Carl Frampton confident he’ll be ready for May return

Carl Frampton has heard rumors that his hand injuries won’t allow him to return to the ring for a proposed May bout, but the 32-year-old Belfast veteran says that’s not the case, and that he’ll be ready to fight by then.

“Someone showed me an article that said sources had told them the hands won’t be ready for May,” Frampton said. “I don’t know where these sources are coming from, but they’ve got it wrong.

“I’ve had both hands operated on, and they’re sore but the surgeon was happy with how the operations went. He said I’ve got plenty of time. He said I could be punching within six weeks after the surgery.”

Frampton (27-2, 15 KO) is a former titleholder at 122 and 126 pounds, and moved up to 130 for a one-sided win over Tyler McCreary on Nov. 30 in Philadelphia, which was Frampton’s only fight of the year.

He suffered a fluke injury in August to one of his hands while drinking coffee, and in the fight with McCreary he came away with fractures to both hands.

“Even if I waited 10 weeks to start punching, it would still be plenty of time to get ready for May,” Frampton stated. “I have another appointment with the specialist at the end of the month, and we’ll know more after that, but the pain is easing every day and I’ve got more movement in both hands every day.

“Everything is going where it needs to be and I’m looking forward to getting back to training. I’m itching to get back in there.”

The idea after Frampton’s win over McCreary was for him to face WBO junior lightweight titleholder Jamel Herring.