Carl Frampton has warned Kiko Martinez that he is in for a hot reception when they clash for the European super bantamweight title in Betfair’s ‘Unfinished Business’ at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast live on Sky Sports 1HD from 8pm tomorrow night (February 9)
The duo clashed at a fiery press conference yesterday and had to be separated at today’s weigh-in, as the Belfast fight fans crammed into the Europa Hotel penthouse suite roared their unbeaten hero to the scales before giving the Spaniard a hot reception.
Frampton scaled 8st 9 ½lbs with Martinez just under that at 8st 9lbs, and as Martinez stepped off the scales, his cut-throat gesture to The Jackal sparked a ruckus on the stage and whipped the crowd up more. With only a handful of tickets still available for the fight, Frampton’s big night will be in front of a sold-out Arena, and he says he’ll use that to his advantage.
“When Kiko walks to the ring the boos will be ringing in his ears,” said Frampton, a 1-5 favourite with Betfair to win – Martinez at 100-30 to inflict a first defeat on Frampton. “I know I am going to get a brilliant reception in front of the biggest hometown crowd I’ve boxed in front of yet so that’s going to lift me so much.
“He mouthed off at the press conference and did that at the weigh-in today. I think he’s under a lot of pressure and he’s worried about it. I’m incredibly relaxed and I know that we have the right game-plan to take that title from him.”
Martinez and Frampton clash on a massive night of boxing in Belfast, with Martin Lindsay challenging Lee Selby for the British and Commonwealth super featherweight titles and Andy Lee facing Dublin’s Anthony Fitzgerald in a ten-round middleweight clash on a top class undercard.
Super flyweight prospect Jamie Conlan faces Mike Robinson in a British and Commonwealth title eliminator while former Prizefighter champions Eamonn O’Kane and Martin Rogan, former European middleweight champion Grzegorz Proksa, former Team GB star Callum Smith and unbeaten Belfast trio Marco McCullough, James Fryers and Daniel McShane also feature.
Limited tickets for Betfair’s ‘Unfinished Business’ featuring Carl Frampton vs. Kiko Martinez at the Odyssey Arena on Saturday February 9 are available. Floor and tiered seats are on sale from the Odyssey Arena website www.odysseyarena.com priced £30, £40 and £60, while Ringside tickets at £100 and Inner-Ringside VIP tickets at £150 are both available from Matchroom Boxing’s website www.matchroomboxing.com.
Frampton vs. Martinez – Betfair bet: 1-5 Frampton, 100-30 Martinez, 28-1 Draw
Proposed running order (with weights where available)
1745 6 x 3 mins Middleweight Contest
GRZEGORZ PROKSA v NORBERT SZEKERES
(Redhill) (Hungary)
1815 4 x 3 mins Heavyweight Contest
MARTIN ROGAN v LADISLAV KOVARIK
(Belfast) (Czech Republic)
1835 4 x 3 mins Super-Middleweight Contest
CALLUM SMITH v TOMMY TOLAN
(Liverpool) (Belfast)
1900 6 x 3 mins Middleweight Contest
EAMONN O’KANE v GARY BOULDEN
(Dungiven) (Shepperton)
2000 LIVE TV 1 10 x 3 mins International Middleweight Contest
ANDY LEE v ANTHONY FITZGERALD
(USA) (Dublin)
LIVE TV 2 12 x 3 British & Commonwealth Featherweight Championship
LEE SELBY v MARTIN LINDSAY
(Barry) (Belfast)
LIVE TV 3 12 x 3 European Super Bantamweight Championship and IBF Inter-Continental Super-Bantamweight Championship
KIKO MARTINEZ v CARL FRAMPTON
(Spain) (Belfast)
LIVE TV 4 10 x 3 min Official Eliminator British & Commonwealth Super-Flyweight Championship
JAMIE CONLAN v MIKE ROBINSON
(Belfast) (Liverpool)
TBS 4 x 3 mins Super-Featherweight Contest
DANIEL McSHANE v PAVEL SENKOVS
(Belfast) (Mansfield)
TBS 4 x 3 mins Light-Welterweight Contest
JAMES FRYERS v BILLY SMITH
(Belfast) (Belfast)
TBS 4 x 3 mins Lightweight Contest
MARCO McCULLOUGH v IBRAR RIYAZ
(Belfast) (Reading)
