Carl Frampton from Belfast won his dream fight at Windsor Park by stopping Luke Jackson in nine rounds to regain the featherweight title of the world.
Successfully defending the interim WBO title, he will be confirmed as mandatory challenger against full champion Oscar Valdez but will fight next IBF title list Josh Warrington, who traveled to be the first rank.
Against Australia's Jackson, the 31-year-old had been an important favorite in a fight that essentially served as a celebration of his popularity in his hometown, where he might even have fought for the last time.
He undoubtedly performed to the expected impressive level, which in his third fight under new trainer Jamie Moore again showed that he is in bloom and not in decline, as was proposed after his only defeat, by Leo Santa Cruz in 2017
with Jackson struggling more and more to defend himself and stay on his feet, already beaten in the ground, his corner threw the towel into the ground for referee Terry O & # 39; Connor to go after one minute and 21 seconds from the ninth to take over the action.
The break was Frampton's first since Chris Avalos' 2015 and showed why he will remain a favorite against Warrington in the fight that they will have later this year.
A noticeable magnitude advantage added as much to Frampton's aggression as the occasion, and from the moment he allowed two powerful judge hands to land in the second round, Jackson's task had become clear.
He landed a left hook with Jackson out of balance, when the Australian's face began to swell, and when his opponent began to focus on survival, he took off his right eye.
It was in the fifth when the 33-year-old showed essential signs of being demolished, and as he struggled to rise up after a right to the body, his impressive resilience and pride gradually became his greatest strength.
c Lassy Frampton has consistently succeeded with his powerful jab and created the opening for the cruel right uppercut he landed in the sixth, the point at which Jackson further slowed and closed his left eye almost swollen, his head no longer moving.
Frampton felt the interruption and ruthlessly carried it with the freedom that comes so little to defend himself – contributing to him the powerful links to the body that Jackson eventually sent down.
The Australian came back upright but was barely able to stay there and amid further punishment in the ninth, with his defense gone and his head shook from painful left and right hand, the towel came in and Frampton & # 39; s victory was confirmed.
Leeds & # 39; Warrington, 27, joined Frampton in the ring at the conclusion of the fight at which point – similar to the earlier confirmation that Tyson will challenge Fury Deontay Wilder – their promoter Frank Warren confirmed that they will fight for the IBF title le before the end of the year.
"We're going to let the dream fight now," he said. "It will happen, especially this year, it's over."
Frampton said, "I am not a world champion, Josh is a world champion, I would like to become a world champion again."
Warrington, 27, responded: " He performed well, but listen that I am looking to win the fight, I have defeated [Lee] Selby and I am still behind Carl. "
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