Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg Talk Up Summer Showdown

If Carl Frampton wanted to make a statement in front of Scott Quigg, then his victory over Chris Avalos surely must have achieved his aim.

The Belfast boxer retained his IBF super-bantamweight title in impressive fashion at the Odyssey Arena in his home city, stopping the frisky but flawed Avalos in the fifth round.

The victory stretches Frampton’s professional record to 20-0.

It also grows the possibility of a clash with fellow unbeaten fighter Quigg, who was at ringside to see his longtime rival systematically destroy the challenger.

Avalos had done everything he could to get under the skin of the champion, and according to Frampton, even Avalos' family got involved:

Things had threatened to boil over at a lively weigh-in on Friday, though Mike Criscio, Avalos' manager, insisted there was no incident involving gum, per the Belfast Telegraph.

The American continued his attempts to annoy his rival right up until the first bell sounded.

Frampton could easily have lost his cool after all of the pre-fight antics. In front of a partisan crowd all there to see him perform, it would have been easy to get carried away and go looking for a little payback.

Instead, though, he remained cool, sticking perfectly to the plan devised by trainer Shane McGuigan.

Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Avalos helped him out with his approach. Intent on getting himself involved in a toe-to-toe battle, the Californian left himself open too often to be hit on the counter.

He even allowed Frampton a free shot in the second round, his brief concerns over a problem with his right shoulder quickly disappearing when he took a big left hand flush in the face.

The end came when an onslaught from the Northern Irishman proved enough for referee Howard Foster to step in and call a halt to proceedings.

Frampton had delivered a display of real maturity, as well as a perfect birthday present for his manager, Barry McGuigan, on the day the former featherweight world champion turned 54.

Quigg was fulsome in his praise for the local boy, telling Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian:

"

He boxed well, kept calm. As long as he kept his cool it was only a matter of time before Avalos started getting reckless and overconfident. 

When he started doing that Carl picked the right shots. You couldn’t argue with the stoppage.

"

In the same article, Quigg revealed he was still recovering from surgery on a hand injury, though he hoped to be ready for a fight with Frampton in “July or the end of June.”

Frampton is ready to do a deal, per BBC Sport: “I’d love to fight Scott Quigg in a summer showdown. It would be massive. It should happen.” 

It should happen, but there is a lot of negotiating to do first before any contracts are signed.

A venue will have to be agreed upon, though that may not be the biggest stumbling block. Selling tickets should not be an issue.

However, choosing who airs the fight could be.

Frampton’s latest victory was broadcast on free-to-air channel ITV. Quigg, meanwhile, has most recently been seen in action live on Sky Sports.

His promoter, Eddie Hearn, has been involved in pay-per-view events with Sky in recent times, most notably the Carl Froch vs. George Groves rematch at Wembley last summer. 

It can only be hoped a compromise can be reached, allowing Frampton and Quigg to end their verbal sparring and deliver a fight the British sporting public wants to see.

In his blog for Sky Sports, former world champion Johnny Nelson said, "Only a handful of fighters with world titles truly believe they are the best in the world. Does Deontay Wilder? No, he knows Wladimir Klitschko is out there. Frampton believes he is the best."

Whether Frampton is the best super-bantamweight out there remains to be seen. Quigg, Guillermo Rigondeaux—the WBA super champion—and WBC titleholder Leo Santa Cruz may beg to differ.

Frampton was, though, undoubtedly the best one in action in Belfast on Saturday. It was hard to not be impressed by the manner and style of his triumph over Avalos.