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Nick Parkinson
Josh Warrington believes Carl Frampton is past his best ahead of their world featherweight title fight Saturday.
IBF champion Warrington was unimpressed by Frampton’s last fight, a ninth round stoppage over Australia’s Luke Jackson in August, and believes the Northern Irishman’s best days are behind him.
Frampton, 31, is a two-weight world champion who suffered his first defeat on points to Mexican Leo Santa Cruz almost two years ago.
Since then, Frampton has registered three wins over Horacio Garcia (points), Nonito Donaire (points) and Jackson.
But Warrington, from Leeds in England, has seen signs of erosion in Frampton’s recent fights and in his defeat to Santa Cruz, the WBA champion and regarded as the division’s No. 1.
“Everyone was saying how dominant he was against Jackson but they were taking their eyes off him in between rounds when he was shaking his head and wasn’t happy with himself in between some of the rounds,” said Warrington, who faces Frampton at Manchester Arena.
“But I always like to think and prepare to fight a monster. If you look over that you start training at 75 per cent.
“I’m out to think Carl is in his prime but he has been a pro a long time, been in some hard fights, had a long lay off, been put down, and has a lot going on outside of boxing, he’s not a spring chicken anymore and it all takes its toll.
“It’s all on you. Timing is everything in this game and he knows that you have peak years and time when you start to slow down.
“When you have to dig deep, when it’s not going for, you have to find something from somewhere and has he got it still? I don’t know, but I do know I have got momentum, I’m getting better, and my confidence is sky high and I believe I have got what it takes to beat Carl Frampton.
“I like to dictate the pace and that’s what will make a great fight. I have a high work rate and showed I also have a food boxing brain against Lee Selby where I boxed on the back foot and moved off.
“The one where Carl was put on his backside, that one where he came back against Horacio Garcia a year ago, I know he won the fight but he got caught clean there and looked unsteady on his feet.
“Santa Cruz had a lot going on outside the ring with his dad being ill in his first fight with Carl, but in the second one he looked like he had worked out a good game plan and I can take a few things away from that one.”