Photo by Esther Lin
Saturday July 18, 2015 was scheduled to be the day that renowned Belfast banger Carl “The Jackal” Frampton announced himself to the United States of America. After recently signing with boxing’s shadowy “advisor” Al Haymon, the door was left firmly ajar for an awaiting Frampton who was determined to experience his very own American Dream.
Due to TV obligations back in the UK, the Frampton introduction party took place on an afternoon (U.S. time) in El Paso, Texas against a little known Mexican named Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. Many believed the 22-year-old Mexican was a perfect pick for a Jackal eager to impress, which would eventually propel the Frampton brand into the majority of households on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
With the great expectations weighing heavily on Frampton’s shoulders, as well as the peering eyes of Leo Santa Cruz sitting at ringside, the underdog Gonzalez Jr. chose the perfect opportune moment to tear up the script and serve the reigning IBF king a severe dose of cold reality, dropping the unsuspecting Irishman twice in the very first round.
Frampton recovered inspiringly, showing real character whilst charring out an exciting back-and-forth unanimous decision victory. Still, after being dropped for the first time in his career, the hard hitting Jackal’s former air of invincibility that previously followed him since he turned pro had now been somewhat exposed.
With that being said, could the fact that Frampton’s eagerly anticipated U.S. debut inadvertently turned out to be a dangerous exposé, ultimately work in his favor, making him a household name in the U.S.?
Or on the other hand, could this tough battle with a low ranking Super Bantamweight in turn hinder his negotiation power when the talk of Scott Quigg inevitably resurfaces?
After the bout, a clearly disheartened Frampton left the ring under the impression that his performance was simply not good enough for a man of his caliber. However, although his opponent entered the ring with a mediocre ranking, almost all would agree that Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. was a very strong, game and relentless competitor who grabbed his world title opportunity with both hands.
The son of a former world champion, Gonzalez Jr. proved to be extremely awkward for the usually flawless Frampton and would unquestionably give anyone at the Super Bantamweight limit a genuine test. Consequently, the Belfast Man should most definitely cut himself some slack when reviewing his performance, especially when he took on a dangerous Mexican in El Paso with so much at stake.
Undeniably, both the 28-year-old Frampton and his manager Barry McGuigan will breathe a huge sigh of relief as they set their sights firmly on British rival Scott Quigg, with negotiations being on the top of all parties’ agenda.
It didn’t help Team Frampton that long standing rival Quigg blitzed former Frampton foe Kiko Martinez in two rounds on the same day, bettering The Jackal’s result of a ninth round TKO against the Spaniard back in 2013. Nevertheless, this result only adds more spice to an already mouth watering Frampton vs. Quigg showdown, which has since become one of the most talked about battles in Britain.
With both men due to face off across the negotiating table sometime in the near future, it is still unclear whether Frampton’s tough U.S. debut will give him some well deserved clout or whether the fact he was floored twice, will give that aforementioned clout to his adversary Quigg, who is buzzing after his impressive demolition of Martinez.
All will become clear over next few weeks when the negotiation power struggle will reignite once again, locking both promotional companies into a battle to gain the upper hand.
So even though the anticipated U.S. debut announcing Carl “The Jackal” Frampton to the masses almost sent the much-loved Irishman back home without his belt, in the end, the reigning IBF champ showed a real champion’s mentality by putting behind him a frustrating three minutes to retain his composure as well as his sought after IBF strap.
Frampton irrefutably gained a multitude of fans to add to his thousands of already loyal followers, taking the every growing “Jackal’s Army” Stateside and beyond.
