Carl Frampton to fight in his home city of Belfast in November, with Jamie Conlan and Paddy Barnes also in action
Frampton will fight an unconfirmed opponent on November 18, while Conlan will challenge for the IBF super-flyweight world title
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Your support makes all the difference.Carl Frampton's first contest with new promoter Frank Warren will take place in Belfast in November, with Jamie Conlan fighting for his first world title on the same bill.
Frampton, a former two-weight world champion, announced on Sunday that he had signed a promotional deal with Warren after ending his long-standing partnership with Barry McGuigan.
The 30-year-old will fight an unconfirmed opponent on November 18 at Belfast’s SSE Arena, in his first contest since suffering his first ever defeat to Leo Santa Cruz, in January.
“We're still looking at opponents, at the stage I'm at now it can't be a mug. It needs to be a credible opponent. I'm looking at getting the big boys next year,” he said at a press conference to announce his homecoming fight.
“I want to get back to winning ways, push on and hopefully get one of the big boys the fight after this one.
“What I want to do, and I've made it public, is a dream of mine is to box at Windsor Park. We have to wait until end of spring or summer time next year. I think it's going to happen.
“I know Frank can help me get that. It's what I've dreamed of since I was a kid. I want to be here as much as possible. There's not an atmosphere like it, the Belfast atmosphere is always the best.”
Frampton, a former IBF and WBA super-bantamweight world champion, lost his WBA featherweight title when he suffered a points defeat to Santa Cruz in January. He has not fought since, with a scheduled comeback bout against the Mexican Andres Gutierrez collapsing at the final hour.
“I want to put the last year behind me, it was a disastrous year,” he added. “I lost my first fight and my last one fell through, along with everything else which went on.
“Santa Cruz is the fight I desperately want, I feel like I've got a score to settle.”
Conlan, who is also from Belfast, has meanwhile been handed his first world title shot and will challenge Jerwin Ancajas of the Philippines for the IBF world super-flyweight belt.
“I always loved fighting on Carl's undercards. The atmosphere is hard to decribe and it has got bigger and bigger,” Conlan, sat alongside Frampton, said.
“To be involved with a meaningful fight, it's going to be an emotion I'm going to have to control on fight night. It's something I'm looking forward to.
"I didn't get overly excited when I found out this was happening because I've been let down in the past but now that I'm sitting at the table, I've never been as excited. It's a big stage, it's a big atmosphere. It's a bigger audience than I've ever fought in front of.”
Warren announced that Zolani Tete and Paddy Barnes will also feature on the undercard of the programme.
South Africa’s Tete will defend his WBO world bantamweight title, while Barnes will defend his WBO European flyweight crown for the first time since his majority decision victory over Silviu Olteanu.
“It's great. The way Carl fills out the Odyssey is a brilliant spectacle and I'm honoured to be able to fight on a double world title card that Carl's on too,” Barnes said.
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