Carl Frampton fights for his future and legacy in showdown with Tyler McCreary

Of all the British fighters to have earned success during the domestic boxing boon of the past decade, Carl Frampton has been one of the most influential. An amateur star who reached the top of the professional game, the Belfast boy re-established lighter weight athletes as marquee stars and paved the way for fellow fighters to earn huge amounts of money.

This weekend, Frampton faces the relatively unknown American Tyler McCreary in Las Vegas knowing that defeat will curtail his world-level ambitions and perhaps end his career in the process.

At 32, time is not on Frampton’s side. He last fought eleven months ago in an absorbing, entertaining, but ultimately failed world title clash against Josh Warrington. The loss was jarring. For the first time Frampton had been truly outclassed in a fight; his doggedness and skill was not enough against a younger prospect who had all the belief in the world.

That was the second defeat of Frampton’s career, the first coming against Leo Santa Cruz in a tight rematch in January 2017. Frampton had won the inaugural contest six months before in what remains one of the best victories from a British fighter in history.

2016 belonged to Frampton, who was named Fighter of the Year from Ring Magazine following the Santa Cruz victory and his win over Scott Quigg, which became one of the most talked about fights of that year.

Frampton and Quigg had been rivals for years going into the clash, with trash talk emanating from both sides in the build-up. After months of bad blood, it was Frampton who proved victorious in Quigg’s own backyard, and while the fight wasn’t a classic in terms of entertainment, it was a defining bout for fighters of all sizes to achieve mainstream success.

Buoyed by passionate support from his Northern Irish fans, Frampton became the first domestic featherweight since Naseem Hamed to sell out arenas and attract promotional interest from both sides of the Atlantic. Frampton was powerful, dynamic, had superb fundamentals and just enough swagger to be likeable, but not arrogant.

The recent years have been less kind. A highly-publicised fallout with former manager Barry McGuigan is still embroiled in lawsuits, while he’s yet to reclaim the legitimate world title he lost to Santa Cruz over two years ago.

At 32, with declining skills and plenty of distractions, how much does Frampton have left? A fight in July was cancelled with just days to go in Philadelphia when an object fell on his hand at his hotel, breaking multiple bones. He can only hope that the luck of Vegas prevents such an accident occurring again this time around.

The potential rewards for victory against McCeary are vast, with potential world title opportunities against the likes of WBO super-featherweight champion Jamel Herring upcoming in the New Year very much a possibility. While Frampton’s boxing ability may have waned slightly, his earning power is still significant, should he manage to get past the unbeaten, but known McCeary.

16-0 with one draw across a five-year professional career, McCreary is currently ranked as the 19th best featherweight in the United States, according to BoxRec, but rankings systems often fold when faced with the changing of the guard.

Few are rating McCreary against Frampton, with the lack of power and top-level experience of the American a huge hindrance. There comes a moment, however, when upsets become less of a surprise once a fight begins. Does Frampton have the desire to still get up for fights against opponents who are seemingly limited?

If he does, the future is still rosy. If he doesn’t, the journey which saw him create a legacy could be nearing its completion. That’s what makes a fight like this – one which is seemingly a pushover – so fascinating. Two lives could change over 12 rounds. Tyler McCreary could head back into obscurity or he could become a somebody in boxing. Carl Frampton could head into retirement or earn a career payday in his next fight.

This is the beauty of boxing. Tiny strands of storyline become weaved into something much greater than the apparent sum of its parts. In Vegas this weekend, we’ll find out once and for all if Frampton comes alive, or if it all peters out for good.