Preview - Frampton vs Quigg (Undercard)

The first mega fight of 2016 is fast approaching. At the time of writing, we are just over a fortnight away until Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton finally get it on at Manchester Arena in a Super Bantamweight unification clash.

The fight that we never thought would be made is finally upon us, and we here at British Boxing Blog are as excited as the next boxing fan about this mouth-watering contest of the little fellas. We are also divided on opinion of who will emerge victorious (one of us says Quigg, the other Frampton, but we won’t go in to that here.)

This is a genuine 50/50 world class standard fight. Two unbeaten world champions putting their 0’s and their belts on the line; a fight that both fighters and promoters should be applauded for making. A fight that continues the upward curve in mainstream popularity of British Boxing, and we certainly can’t wait to be in attendance in the MEN Arena on the night.

However this article won’t be focusing on the main event – this writer wants to concentrate on the undercard.

An undercard, which in some quarters of the boxing fraternity has been the subject of some, and in my opinion, unfair criticism.

Granted, it may not be stacked full of “big names” and world title fights to excite the casual fan, like its Sky Sports Box Office predecessors Froch-Groves II and Bellew v Cleverly, however I do believe it is a card full of depth. talent and jam packed with 50/50 encounters that should make for great viewing for those in attendance and for those forking out the Box Office fee.

Gavin McDonnell provides chief support to the main event, facing Jorge Sanchez for the vacant WBC Silver Super Bantamweight title as he continues to breathe new life into his career and storm ahead towards a world title shot. The upturn in McDonnell’s career can unquestionably be traced to the appointment of Dave Coldwell as his full time trainer.

Gavin’s career was floundering and he certainly wasn’t making the most of his natural talent. We were present at ringside to watch him produce a lacklustre performance to draw against Josh Wale for the British title on a midweek night in Leeds on a Josh Warrington undercard, however since that night McDonnell has gone from strength to strength, notching up three consecutive wins against respected opponents such as Vusi Malinga and capturing the European title against Jeremy Parodi last time out.

If Gavin McDonnell can emerge victorious from his moment in the spotlight on 27th February, then he will continue on his quest to gate-crash the world title scene at Super Bantamweight and land a shot at one of the belts in the near future – a thought that seemed virtually impossible back in 2014.

The undercard fight that we are most looking forward to on 27th February, is undoubtedly the bout for the vacant British Light Heavyweight title between two unbeaten fighters, Hosea Burton and Miles Shinkwin.

Contests for British titles more often than not seem to bring out the best in fighters and create special occasions, and this one certainly has all the ingredients to be a barnstormer.

Both fighters have served their time, carving out impressive apprenticeships on the British Light Heavyweight scene, beating the usual mix of overseas opponents and journeymen, capturing area titles and maintaining unbeaten records in the process.

Now is the time for both to step up, and what a way to do so, a fight for the vacant British title – the Lonsdale belt.

The fight will take on added resonance as it is one of the rare occasions that a deal has been made between Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren to allow their fighters to fight each other – Warren obviously hoping his man will come back victorious from his brief journey over to Sky Sports and make the first defence of his British title on his own Boxnation network.

Fights such as this one are great for the game, promoters putting differences and rivalry aside and letting their boxers put their reputations and unbeaten records on the line in a genuine 50/50 fight to contest one of the greatest prizes in the sport, the British title.

Another stellar clash taking place on the undercard is a mirrored version of the main event, England taking on Northern Ireland, this time for the Commonwealth Featherweight title as Isaac Lowe squares up to Marco McCullough.

McCullough will be roared on by the legions of travelling fans from Belfast in what should be an electric atmosphere inside the MEN Arena; however Lowe will have considerable support of his own, being a native of Lancashire himself. Again, this is another fight in which it is hard to pick a winner, reinforcing my earlier point – they may not be the household names people were expecting but it is hard to argue with the quality of evenly matched fights that have been put together on the undercard.

The travelling Belfast fans will have a further fighter to rally behind on the night as local boy and recent Matchroom Boxing signing, the supremely gifted Ryan Burnett makes his second appearance since joining Eddie Hearn’s stable. Burnett will look to maintain his unbeaten record since turning professional as he faces Anthony Settoul in a WBC International Bantamweight contest. This is a fight that Burnett should be looking to win well as he plans on staying active in 2016 and fighting in homecoming show in Belfast later in the year.

A smattering of young talent completes the makeup of the undercard. The ever impressive Charlie Edwards is back in action, whilst Commonwealth Games champions Josh Taylor, who has impressed Barry McGuigan with his potential and Scott Fitzgerald who debuts, also feature on the card.

Sometimes in boxing, it is worth looking a bit deeper. Forget about the big names and the mega stars for a second and focus on the undercard fighters, the small hall fighters and the domestic title match ups.

This undercard may not have the Joshua’s, the DeGale’s and the Groves’ of previous Box Office shows, but what it does have is quality even match ups and young, exciting fighters in abundance. It is worth giving them a chance to shine, tuning in early, and you never know, maybe just maybe, you could witness a Fight of the Year contender or a Box Office star of years to come.

#McDonnell #Burton #Shinkwin #British #IBF #WBA #Quigg #Frampton