The unbeaten WBC featherweight champion believes rival teams are pursuing easier fights instead of risking a unification bout against him
Bruce Carrington believes the biggest obstacle to featherweight unification isn’t finding opponents, it’s convincing rival champions to face him. The WBC titleholder says other teams are choosing easier routes because they view him as the division’s toughest challenge.
“Well, I think it’s more so the fighters’ teams. They’re trying to weigh out their options in terms of what would be the easiest route for them,” said Carrington to Chris Mannix’s channel. “For me, I’m the type of guy that knows I can beat everybody. I have the confidence that I can beat everyone, so it doesn’t matter who comes first.”
Carrington went a step further, saying the lack of movement toward unification is proof that other champions don’t fully believe in their own fighters.
“If these guys had that confidence in their fighter, then they would fight me next. But being that they don’t, they’re finding other alternative routes to reach the top or stay at the top before they fight me because they see that I’m a real threat,” said Carrington.
Those comments are unlikely to convince everyone.
Although Carrington remains unbeaten, many fans believe he has yet to face the type of opposition that justifies calling out the other titleholders. His January stoppage of Carlos Castro earned him the vacant WBC title, but Castro entered the fight coming off a loss and an 18-month layoff. Carrington also had to survive a difficult spell after being badly hurt before rallying for the stoppage.
His previous opponents have also done little to quiet the criticism. Mateus Heita arrived unbeaten but largely unknown on the world stage, while Enrique Vivas and Dana Coolwell were viewed as solid contenders rather than elite featherweights.
Carrington’s 2024 victory over Sulaiman Segawa remains another talking point. While he won a majority decision, many fans felt Segawa had done enough to deserve the verdict. Combined with the problems he encountered against Castro, those performances have led some to question whether Carrington is ready for the division’s top fighter.
That fighter, in the eyes of many, is WBO champion Rafael Espinoza.
Espinoza has strengthened his standing with victories over Robeisy Ramirez and Edward Vazquez and is widely regarded as the man to beat at 126 pounds. As a result, some fans have questioned why that fight has not materialized while Carrington has continued to face less established opposition.
Carrington, however, insists unification remains his goal and identified Espinoza and WBA champion Angelo Leo as the opponents he hopes to face before the end of the year.
Carrington’s explanation is unlikely to change many minds. The questions surrounding his resume won’t go away until he faces Espinoza or another established champion.
