Carl Frampton vs. Chris Avalos: Winner, Recap and Reaction

Carl "The Jackal" Frampton (20-0, 14 KO) sent a message to the rest of the super bantamweight division on Saturday night. In front of an adoring hometown crowd in Belfast, Ireland, Frampton successfully defended his IBF title by smashing Chris Avalos (25-3) in five rounds. 

This one was thrilling but one-sided from start to finish. ESPN's Dan Rafael co-signed the concept.

Avalos was game while the bout lasted. He elected to take the fight to the champion, but that proved to be a bad strategy. The American was hurt by several power shots from the first round on. Initially it looked as if he might be able to trade with Frampton, but the champion's shots proved to have more staying power.

By the fifth round, Frampton was battering the challenger. A flurry that started with a mean right-left combination forced referee Howard John Foster to halt the beating. 

Avalos is just 25 years old. He appeared to possibly suffer an injury to his shoulder in the second round. He fought on, but it might have affected him. Quite frankly, it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference in the fight's result, but Avalos does still have a future in the sport.

He came a long way to fight a tough, 28-year-old champion in his hometown. Avalos deserves respect for that.

Immediately after the bout, speculation began. Who would be next for Frampton? A unification bout between Frampton and WBA secondary champion and Lancashire product Scott Quigg certainly makes sense.

Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

It could be one of the biggest fights in the United Kingdom in 2015. The Fight Buzz launched an informal and impromptu Twitter poll after Frampton's win. 

While Quigg is the regional favorite to face Frampton, Bad Left Hook's Scott Christ reminds us that there is another elite fighter in the weight class that the Jackal should consider.

Guillermo Rigondeaux is on most boxing experts' pound-for-pound list. He's also the holder of the WBO and WBA's recognized world title. Up to now, he's most widely considered the best fighter in the division. He seems to be more tied to a bout against IBF world champion Leo Santa Cruz.

In a perfect world, perhaps the winner of a Rigondeaux and Santa Cruz battle could face the fighter who emerges from the Frampton and Quigg scrap. There's only one issue...neither fight is officially signed as of yet.

Few weight classes have such compelling champions sitting atop the division and seemingly willing to find out which is the superior fighter. On Saturday, Frampton did his part to continue to have his name mentioned in the same breath as the best.

Hopefully, he'll step up to take on the next challenge in his next fight.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.