Carl Frampton - The next Irish star?

As the British boxing season embarks on it`s annual quiet period, one man who won`t be taking part is Carl Frampton. The Belfast super-bantamweight has less than two months preparation until he challenges for the European title against the vastly more experienced Spaniard Kiko Martinez.

Despite only turning professional in June 2009 and having contested just 10 bouts, the 24 year-old has been thrown into the deep end and if he lives up to the hype could follow in the footsteps of his fellow country men who captured world honours.

Ireland has produced several exciting world champions since the 1980’s including WBA featherweight ruler Barry McGuigan, flyweight Dave McAuley, two weight boss Steve Collins and super-bantamweight Bernard Dunne. Frampton could be joining this illustrious list in less than 18 months as claiming a European strap will rocket him into the world top ten.

However at first glance it can be considered a huge risk from his manager Barry McGuigan who has gone on record boasting Frampton is `the best prospect I`ve seen for 30 years.` McGuigan was captivated by Frampton`s amateur credentials of over 100 fights and only eight defeats which included senior titles at flyweight and featherweight. He also claimed a silver medal at the 2007 European Union Amateur championships in Dublin and was named prospect of the year at the Irish national boxing awards in 2010.

Martinez has just come off a solid performance in stopping the current British and Commonwealth champion Jason Booth in April for the vacant crown and has campaigned at European level since 2006. Having turned professional at a tender 18, Martinez captured his first title in only his 12th fight and is no stranger to UK fans having fought four times against British fighters. Martinez first came to prominence on these shores in 2007 when he destroyed Bernard Dunne inside a round after knocking him down twice before a partisan Dublin crowd to claim the European belt. And he followed that performance by giving Leicester binman Rendall Munroe a difficult shift before dropping a majority points decision in March 2008.

Three straight victories saw Martinez have a second crack at Munroe in February 2009 but this time he lost a unanimous decision and he also dropped a points decision in an IBF title eliminator in his subsequent outing. It suggests that the 25 year-old who boasts 18 stoppages in 25 victories is no pushover but falls just short of world level and in that may be revealed the clue behind why McGuigan has opted for the challenge in Belfast on 10th September.

Having followed McGuigan since his fight career, I am convinced he is a highly intelligent man who carefully considers all options before making a decision. Frampton, who is now the first man he has thrown his media and financial influence behind must have something special to persuade an educated figure like McGuigan to become passionately involved. Having covered boxing for numerous media outlets, McGuigan has seen the best of British prospects come and go since the early 1990`s and one has to ask the question - why Frampton?

I have been privileged to sit ringside and witness Frampton`s all action style (similar to Barry`s) as his manager becomes vocally and visibly involved and it is obvious he has all the natural attributes needed to be become a world beater if he curbs some amateur habits. But as history suggests not all prospects turn out to be the premier players many predicted and there are boxing insiders who think Frampton could be one such fighter. One of Britain`s top stars recently told me `he`s nothing special` after viewing him in the gym.

Yet Frampton has come onto the scene at a time of great opportunity. How much do the likes of Rendall Munroe and Jason Booth have left? McGuigan has said he would take a fight with Booth now. And Munroe needs a quick route back to another world title challenge as dropping back down to fight the likes of Frampton or another domestic contender Scott Quigg could present him with a sizeable challenge to become motivated.

Guiding a prospect from school to graduation is about delivering the right fights at the right time for the right money, while also ensuring his emotions and outer ring life are equally together. Sometimes the business side of boxing is ignorantly dismissed but boxing success is ultimately equated by the ingredients of sparkling belts and a healthy bank balance.

Since 2009 I have suggested to several peers that Frampton would become a world champion within three to five years. And despite struggling last time out against an underrated Robbie Turley I stand by that assertion. A convincing performance against Martinez will reconfirm those convictions.

Frampton could just be the biggest Irish boxing star since his manager.