Carl Frampton out to prove he can win a world title without the McGuigans

Frampton unified at super-bantamweight and claimed the WBA featherweight crown under the tutelage of manager Barry McGuigan and his son and trainer Shane before an acrimonious end to their eight-year partnership in August 2017.

The Belfast fighter has since been guided by former British, Commonwealth and European light-middleweight champion Jamie Moore and assistant Nigel Travis, but global honours have so far proved elusive under their stewardship.

However, the 34-year-old can become Ireland’s first three-weight world champion when he takes on Jamel Herring for the WBO super-featherweight title in Dubai on Saturday in a bout that has been rearranged on multiple occasions.

“I need to prove it to myself but I need to prove it to other people,” Frampton told the PA news agency.

“I believe Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis are fantastic coaches and I want to reward them with winning a world title, so I fully intend on doing that with this fight against Jamel Herring.

“If I win the fight, I think it would go down as my best win.”

Frampton is five inches shorter than his opponent, a former US Marine, and is possibly giving away the same amount in reach, but he weighed in half a pound heavier at 129.9lbs – just under the 130lb super-featherweight limit.

This seems to be the last roll of the dice for Frampton, who, if he wins, will become only the fourth Briton to capture world titles in three different weight categories after Bob Fitzsimmons, Duke McKenzie and Ricky Burns.

But even if he loses against Herring (22-2, 10KOs) – and he has indicated this week he will retire if he does – Frampton is already satisfied with what he has accomplished in a glittering 30-fight professional career.

“I’m definitely one of them,” Frampton (28-2, 16KOs) said when asked whether he would regard himself as Ireland’s finest fighter. “I’ve done a fair bit to cement a bit of a legacy.

“I feel like what I’ve done has been very, very good, and there will be some people who say that I am. But I’ll be more comfortable saying it myself if I win a world title in my third division.

“I’m the only Northern Irishman to win world titles in two divisions, I’m the only Irish fighter apart from Steve Collins and Katie Taylor to have won titles in two divisions.

“But to stand alone on the isle of Ireland as the only ever three-weight world champion, one of the only Brits to ever do it as well, it would be a huge achievement.”

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