Former two-weight world ruler Carl Frampton will return to action in Belfast on April 7, his new promoter Frank Warren has confirmed (Warren replacing Barry McGuigan and Cyclone Promotions). Frampton, last seen having a way tougher time than expected with tough-nut Mexican Horacio Garcia, winning a hard-fought ten round decision, will fight at the SSE Arena and it has been officially confirmed how his opponent will indeed be former world ruler and pound-for-pound entrant Nonito Donaire.
A good fight and a way solid match-up, even if Donaire, now aged 35, is no longer quite the awesome P-4-P force he was back in 2007 to 2012 when he was beating the likes of Vic Darchinyan, Raul Martinez, Hernan Marquez, Fernando Montiel and Jorge Arce and was busy collecting belts. At 38-4(24) overall, “The Filipino Flash” has gone 7-2 since losing a wide decision to Guillermo Rigondeaux back in April of 2013.
A stoppage loss to Nicholas Walters and, more recently in November of last year a decision loss to Jessie Magdaleno show how Donaire, while still a force, is not the elite warrior he once was. Again, though, he and Frampton could very easily result in a damn good fight.
How much has the Filipino southpaw got left? In fact, how much has Frampton – who really did struggle in his last fight – got left? Donaire has been stopped just one time, by “Axe-Man” Walters, while Frampton has just one pro defeat with that decision loss to Leo Santa Cruz.
Frampton, at age 30, aims to become a three-time champion, and he and Donaire are both highly ranked by the WBC. Can Frampton become the second man to stop Donaire or will the former multi-weight king roll back the years one more time? In fact, many people are anticipating a 12-rounder, a chess match. Certainly, both former champions have an incredible array of skills, brains and guts.
Word is Frampton could fight either Lee Selby or Josh Warrington in a title fight in his next bout, should he get past Donaire next spring.