Frampton: I’ll be ready for Donaire and Rigondeaux in 2014

By Boxing News - 01/21/2013 - Comments

frampton3By Scott Gilfoid: 25-year-old Carl Frampton (15-0, 10 KO’s) figures all he needs is one more year and he’ll be ready to take on WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire and WBA champ Guillermo Rigondeaux for their titles. I’m not sure what precisely will change in a years’ time for the 5’5” Frampton but he seems to believe he’s going to be good enough to compete with them at that time.

Frampton said to the Sportsmole.co.uk “I’m about a year away from challenging one of those guys [Rigondeaux and Donaire], but anyone else I can take on straight away.”

I think it would be scary to imagine Frampton wondering into the ring with either Rigondeaux or Donaire. Heck, I think Abner Mares, Vic Darchinyan, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Ricardo Cardoba, and Victor Terrazaz would all do a number on Frampton.

It’s not that Frampton isn’t a good fighter, because I think he is a good little domestic/European level guy, but I don’t see him being competitive with Donaire or Rigondeaux next year.

Frampton likely isn’t going to improve enough in one year for him to compete with the top echelon fighters. He’s certainly not ready for Donaire and Rigondeaux now, and I don’t see him being ready in 2014 or 2015. If anything, Frampton might put on more size and grow out of the super bantamweight division.

For that matter, Frampton isn’t ready for the other top super bantamweights in my view. I think Mares, Darchinyan, Vazquez Jr, Cordoba and Terrazaz would be a step too far for Frampton because those guys can both punch and fight.

Frampton has a fight coming up next month against EBU super bantamweight champion Kiko Martinez (27-3, 19 KO’s) on February 9th at the Odyssey Arena, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. I think this is more of Frampton’s speed. He might be able to win the fight if he doesn’t get hit with something too big from Martinez and if he doesn’t fade in the later part of the fight.

Frampton is interested in facing unbeaten super bantamweight contender Scott Quigg this year. This is another fight where I’d give Frampton a decent chance of winning. I think it would be a really tough fight for Frampton, but it’s a winnable one because Quigg is so wide open on defense. I can see Frampton knocking Quigg out, but that’s not exactly a big deal. Quigg hasn’t ever faced anyone good and he would be in the same boat as Frampton if he was tossed into the ring with Donaire, Rigondeaux, Mares, Terrazaz, Darchinyan, Cardoba or Vazquez Jr.



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