Carl Frampton leaves Matchroom for Frank Warren

Super bantamweight contender Carl Frampton has become the first fighter to ditch Matchroom Boxing to join UK promotional stalwart Frank Warren, signifying that the old warhorse is not quite done just yet.

Warren, who has lost Ricky Burns, George Groves, and most recently Kevin Mitchell to Eddie Hearn's stable, was seen to be reeling from his losses. This is a blow back in the other direction, and a big one. Frampton (16-0, 11 KO) is a popular young fighter in Ireland, and should he continue his rise in the 122-pound ranks, will become a genuine star.

Frampton will make his Warren debut on the July 20 show at Wembley Arena, where Dereck Chisora will face Malik Scott in the main event.

One thing this may open up is the possibility for a Frampton vs Scott Quigg matchup sometime this year. With promoter Ricky Hatton having no TV deal and Matchroom holding all of Sky Sports' dates, Hatton may be able to make a fight with his own former promoter, Warren. Though Warren and Hatton haven't worked together yet, BoxNation has a much more wide-open ability to do fights with other promoters. It would really behoove Hatton, too, to perhaps make a larger deal to get his fighters featured on the network. At this point, his stable is floundering.

Short-term, this isn't a huge deal. Frampton probably won't have a really notable opponent in July, but after that, we'll see. It's an interesting move, and prevents the Matchroom-Warren battle from being a one-way street.