Who Will Face Off Against Carl Frampton?
With less than a week to go until he returns to action, Carl Frampton has a new opponent.
In a release, Top Rank has announced that Frampton will face off against Darren Traynor in a lightweight bout on Saturday, August 15. This comes after Frampton’s original opponent, Vahram Vardanyan, had to back out due to visa issues.
“The show must go on, and Carl needed a fight after a pretty long layoff,” said Top Rank’s Bob Arum. “His goal is to become Ireland’s first three-weight world champion, and after he’s victorious on Saturday, we will do everything we can to give him that opportunity.”
Frampton (27-2) last fought in November, beating Tyler McCreary via unanimous decision. It was a rebound following a loss against Josh Warrington. The former IBF and WBA Super-Bantamweight and interim WBO Featherweight Champion may end up facing off against Jamel Herring sometime in November if he wins.
The WBO Junior-Lightweight Champion in Herring is reportedly set to face Jonathan Oquendo on September 5. This comes after the fight between the two was delayed twice due to Herring testing positive for the coronavirus.
Traynor (16-3) is 2-2 in his last four fights. His last bout was in February, beating Des Newton via points decision. It was his first fight back in action since 2018. Making his debut in 2011, Traynor is a former WBA International Super-Featherweight Title contender.
“I’m delighted to get an opponent over the line,” said Frampton. “I have to credit MTK Global for seeing there could have been issues with the original opponent getting into the country, and they have been paying Darren Traynor for a number of weeks to train.
“I feel like he’s a better opponent as he’s fought at a higher level than Vardanyan, and he’s coming in at lightweight. I haven’t made my debut at junior lightweight yet and I’m already jumping in at lightweight, so that’s obviously a little bit in his favor, but I’m looking forward to not having to struggle at all in fight week and then putting on an explosive show.”
The co-main event of Michael Conlan v. Sofiane Takoucht will still go on as planned. The BT Sport Studio in London will hold the fights and it will air on ESPN+.