Fight fans may have grown accustomed to, or are even bored of, two fighters getting in one another’s face at a pre-fight press conference, but it’s still entertaining to some when it happens. And today, just two days before the IBF/WBA super-bantamweight unification clash between unbeaten rivals Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg, the obligatory, ‘I’ll grab you, you grab me’ theatrics were witnessed.
Today’s press conference was delayed by over 30 minutes due to a row over, guess what: which fighter should have the bigger dressing room on Saturday night at The Manchester Arena. Quigg, the defending WBA 122-pound champion, feels he should have it as the “home” fighter, while IBF ruler Frampton feels he should have the bigger dressing room as he is the “A” fighter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOTzZu451nM
“It’s all a bit of a laughing matter on my part,” Frampton said to Sky Sports after the press conference. “Scott wants the dressing room that the star of the show usually goes in but contractually I’m on the A-side here. I’m entering the ring last. It is Frampton-Quigg. I’m entitled to that dressing room. He wants it. He’s superstitious, wants the dressing room and it’s a sign of weakness. Superstition is a weakness. I don’t care what dressing room I’m in.”
Quigg shot back with, “Okay, then that’s solved! I’m the home fighter and I’m in the home dressing room.”
Silly stuff, really. But the two, when they posed for the traditional head-to-head stare down, put hands on one another and a scuffle almost broke out. Some fans say the so-called bad blood is merely a case of hype to help sell further pay-per-view tickets, while others seem to think these two have some genuine dislike for one another. Added to the tension going into this massive fight, is the fact that rival trainers Joe Gallagher (Quigg) and Shane McGuigan (Frampton) seem to have a testy attitude to each other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGwkmiToqxk
Will this fight come down to which fighter has the cooler-headed corner on fight night? When it comes to picking a winner, fans are split right down the middle, and for every ten fans you ask that are picking Frampton, still another ten are picking Quigg. It’s that kind of fight. Let’s hope it delivers on Saturday night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiVYLVB5G3c