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Kenneth Egan has an interesting theory about today's surprise Carl Frampton news

Carl Frampton had been due to to return to the ring this Saturday in his home city of Belfast for...



Kenneth Egan has an interestin...
Other Sports

Kenneth Egan has an interesting theory about today's surprise Carl Frampton news

Carl Frampton had been due to to return to the ring this Saturday in his home city of Belfast for a WBC title eliminator against Andres Gutierrez.

The fight was an opportunity for Frampton to bounce back having lost his WBA Featherweight belt to Gutierrez's Mexican compatriot Leo Santa Cruz in a rematch.

Unfortunately for Frampton, he weighed one pound over the featherweight limit and as a result it will no longer be a WBC title eliminator for him, although it will be for Gutierrez, should he win, as the fight will go ahead.

He was quick to apologise to fans on Twitter: 

Tonight on Off The Ball, 2008 Olympic silver medalist Kenneth Egan shared his thoughts on what has happened and the potentially positive long-term effect.

"In all seriousness, it's a strange one. Because he didn't make the weight and there was just a pound in it - it would be different if he came in and he was three or four or five pounds over and he couldn't shift it. I don't know what the ins and outs of it are but there could be a method to his madness," said Egan.

"It just takes him out of the elimination for a possible fight with the American Russell Junior, who is a really hot prospect and who's a very, very good fighter. So if Carl was to make the weight and win tomorrow night, he could be facing Russell Junior in his next fight looking for a world title and I don't think he wants to go down that route. Maybe he wants to have a crack off [Lee] Selby and that could be a big money-spinner for both him and Frampton.

"Look, it's politics again at the end of the day and professional boxing is about putting bums on seats. They sold out this arena which was fantastic, it's keeping Carl in the spotlight and then it allows him to go out now, perform tomorrow night, do the business, please God he'll win but then it could set him up for a different route, a different fight altogether than what he was looking at."   

Egan also explained that shedding an extra pound can be difficult for fighters in the lighter weight categories like Frampton's.

Kenneth Egan has an interesting theory about today's surprise Carl Frampton news

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