Carl Frampton produced the performance of his career on the biggest night of his life as he won the IBF super-bantamweight title with a unanimous points decision over Kiko Martinez in Belfast on Saturday night.
The Northern Irishman was too quick and sharp for the champion, who bulled his way forward throughout, but was almost always met by a salvo of punches.
It was a fine all-round performance, the sort that should turn Frampton into a star. He certainly already has pulling power already, shown by the 16,000 that crammed into the arena in the Titanic Quarter. Exciting times are ahead.
Frampton had Martinez on the floor in the fifth round and while he seemed to have the champion teetering in the last two rounds, a combination of the Spaniard’s toughness and Frampton remaining cautious, ensured that it went the distance.
But the Belfast boy was a huge winner. Two American judges scored it 119-108 to him, Marcus McDonnell was a bit more generous, making it 118-111.
Advertisement
“He was so dangerous, such a hard puncher,” Frampton said. “I haven’t seen my face yet, but it feels pretty lumpy. I respect Kiko more than any other fighter, what a tough man. There are so many options, but the one I want is Scott Quigg (the WBA champion). I’ll fight him in Manchester, I’ll fight him anywhere.”
Frampton, 27, went into the bout with the confidence of having beaten Martinez before. That meeting happened 19 months ago, for the European title, at the Odyssey Arena, a few hundred yards along the River Lagan from the outdoor arena that was specially built for this big night, the first world-title bout in Northern Ireland in nearly 20 years.
The elements were kind, in that it did not rain, although when the sun went down a bitter wind blew in off the waterfront, ensuring woolly hats were the quickest item to sell out in the merchandise tents.
Martinez was knocked out in nine rounds in their previous meeting, although he gave Frampton the hardest bout of his career for the first eight rounds. Since that defeat, he went to the United States to win the IBF title and then successfully defended it in Spain and Japan. The list of boxers who have won as the away boxer in the US and Japan is a short one.
But the Northern Irishman had every reason to be confident, despite having boxed less than eight rounds in his two bouts since beating Martinez.
Advertisement
The Spaniard had got his success by power, he had always been aggressive, but he had shown he had developed world-class power. He was dangerous and highly motivated.
The early rounds were always likely to be a concern, but Frampton won a reasonably sedate first round, controlling the action mostly with his jab.
Martinez showed a bit more intent in the second round, winging in powerful hooks, but Frampton looked happy to stand and trade. For the most, it was Frampton scoring with shorter, straighter shots, but he was buzzed by a decent right near the end of the round.
Frampton controlled the fight on the backfoot in the third, happy to back away from Martinez and then looking to land short, sharp hooks when he moved in range. So far, Martinez had failed to make any real impression.
The Spaniard landed a decent right at the start of the fourth, but once again seemed reluctant to commit too often, as Frampton kept his left jab in Martinez’s face.
Advertisement
But things livened up in the fifth. Early in the round, Frampton slipped over and was then hit on the floor by Martinez, but after both received strong warnings, the action heated up and, after an exchange, Martinez was cut over the left eye.
Bloodied and getting beaten, Martinez bulldozed forward, but as he threw two punches, Frampton countered over the top with a stunning right that dropped Martinez on his backside.
That was late in the round, but Frampton stayed controlled in the sixth, keeping sharp and ensuring the Spaniard took a risk every time he walked forward. It was similar in the seventh, although Martinez was rocked back on his heels by another straight right. Near the end of the round, Martinez trapped Frampton on the ropes, with the challenger looking to tie him up. It was the first success Martinez had really had and was fleeting.
That success had given Martinez encouragement, though, and he started the eighth more aggressively and caught Frampton with a good right when the two exchanged hooks. Frampton regained control, though, and kept picking the champion off. By the ninth, the heavy accumulation of right hands worsened the cut over Martinez’s left eye, which was now looking a mess. The Spaniard kept going forward, more out of hope and desperation than expectation.
Frampton by now had the fight in the bag, and was boxing much more conservatively, trying not to make any mistakes, although the tense atmosphere revealed that everyone knew Martinez was still dangerous. The Northern Irishman was slowing a bit too, moving more into the champion’s range, even if he was still landing the better shots.
Advertisement
The tenth was close, the eleventh was too, until, midway through the round, Frampton sensed that Martinez was fading and launched a two-fisted onslaught, rocking Martinez back, but the champion would not go down.
The final round should have been all about running down the clock, but Frampton had his tail up and looked to close the show in style, hammering Martinez back into the ropes. Martinez rallied and emerged with pride intact, if not his title.