CARL FRAMPTON WANTS to send out a statement by stopping Jeremy Parodi for the first time in his career.
And he’ll have a packed-out Odyssey Arena roaring him on with every punch.
More than 8,000 fight fans are expected to fill the Belfast venue for Frampton’s first fight since he dethroned Kiko Martinez and claimed the EBU and IBF Inter-Continental titles.
That can give the unbeaten “Jackal” the edge in tonight’s defence against Parodi. The 26-year-old Frenchman has lost just once in 37 professional fights and is currently ranked fourth in the super-bantamweight division by the IBF.
His manager Barry McGuigan turned Belfast’s King’s Hall into his own personal fortress en route to a world title in the 1980s and Frampton hopes to follow that example.
“I genuinely believe it’s the most atmospheric venue in Europe”, Frampton told Glynn Evans this week.
Others are bigger but none is noisier. Everyone knows that the Irish like a drink and a sing so the place will go ballistic.
If he delivers on his knockout promise, it will open the door for a world title shot, most likely against Martinez who is the current IBF champion and faces a mandatory defence of his title against Jeffrey Mathebula on 21 December.
“I know that I’m going to win but Parodi has never been stopped so it’d be nice to make a statement and get rid of him before the end.
I’d like to KO him, provide all the fans and viewers with a powerful, explosive performance.
