Undercard bouts to stream live on ESPN+ – (August 10, 2020) — Carl “The Jackal” Frampton will fight Scottish veteran Darren “Trayn-Wreck” Traynor in a 10-round lightweight bout this Saturday, August 15. Frampton was supposed to face Vahram Vardanyan, but visa issues forced Vardanyan to pull out of the fight last week.
In the 10-round co-main event, featherweight contender Michael “Mick” Conlan (13-0, 7 KO) will face former world title challenger Sofiane Takoucht (35-4-1, 13 KOs).
The Frampton-Traynor and Conlan-Takoucht bouts will be televised live in the United States on ESPN and ESPN Deportes beginning at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Undercard bouts, including the return of Top Rank and MTK Global welterweight prospect Paddy “Real Deal” Donovan (3-0, 2 KOs), will stream live on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.
“The show must go on, and Carl needed a fight after a pretty long layoff,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “His goal is to become Ireland’s first three-weight world champion, and after he’s victorious on Saturday, we will do everything we can to give him that opportunity.”
Said Frampton, “I’m delighted to get an opponent over the line. I have to credit MTK Global for seeing there could have been issues with the original opponent getting into the country, and they have been paying Darren Traynor for a number of weeks to train.
“He’ll be in decent shape and will be up for it as well. There is no pressure on him, but it is up to me to look good. I want to be taking this guy out and then moving on to think about Jamel Herring.
“I can’t be complacent in the slightest. I know I’m the big favorite in the fight, but I want to win and want to look good, and I want to win by knockout.
“I feel like he’s a better opponent as he’s fought at a higher level than Vardanyan, and he’s coming in at lightweight. I haven’t made my debut at junior lightweight yet and I’m already jumping in at lightweight, so that’s obviously a little bit in his favor, but I’m looking forward to not having to struggle at all in fight week and then putting on an explosive show.”
“Carl is gunning for a third world title at a third different weight and cannot afford any mishaps on Saturday night,” said Frank Warren, who co-promotes Frampton. “Darren Traynor is ready to step in and fully prepared to give Carl the competitive fight he needs before heading into a WBO world championship battle against Jamel Herring, hopefully, later this year.”
“Unfortunately, Vahram had visa issues, which was something that we had envisioned as a possible scenario. We reached out to Darren Traynor and his team to be ready in case this situation had come out this way,” said MTK Global Vice President Jamie Conlan.
Traynor (16-3, 7 KOs), from Aberdeen, Scotland, is a nine-year pro and former two-weight Scottish champion who once challenged for the British super featherweight title. He had been training as a potential fill-in opponent, so when the call came to fight a Frampton, he did not hesitate. He’s split his last four bouts, most recently winning a decision over veteran Des Newton at lightweight.
The Lockdown Lowdown: Carl Frampton
Coronavirus crisis “might have been the end” admits Frampton as he instead looks ahead to fight with “Lazy” Jamel Herring
CARL FRAMPTON TODAY rejected the idea that the coronavirus lockdown represents more personal bad luck in his hunt to become a three weight World Champion, saying “we are all in the same boat”.
‘The Jackal’ was forced out of a fight with Emmanuel Dominguez in August 2019 after a freak accident saw a large ornament fall and break his hand in a hotel lobby.
In his return bout in December 2019 Frampton outpointed an outmatched Tyler McCreary but would fracture both his hands in the process, pushing his title fight with Jamel Herring even further away.
Carl, however, is refusing to feel sorry for himself and told ‘The Lockdown Lowdown’ that he is choosing to look on the bright side.
“My wife made a good point the other day. If I hadn’t had my hand operations, and had been waiting on them now it could have been a different story with things like that being postponed.”
Frampton is clear what that could have meant for his career: “It might have been the end.”
Fans needn’t worry, though, as the 29 fight veteran from Belfast is certain his shot against WBO Junior-Lightweight Champ Jamel Herring will come as soon as it’s safe for them to meet.
“The fight has been pretty much agreed, without being officially announced. I’m pretty sure it will happen eventually… when restrictions ease a little bit.”
Herring has 22 professional fights to his name, with just two losses, and many fans believe he’d go into a fight with 27-2 Frampton as the favourite based on size difference alone.
‘Semper Fi’ got into the ring for a face-off with Frampton after his recent victory over Tyler McCreary and it didn’t go unnoticed how much bigger the American was.
‘The Jackal’ wasn’t as impressed as some.
“If you look at that picture, when he got in the ring after my last fight, he looked about 12 stone… I’m thinking ‘he’s got to make 9st4′.
It’ll hurt him to do the weight a lot more than me…”
Frampton is sure that Herring’s size won’t be the deciding factor when they meet and was adamant that he sees serious flaws in his adversaries game.
“I think he can be outboxed. His feet are slow, he doesn’t punch that fast either. In the middle rounds he gets a little bit lazy.
It’s almost like he cruises and doesn’t want to exert too much energy.”
With victories over Nonito Donaire, Leo Santa Cruz and Scott Quigg on his record, Frampton knows a thing or two about the sweet science.
So what would it mean to be proven right and be crowned a four-time, three-weight World Champion?
“It would be amazing… Hall of Fame stuff. I want people to remember me.”
The Lockdown Lowdown is available via Queensberry Promotions social media channels.
Recent guests have included Archie Sharp, Sunny Edwards and Liam Williams, who sensationally asked “who gives a sh*t about Demetrius Andrade?”
Upcoming guests include Tommy Fury and Joe Joyce.