Carl Frampton, McGuigans ready for more success in 2017

Carl Frampton is arguably the biggest boxing star in the United Kingdom and is now starting to make a name for himself in the United States.

The featherweight champion from Northern Ireland will quickly tell you that the McGuigan family deserves a bulk of the credit for his rise to fame.

Barry McGuigan has delivered the megabouts as the manager, and Shane McGuigan, Barry’s son, has produced three title reigns as the trainer for Frampton.

It was a memorable 2016 for the trio, and they have been recognized for their accomplishments. Frampton has received Fighter of the Year awards from Ring Magazine, ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Shane McGuigan, Barry McGuigan and Frampton are on the Boxing Writers Association’s ballot for trainer, manager and fighter of the year.

“I keep telling everyone Shane is the best trainer in the world,” said Frampton, who made that same statement in the ring after defeating Leo Santa Cruz in July for the WBA title. “It was a huge year for all three of us. They’ve been by my side.”

They hope to have a bigger 2017, beginning with a rematch against Santa Cruz on Jan. 28 at the MGM Grand. Frampton and the McGuigans moved their training camp from London to Las Vegas three weeks ago.

“It’s been great to see Shane and Carl gel so well together,” Barry McGuigan said. “They’ve come a long way since Shane took over five, six years ago.”

Frampton was in need of a trainer in 2011 after parting ways with Gerry Storey, a longtime coach for the Irish Olympic team. Barry McGuigan was helping out during the transition by holding the pads up for Frampton.

“I asked Shane to take over for a weekend while me and his mom took a little trip together,” McGuigan said. “I come back and Carl told me, ‘You lost your job.’”

Frampton, 29, and Shane McGuigan, 28, instantly had a connection and have known each other since their amateur days.

Shane wanted to be a professional boxer, but often had the spotlight on him because of his father’s fame. Barry was a popular Irish boxer in the 1980s and former featherweight champion.

“One day Shane told me he was overwhelmed by the constant pressure, and he said he preferred to be a trainer,” Barry said. “I supported him, and he began taking classes and working with other trainers.”

Shane McGuigan was in Frampton’s corner while Storey was still the man in charge.

“Shane became more involved, and I was listening more to what Shane was saying in the corner rather than Gerry,” Frampton said. “That’s when I knew I needed to have this guy as my chief cornerman, and it kicked off from there.”

At 25, McGuigan became one of the youngest trainers to lead a fighter to a world title when Frampton won his first belt at super bantamweight in 2014.

McGuigan is now one of the most sought after trainers in the U.K. and is the top cornerman for British stars David Haye and George Groves.

“He deserves everything he’s getting,” Frampton said. “Everyone wants him as a trainer, but it started with me, and everyone knows I’m still the priority.”

Barry McGuigan has guided Frampton’s professional career for seven years and is the reason the Northern Irishman is becoming a crossover star. McGuigan signed a deal with Al Haymon and the Premier Boxing Champions to promote Frampton in the U.S.

McGuigan has put Frampton in the U.S. for two of his past three fights and made the unification bout against Scott Quigg in February for Frampton’s first signature victory.

JACK GOES UP

Badou Jack turned in a sensational performance during last week’s super middleweight unification fight against James DeGale.

The Las Vegas resident recorded a 12th-round knockdown and knocked out DeGale’s tooth, and even got a left hook in on the referee, but all Jack had to show for it was a majority draw.

Jack passed on a rematch with DeGale and decided to vacate his WBC 168-pound belt to move up to light heavyweight. The Swedish boxer could be in line to face WBC 175-pound titlist Adonis Stevenson.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.