CARL FRAMPTON GREW up a stone’s throw from the old Harland and Wolff cranes that still hang over Belfast’s skyline.
It was only right that he was standing in their shadow when he was crowned world champion on Saturday night.
Kiko Martinez arrived into the Jackal’s Den with revenge on his mind. He left bloodied and bruised.
Most importantly, he left without the IBF World Super-Bantamweight title. That’s staying in Belfast with Frampton, the pride of the city and now their champion too.
There are bigger nights still to come for the 27-year-old but there might never be one as significant as this.
Reading 119-108, 119-108, 118-111, the judges’ scorecards made it look like another straightforward night for Frampton, the 19th win of his unbeaten career. It was slightly more complex than that, though still comprehensive.
Even in the final rounds, when victory was mathematically safe, there was a lingering fear that the defiant Martinez could still deliver a final cruel twist.
Those who know boxing know the Spaniard and know his personality. When he said that his defeat at Frampton’s hands in February last year was eating away at him, he was not embellishing for effect.
The memory of that closely-fought contest — which remains the only stoppage on Martinez’s record — was enough to temper any pre-fight bullishness. In its place it left a creeping anxiety that Frampton’s perfect night might somehow go awry.
The 16,000 fans that packed into the purpose-built arena on the historic Titanic slipways knew their part. They turned up the volume as Barry McGuigan offered his protege a final pat of encouragement and some parting words of wisdom.
McGuigan rolled on the balls of his feet as he waited for the opening bell, and it was impossible not to think of the night his own dream came true in Loftus Road 29 years ago.
That was a different era for boxing, a wildly popular one driven by the exposure of prime-time terrestrial television.
But anyone who believes that the sport is dead, dying, or in some sort of zombified limbo was proven wrong by this absorbing encounter between two true warriors.
When these two collide, there are invariably mind games and Martinez carried that particular fight all the way into the ring, hesitating for a few beats with his hands dropped by his side after the referee instructed both fighters to touch gloves.
They did, ultimately, but the true reflection of the mutual respect between these men was shown in their embrace in the centre of the ring ahead of the final round, as well as in Frampton’s glowing post-fight tribute to the vanquished champ.
It was the challenger who set the tone immediately, bolting from his corner at the opening bell to take the centre of the ring. Fighting behind a perfectly measured jab, Frampton took the fight to Martinez who happily drew up his defence and tried to pick his punches on the counter.
Quite often the Spaniard was swinging wildly, hitting fresh air where his target had stood only a split-second earlier, but he connected enough to induce mild concern.
One such punch in the second round, a straight left, rocked Frampton but he had the experience and wherewithal to tie up his man until the bell.
It wasn’t until the fifth that the momentum shifted decisively in Frampton’s favour. An arcing right sent Martinez sprawling and when the champion bounced back to his feet, Frampton moved in toe-to-toe for the kill.
The blood which he smelled was seeping from a cut beside Kiko’s left eye. The champion’s respite at the bell was brief and by the middle of the seventh round, he seemed to be summoning his final reserves in a desperate bid to stay alive.
Frampton hit him — left, left again — but when the show-stopping finish failed to materialise, he allowed himself to get drawn in close. It nullified his precision jab, playing the game on Martinez’s terms, and it was not good for the nerves.
The eighth was the Spaniard’s best round of the night but it couldn’t forestall the wave after wave of attacks. Frampton threatened to finish matters again in the 10th with a massive right that cut through the September chill and ensured that the lasting memory would be of his composure and dominance.
By that stage, Kiko had been relegated to a supporting act on another glorious Belfast night.
Frampton’s win capped a clean sweep of the card, with rising featherweight Marc McCullough upholding his part of the bargain in the main undercard bout.
He defended his WBO European title in clinical fashion, stopping former world champion Dmirty Kirillov after eight rounds, and it’s easy to see why McGuigan rates him as the next star.
Jamie Conlan had to weather a middle-round flurry from Jose Estrella but prevailed to add the WBO Intercontinental Super-Flyweight belt to his European title.
A clash of heads opened up a cut on Conlan’s left eye during that tricky patch but he brushed off the nuisance and controlled the second half of the fight for a unanimous decision.
The only asterix on the night came when Eamonn O’Kane’s first IBF Intercontinental title defence was stopped before the end of the fourth round, resulting in a technical draw. The evidence of the bloody brawl pumped from above the right eye of his opponent Virgilijus Stapulionis, leaving the referee with no choice but to call a premature halt.
It wasn’t quite the emphatic victory with which O’Kane would have liked to kick off his Intercontinental reign but the Dungiven man would have snapped it up after a first round in which he was knocked down and only just saved by the bell.
It was a lot more straightforward for Conrad Cummings who took his professional record to an unbeaten four from four as he stepped up in class against a defiant Robert Talarek. The Polish middleweight landed in Belfast with a reputation for halting young prospects in their tracks but Coalisland’s Cummings was more than a match, though he couldn’t quite produce the fireworks for a stoppage.
Earlier on the card, Limerick’s Willie “Big Bang” Casey left it late before stopping George Gachechiladze with a body shot in the sixth and final round of their featherweight contest while another Belfast native Anthony Cacace won on his Cyclone debut with a second-round TKO of Dawid Knade.
RESULTS
- Carl Frampton beat Kiko Martinez UD (119-108, 119-108, 118-110)
- Marc McCullough beat Dmitry Kirillov RET8
- Eamonn O’Kane vs Virgilijus Stapulionis (Technical Draw; RSC4 2:47 (cut))
- Jamie Conlan beat Jose Estrella UD (97-93, 97-93, 99-92)
- Conrad Cummings beat Robert Talarek DEC (60-54)
- Willie Casey beat George Gachechiladze TKO6 (2:15)
- Anthony Cacace beat Dawid Knade TKO2 (2:09)
Originally published 23.50
I’m a Villa fan and I’m not as confident about avoiding relegation – 14pts from the last 63 available.
And that manky new kit looks like it belongs in the Campionship!
Re: Liverpool. When you say ‘the anonymous Nuri Sahin’ , you do know he wasn’t in the starting 11 today.
Hi Barry,
Yes I’m aware of that fact, hence saying that Enrique was deployed in the midfield spot usually reserved for Sahin.
When I wrote about Sahin being ‘anonymous,’ it was in the context of his last three or four league appearances for Liverpool.
Thanks for the comment.
The most important thing that every reader has learned today is that Wigan have just awoken a sleeping giant.
If Suarez deservedly gets a 3 match ban for his dirty stamping incident, that giant will be in for a rude awakening! Who will score the goals then?
reina :P
Totally disagree about Spurs, brilliant half-time subs from AVB saw us give it a real go. Hell of an improvement on Harry.
Have to agree with you. Tony never seems too have any opinions of his own and spouts off the usual sky sports nonsense.
I respectfully disagree (and I wrote the bit on Spurs btw). The game was over by that stage, and any team can play well when the pressure’s off.
Well then we both disagree then Paul. I waiting for a piece thats new and thoughtful. My brother is Cameron Lancester who is in Spurs reserves. He tells me the Spurs squad is untied and enjoying football under AVB.. Contary to popular opinion but players were not happy with Harry. He froze out many at the club. Spurs are missing 4-5 key players through injury aswell. But team spirit and morale is high
Well it’s fine saying the spirit is high, but the evidence on the pitch suggests otherwise unfortunately. And it’s not a specific dig at AVB, the players are just as culpable, if not more so. We’ll have to agree to disagree I guess.
Nothing to do with spirit. Spurs defence is utter shite
I think the bit on Giggs was a bit harsh, if I was writing a piece on United tonight it would be about how although Valencia looks outstanding when given space behind a defence to run into, when you are organised and defend deep he has no imagination to break you down. Also, Rooney is still our best player, was missed terribly and needs to play higher up the pitch when he returns.
Without the sending off, Spurs would have taken it by 2-3 goals. Arsenal are still a shambles in their own half.
Shane Long has to be the story of the weekend, another man of the match performance, helping WBA into 4th place . Ireland are blessed to have a player of his quality, pity Trap doesn’t appreciate him.
Too true, then Trap is so far past it he is an embarrassment. And his decisions prove that every game..!
I also disagree with the Spurs comment. Watched the game as a neutral and after ten minutes Spurs could have been two nil up despite arsenal hogging possession. Meanwhile arsenal hadn’t created one chance. Sending off completely changed the game but even despite that and spurs still not having all that much possession it could have been 4-3 had bale passed to Defoe rather than shot in the 73rd minute. Had it gotten to that score line I have no doubt it would have cued the inevitable arsenal collapse and it would have been a draw. Arsenal looked good today but only because they played against ten men. Against 11 it was only going one way.
Shane Long was on fire today…plus a nice little double on both teams to score Arse v Spurs & QPR v Southampton. Get in.
5pur2
Shane Long is the future standard of Irish football, he reminds me of a young Robbie keane