The eyes of the boxing world were firmly on the UK, as two high profile cards went down on the British Isles. At the O2 Arena in London, Heavyweight Tyson Fury ended his fight with Cristian Hammer in the eight round as Hammer could not answer the bell for the ninth. Over in Belfast, Northern Ireland IBF World Super Bantamweight Champion Carl Frampton made short work of American Chris Avalos, ending their bout at about the mid-point of Round 5.
For Fury, who was a huge favorite heading in, this was considered a tune up match before he takes on Wladimir Klitschko later on this year. Fury is the mandatory challenger for Klitschko’s WBO World Heavyweight title. Fury continued to flash a lot ofoconfidence and new-found technique in his game, relying on the use of a southpaw stance throughout the fight to stay one step ahead of Hammer. Fury dropped Hammer in the fifth round which only heightened the German fighter’s desperation. Hammer continued to miss with his punches, which became sloppier and more telegraphed as the fight went on. In the end, it was exactly the ring time Fury needed, as he now awaits Klitschko’s date with Brandon Jennings on April 25 before they go into full negotiating mode.
An even more dominant performance was turned in by Frampton, who proved to be too fast and precise for challenger Chris Avalos. This was Frampton’s first defense of the world title he captured back in September with a win over Spaniard Kiko Martinez, and the match would appear to set up an all-British showdown between Frampton and fellow Brit Scott Quigg, who is also undefeated and owns the WBA Super Bantamweight world title.
Expect the Quigg versus Frampton match to materialize this summer, as the two fighters have raised the attention an interest of the super bantamweight weight calss to unprecedented levels. The match should have boxing fans salivating, as Quigg is a perfect (30-0) and he has held his WBA belt through three title defenses. A bout between the two would elevate one man, and potentially open up the path for a follow-up superfight with Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux, who is commonly accepted as the top Super Bantamweight in the world today.
