(Photo credit: Russell Pritchard) By Scott Gilfoid: In what should be a mismatch tonight, undefeated EBU super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton (16-0, 11 KO’s) will be defending his strap against France’s Jeremy Parodi (35-1-1, 9 KO’s) at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Frampton, 26, is looking to get a fight against WBA super bantamweight champion Scott Quigg in his next fight after this one. Parodi, with his inflated resume, is little more than a speed bump for Frampton.
Parodi isn’t going to give Frampton any problems tonight because this is actually a big step down for Frampton from his last fight against Kiko Martinez last February. Frampton didn’t look all that great in that fight until catching Martinez with a big shot while he was coming forward in the 9th to get the stoppage.
Frampton has stopped five out of his last six opponents in the last two years, which includes a 6th round stoppage victory over a past his best former IBF super bantamweight champion Steve Molitor last year in September. Surprisingly one of the best guys that Frampton has faced in the last two years was Raul Hirales, who gave Frampton all he could handle for 12 rounds in losing by a 12 round unanimous decision. Frampton had to get on his bicycle to win that fight because he had major problems whenever he would try to stand and trade with him.
Pirodi, #4 IBF, hasn’t really faced anyone that you could call a good opponent during his eight-year pro career. I mean, I see a bunch of little known opposition with poor records as far as the eye can see when scanning Parodi’s resume, and I don’t understand why on earth the International Boxing Federation gave him such a high ranking. Based on the type of opposition that Parodi has fought thus far, I see him as a 2nd tier fighter rather than a top 15 guy. As such, I won’t be able to give Frampton any credit for beating him tonight because based on how he’s looked in his previous fights and his weak opposition, I don’t see a victory over him as being anything special. Frampton needs to step it up a couple levels and face Guillermo Rigondeaux because tonight’s fight likely won’t even be sporting.
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