McGuigan, Frampton’s promoter, is one of the best supported Home Nations fighters ever and he has talked about this clash being “every bit as big, if not bigger, than my day”. His son, Shane, is Frampton’s trainer.
Expert opinion is divided when it comes to predictions. The bookmakers give Frampton a slight edge but Quigg is from Lancashire so the fight is in his back yard. “It is a pivotal moment in our careers,” says 27-year-old Quigg.
“I have never been more confident going into a fight. It is about more than titles, it is about bragging rights. I am not prepared to lose.”
There is respect between the two men but Frampton says Quigg “does not have a boxing brain” and questioned his intelligence during some verbal sparring.
“He says I talk like I am eating crayons but people underestimate my thinking brain,” says Quigg. “I dedicate my life to the sport. I do not see it as a sacrifice because I do something I love.
“I live like a monk. I do not do anything other than boxing. Everything I have worked towards is for this moment and I am going to prove I am the best.”
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Frampton climbed off the canvas twice in the opening round to beat Alejandro Gonzalez Jr in his last outing. On the same night last July, Quigg blew away Kiko Martinez in two rounds.
The two disagree on who has wanted the fight more but are in acknowledgment that now is the perfect time for them to meet. Quigg says: “The fight has been building and building. We are lucky to have each other and be as good as we are because that is what has built it to this point. I have always wanted it but I am glad the fight in the past has not happened because it would not have been as big.”
Eddie Hearn, Quigg’s promoter, has predicted the atmosphere inside the 20,000 sold-out Manchester Arena will be the best UK boxing has ever seen. He has described it as “a night that Britain and Ireland will never forget”. Each fighter has received 5,000 tickets for their supporters but Frampton believes his travelling Irish fans will give him an advantage as the “home” fighter.
Frampton, who claimed he is “the legitimate champion” during a heated exchange on Sky Sports’ The Gloves Are Off, says: “I have wanted it for a long time. When I was looking for the British title four years ago, and he would not allow me to fight for it, that was the first time I really wanted this. But looking back, it was probably for the best to let it brew. Both of us are world champions. It is a much bigger fight.”
Frampton v Quigg is live on Sky Sports Box Office tomorrow. Buy now at skysports.com/framptonquigg.
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