On Monday, BBC Northern Ireland aired an immensely entertaining hour-long documentary 'Frampton: Return of the Jackal' charting the featherweight's preparations for a historic fight at his beloved Windsor Park.
The documentary garnered widespread praise with a significant amount of affection forthcoming for the star of the show. Frampton's insightful contribution on the local religious divide, family issues, making weight and his own ability combined for a riveting programme. There were also contributions from Paddy Barnes and Jamie Moore.
If only more people in this country shared Carl Frampton's views 👏👏
— LeeannCarson (@leeannd08) September 24, 2018
Carl Frampton for first minister.
— Robin Haire (@HaireRobin) September 24, 2018
I've always been a fan of Carl Frampton but the documentary has proven it again. What a guy, his wife and family are fantastic also. Great show! #ReturnOfTheJackal
— Garry (@garry575) September 24, 2018
Carl Frampton is a class act 👌 Good Documentary on BBC Northern Ireland there #ReturnOfTheJackal
— stephen pillar (@steviethetiger) September 24, 2018
Thanks everyone for the brilliant feedback on #ReturnOfTheJackal. Thanks also to @Tom_Magnus and @adhocfilms for making me look good. I've so many good people around me helping me do what I do and I hope that came across in the Documentary. Thank you all
— Carl Frampton MBE (@RealCFrampton) September 24, 2018
The core theme of the programme was Frampton's adoration for the area and its adoration for him. A warming anecdote of what Windsor Park meant to him as a child was shared as they passed billboards and street art of his face. When traffic delays him making his way to the weigh-in, Frampton elects to run there instead.
"This is how good fucking Frampton feels, he's jogging to a weigh-in, no problem!" declares his trainer Jamie Moore.
The show climaxed with Frampton's successful bout against Luke Jackson in front of a bumper home crowd. It is at this moment that the tragic irony that such an occasion has been starved of fans south of the border strikes. Dublin is limited to small hall cards that are blockbuster in entertainment but slight in exposure.
Speaking to Balls.ie earlier this year, exciting prospect and now BUI Celtic titleholder Victor Rabei cited Dublin's potential to play host to big cards.
Everyone is fighting abroad. There is no reason why we shouldn’t get them all home. It would be a great night of boxing. Dublin is a massive city with a population of 1.3 million. Belfast isn't that big and can fill out stadiums. Once we get big shows in Dublin, I know people will get behind the boxers.
This week Cork teenager James Power won his first professional bout in Mexico before visiting fellow Irish teens Aaron and Steven McKenna in California. Portlaoise native TJ Doheny won the IBF super-bantamweight World Title last month in Japan while Australian based Kildare man Dennis Hogan is now within touching distance of his own World Title fight.
Combined with a host of well-supported and talented home-based talents including Eric Donovan and Niall Kennedy, the Irish ranks have never been as promising. Even with the MTK Global's continued insistence that their own fighters will not fight in the Republic of Ireland, there is enough potential to create a superb event.
Irish boxing is in the midst of something big, it deserves an equally sizeable platform to do so.
