frampton’s 25,000 backers, but ‘Action’ planted his own right hand flush on the unflinching ‘Jackal”s whiskers a minute before the halfway mark.
Both fighters predominantly targeted the body in the seventh and Jackson might have found momentary parity only for Frampton to move back upstairs with a grazing right uppercut.
William Cherry / INPHO
William Cherry / INPHO / INPHO
In what was becoming an abrasive if one-sided clash, Jackson crashed home a straight right in the eighth as Frampton’s work was again slightly forced.
Within an instant, however, the former champion reminded viewers of his class: a throwaway jab upstairs fractionally raised Jackson’s elbows and Frampton dropped the Aussie with a whippet of a left hook to the solar plexus.
Jackson beat the count after the bell but he was to be protected from himself a round later: Frampton backed him against the ropes and unleashed a bullet right hook to the body before pursuing the discombulated Aussie across the ring, clipping him with a couple of follow-ups and readying himself for a brutal finish.
In flew the towel, and, after a brief moment to savour the moment, up went Frampton’s hand in celebration.
Up, too, went the home faithful to whom he remains an all-time sporting idol.
Frampton’s bid to become a three-time world champion versus Leeds’ Warrington will likely take place on neutral soil; Manchester seems most likely, but one suspects such details won’t be ironed out for a few weeks at least.
‘The Jackal’ embarks on a hard-earned holiday with his family on Sunday, but he does so on the back of a dream career night which could pave the way to those of an even bigger and better variety.
"I was eating a bit of chicken and my hand was shaking!"
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Carl Frampton earns first stoppage in over three years as he fulfils Windsor Park dream
CARL FRAMPTON’S DREAM Windsor Park fight culminated in a fitting conclusion as the Belfast sporting icon earned a ninth-round stoppage of rugged Australian Luke Jackson – Frampton’s first win inside the distance since February 2015.
The former two-weight world champion ground down his previously undefeated opponent, eventually dropping Jackson to the body in the eighth round before the visitor’s corner intervened a round later.
As the 25,000-strong crowd filtered out of the stadium, promoter Frank Warren guaranteed that Frampton will square off with IBF World featherweight champion Josh Warrington before the year is out.
Frampton bossed a tentative opener during which he marched the Aussie around the ring but neither man threw much with anger.
‘The Jackal’ clipped Jackson with a short left hook to the head halfway through the second and followed it up with a tidy attack to the visitor’s rib cage. Jackson sneaked a straight right hand through Frampton’s guard at the bell to end the second, but it was another fairly tame round in Frampton’s column.
Both fighters began to unload a minute into the third: Jackson targeted Frampton’s body to some effect but the former world champion, still feeling out his foe, unbalanced him slightly with a right hook to the top of the head and a strong left launched from centre-ring. A neat uppercut rubber-stamped Frampton’s dominance through three.
He controlled the fourth as well, planting his feet and attempting to blow a hole in Jackon’s defence. The 2012 Australian Olympian found some of his own success, too, however, landing a couple of tasty right hands over the top which at least curtailed Frampton’s advances somewhat.
The hometown hero attempted to counter more to begin round 5 before stepping on the gas towards its finish, bloodying Jackson’s nose and finishing with a nice four-punch combination to body and head before firing a couple more for good measure.
Jackson landed the first scoring punch of 6 before Frampton sent him sprawling backwards towards the ropes with a right hand over the top. A right-hook, right-uppercut combination drew the appreciation of Frampton’s 25,000 backers, but ‘Action’ planted his own right hand flush on the unflinching ‘Jackal”s whiskers a minute before the halfway mark.
Both fighters predominantly targeted the body in the seventh and Jackson might have found momentary parity only for Frampton to move back upstairs with a grazing right uppercut.
In what was becoming an abrasive if one-sided clash, Jackson crashed home a straight right in the eighth as Frampton’s work was again slightly forced.
Within an instant, however, the former champion reminded viewers of his class: a throwaway jab upstairs fractionally raised Jackson’s elbows and Frampton dropped the Aussie with a whippet of a left hook to the solar plexus.
Jackson beat the count after the bell but he was to be protected from himself a round later: Frampton backed him against the ropes and unleashed a bullet right hook to the body before pursuing the discombulated Aussie across the ring, clipping him with a couple of follow-ups and readying himself for a brutal finish.
In flew the towel, and, after a brief moment to savour the moment, up went Frampton’s hand in celebration.
Up, too, went the home faithful to whom he remains an all-time sporting idol.
Frampton’s bid to become a three-time world champion versus Leeds’ Warrington will likely take place on neutral soil; Manchester seems most likely, but one suspects such details won’t be ironed out for a few weeks at least.
‘The Jackal’ embarks on a hard-earned holiday with his family on Sunday, but he does so on the back of a dream career night which could pave the way to those of an even bigger and better variety.
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