FRANK Warren says Carl Frampton’s WBO super-featherweight title fight with Jamel Herring will go ahead and while many of us are working from home and home-school children, the Jackal is training from home to prepare for it.
Hand-on-heart, the Jackal seriously doubts that the June 13 clash with New Yorker Herring will go ahead. He is doing all he can to be ready but says the current restrictions and guidelines on travel and training make it virtually impossible to be in proper shape for a world title fight with former US Marine ‘Semper Fi’.
“Warren is hopeful that the fight takes place,” said Frampton.
“I’m in limbo here at the minute because I don’t feel like the fight will happen in June but I have to keep training as if it will happen. We’re in a difficult situation because no-one knows what to expect, no-one knows what’s happening.
“If things miraculously clear up by the end of May and the fight can take place in mid-June that will mean I’ve done a 10-week training camp from my garage and then two weeks with Jamie Moore? It’s not feasible to go into a world title fight like that with social distancing and stuff.
“It’s really difficult, I just don’t see it taking place in that timeframe. But I suppose things have been agreed – Herring is up for the fight, I’m up for the fight and I think that when things settle down that’s when it will happen.”
Another very relevant issue for Frampton is the economic climate post-Coronavirus. Jobs have already been lost as the country goes into lockdown and the Jackal is concerned that a June fight will put pressure on fans to spend money they can ill afford on tickets.
“I think it would be unfair to have it in June,” he said.
“How are people going to afford a ticket? People are being laid-off and paid-off everywhere; left, right and centre. It’s going to be difficult for people to buy tickets to go and watch it. The issue we were having over whether it was going to be Windsor Park or the SSE Arena… That’s not even an issue now, it’s not even a worry for me at the minute. I just want to get the fight happening at some point when it’s safe to do so but I’m more worried about the Coronavirus at the minute and keeping my family and loved ones healthy.”
Social distancing guidelines mean that sparring and even pad-work have been ruled out, Frampton can run and hit bags, but it’s asking a lot, even a 29-fight, former two-weight world champion like him, to get to world title level training out of his garage.
“You can’t do anything and I’m distancing myself completely,” he said.
“I go out running and I was doing weights in Hannahstown with Michael Lyons but I haven’t even been able to go to the gym to do the sessions. He has sent me a couple of programmes and I am trying to do them by myself but it’s not the same.
“Hitting a bag isn’t the same as hitting the pads and I can’t even hit pads because you can’t be that close with someone. I’m doing what I can and I’m in a lucky position that I have a gym in my house so I can train. I can hit the bag, and do weights and run but for preparation for a world title fight it’s not ideal.”
