12 Jun 2019
Carl Frampton claimed the vacant interim WBO featherweight title with a classy points win against former four-weight world champion Nonito Donaire in Belfast last April.
Now, he must defend that crown against Luke Jackson at Windsor Park in Belfast, the home of the Northern Ireland football team, and it will be a dream come true for the Northern Irishman, to defend a belt in an outdoor venue in his native city.
Hometown Hero
‘The Jackal’ has a record of 25-1-0 (14 by KO) and is one of the world’s best featherweights having previously held world championship belts in two weight classes, including the WBA and IBF super-bantamweight titles and the WBA featherweight title.
Frampton sees Jackson as a stepping stone to a potential rematch with Leo Santa Cruz, the only man to beat him in a professional ring and strip him of his WBA title last year but understands he must not take his eye off the ball against the Hobart-based London 2012 Olympian.
The Australian Challenger
Luke Jackson, an Australian featherweight, has never lost a professional fight with a record of 16-0-0 (7 by KO). With credentials including seven knockouts and a bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, he will be a perfect test for Frampton to defend his title for the first time.
The 33-year-old poses a threat to Frampton, and with this being his first bout in Europe over his 15-year career, he will be hoping to maintain his flawless run, although he is placed as the definitive underdog with odds at 14/1 for him to take the win and 33/1 for the draw.
Outside of the ring, Frampton has been involved in a legal battle with former promoter Barry McGuigan after he left Cyclone Promotions and signed a new deal with management company MTK Global at the beginning of the month. Bookies don’t see this providing too much of a distraction with The Jackal priced at 1/33 to take the win.
Experience Counts
The former world champion Frampton has a huge following in Northern Ireland and expect to see them on Saturday night at a packed-out Windsor Park, creating an atmosphere the 31-year-old thrives on.
His last five wins have come via decision with his last knockout victory stretching back to 2015 against Chris Avalos, leading some pundits to think he has lost his power, but if you fancy Frampton for a points win over Jackson odds are at 11/5 – odds for the fight to go the distance sit at 15/8.
However, we expect the Northern Irishman to have too much ring experience for Jackson, dictating the fight from the start and wearing him down, displaying too much speed for the Australian fighter to handle.
If Frampton displays the speed and power he has shown in the past this time out, we predict a knockout or technical knockout in the latter rounds of this fight with betting odds of 2/5.
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