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Not many global fighters have the fan base that I had, says proud Carl Frampton as boxer explains he knew it was the right time to retire

Carl Frampton pictured with supporters following his loss to Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas (Photo: ©William Cherry / Presseye)
Carl Frampton pictured with supporters following his loss to Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas (Photo: ©William Cherry / Presseye)

The 'Jackal' was blessed with an army of support for fights both in the UK and across the world, however he gave a special mention to two fanatical fans who went the extra mile to get behind their man.

Speaking ahead of the launch of his new autobiography, Frampton admits the army of supporters he had fills him full of pride.

"One of the proudest things for me is my supporters," he said.

"There aren't many fighters globally that have the fan base that I had.

"People spent their hard earned money watching me in the States and someone sold their car to watch me in Las Vegas.

"There's a guy I met in Dublin who had just got a job in Hamburg and he paid a deposit on his flat but took it back to go and watch me.

"The fans were loyal, die-hard and fanatical."

Frampton's career came to an end with a defeat against Jemal Herring in 2021 and he believes he bowed out of the sport at the correct time after the loss in Dubai.

He explained: "Yes, I knew it was time to retire.

"I remember sitting down in the stool after the first round thinking 'this is going to be a hard night'.

"My timing wasn't what it used to be, my range wasn't the same, my distance control and I probably slowed down a little bit.

"Going into that fight, I was prepared to win it and I was genuinely confident I could win it, I had a great training camp, I sparred really well, but there's a difference between sparring and fighting.

"I found out about that on the night."

The 36-year-old is now a leading boxing analyst for TNT Sports and added that he hasn’t ruled out going into management later in the future if he has the time.

"I think punditry is the easiest job in the world as you're saying what you see,” he continued.

"You watch a fight and you talk about what you've saw.

"The role is developing a bit more and I'm doing a bit of commentary and interviewing fighters as well, which is harder that it seems.”