OPINION: Frampton doesn't need '˜some worthless gong'

He is quite frankly our ‘Sports Personalty of the Year’ and he does not need some worthless gong - that means very little in the scale of things - to make him feel like he has had a successful 2016.

‘The Jackal’ - along with golfer Rory McIlroy - has led the charge for Belfast and Northern Ireland over the past few years and he has continued over the last few months to cement his legacy in the sport of boxing.

Victory over Scott Quigg in Manchester in February made him a unified World Champion at Super-bantamweight before he moved up a weight division to dethrone three weight World champion Leo Santa Cruz of his WBA Featherweight World title in New York.

In beating both Quigg and Santa Cruz - Frampton travelled to the backyard of his opponents and saw them off with apparent ease to make him a unified and then a two weight World Champion.

There is more to come from Frampton in he coming months and years and victory over Santa Cruz at the end of January in Las Vegas will raise his stock even further,

But you can maybe understand his frustration when you take a closer look at the 16 that have been nominated - even though Andy Murray’s victory - and rightly so - is as sure as one of his cross court winners.

But Jamie Vardy? How did he get on the list? Granted he was part of the Leicester City side that won the Premier League but his last league goal this season was on September 1.

And Nick Skelton the show jumper is another.

Ok he did well in lifting gold in Rio but was it not the horse that lifted him over the jumps? Maybe his mighty stead Big Star should get the award?

So sort it out BBC and give Frampton and NI some recognition.