Former two-division world champion Carl Frampton knocked out Luke Jackson to retain his interim featherweight title Saturday at Windsor Park in Belfast in a doubleheader that streamed live on SHOWTIME Sports social platforms.
(Photo credit: Chris Roberts/Frank Warren)
In the opening bout of SHOWTIME BOXING INTERNATIONAL, lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury shut out Francesco Pianeta to line up a 2018 showdown with WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder.
An encore presentation will air in primetime tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME®.
Frampton (26-1, 15 KOs) turned in an impressive performance and scored his first knockout as a featherweight in what was a “dream” homecoming fight at the home of Northern Irish football. The former 126 and 122-pound champion now has his sights set at becoming a champion yet again in one of boxing’s deepest divisions.
After a dominant seven rounds, Frampton scored a knockdown via a body shot with 30 seconds left in the eighth. Jackson (16-1, 7 KOs) survived the eighth but was clearly hurt. With Jackson absorbing continued punishment in the ninth, and down big on the scorecards, Jackson’s corner threw in the towel at 1:21.
“This was unreal,” Frampton said. “The atmosphere was special, the crowd was fantastic and they made my dream come true. It was unbelievable from start to finish.”
Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) established his jab against Pianeta (35-5-1, 21 KOs) and displayed the movement, hand speed and footwork that a prime “Gypsy King” utilized to dethrone Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to become the unified and lineal heavyweight champion.
“I think it was a calculated boxing performance, as promised,” said Fury, who was fighting for just the second time in nearly three years. “We were able to get 10 good rounds in with a tough man. I was working on my boxing, trying to slip and slide, use the jab and get the rounds in. I was very happy with the performance.
“It’s no secret I need the rounds. I need to prove that I can go 10 rounds and have plenty left in the tank, and I did that tonight.”
