Carl Frampton-Chris Avalos: Post-Fight Report Card

by Cliff Rold

IBF 122 lb. titlist Carl Frampton is a star in Northern Ireland.

He fought like one on Saturday.

Chris Avalos wasn’t the toughest out in the Jr. Featherweight division, but he’d never been stopped. He came to try hard. He was in with a better fighter.

That better fighter looks like he’s still not had his best fight.  That should concern everyone else in his division. Frampton is the real deal.

Let’s go the report card.

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Frampton B+; Avalos B/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Frampton A; Avalos B/Post: Same

Frampton’s advantage in hand speed, technique, and accuracy, looked like his key strengths going into the fight.  It was decidedly the case.  Avalos deserves credit for bringing the fight from the start. He didn’t quit even as the bout became overwhelming. 

Those were five hard rounds.

There just wasn’t much he could do. Frampton, playing the same sort of counter puncher he did with Kiko Martinez, found an assortment of right hands on the night.  His straight right was big but so was his ability to turn over the uppercut. As the fight wore on, his left also became a factor.

Avalos has nothing to be ashamed of. He gave an honest effort and he’ll find himself back on TV soon enough.  The story of the night was Frampton who strongly impressed.

He was expected to win. Style points count. He racked them up here and the rest of the class was served notice.

Frampton says the right stuff about his future. He says he wants to fight fellow UK talent Scott Quigg. It would be a huge fight and likely a thriller.

Frampton also doesn’t shy from talking about Leo Santa Cruz and World Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux. Santa Cruz may be headed towards Abner Mares. Rigondeaux is presumed superior to the class by a lot.

Frampton might narrow that gap.

At 28, the time for Frampton to make his push is now and the fighter we saw on Saturday would have chances against the Cuban maestro.  He throws and he’s quick.  Rigondeaux is a precise fighter whose chin can be dented. He’s also not a young man for his class with lots of amateur miles on him.  If they fought tomorrow, Rigondeaux would still be a favorite.

It wouldn’t be as strong a favorite as was the case Friday.  Frampton-Rigondeaux is an intriguing style clash between the two most proven men in the division right now. Frampton-Quigg is a potential war.

Options are great, aren’t they? 

Report Card and Staff Picks 2015: 7-1 (Including picks for Eubank-Chudinov and Fury-Hammer)

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com