Showtime will televise the eagerly anticipated 122-pound world title unification showdown between undefeated super bantamweight world champions Carl Frampton (IBF) and Scott Quigg (WBA), on Saturday, Feb. 27, live on Showtime from Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
In addition to Frampton vs. Quigg being aired on Showtime, and the same day, Leo Santa Cruz will be fighting against Kiko Martinez. Hopefully fight fans then see the winner of Frampton vs. Quigg against, presumably, Santa Cruz.
The Showtime telecast will air live (precise time to be announced) with an encore presentation later that evening immediately following Showtime Championship Boxing telecast featuring the featherweight world championship main event pitting Leo Santa Cruz against Kiko Martinez.
Frampton (21-0, 14 KOs), of Belfast, Northern Ireland, won the IBF Super Bantamweight World Championship with a unanimous decision over Kiko Martinez in 2014. The 28-year-old, who is promoted by International Boxing Hall of Famer Barry McGuigan, made two successful defenses of the title in 2015 – a fifth-round knockout of Chris Avalos last February in England and a 12-round unanimous decision over Alejandro Gonzalez Jr., on PBC on CBS last July. An accomplished amateur, Frampton won Irish national championships in 2005 and 2009, plus a European Union Juniors silver medal in 2007.
The undefeated Quigg (32-0-2, 23 KOs), of Lancashire, United Kingdom, has been a staple at 122 pounds since 2012. He won the Interim WBA Super Bantamweight Title in a rematch against Rendall Munroe in 2012 before being named the full champion in October 2013. Quigg has made six defenses of the title, including three by knockout inside of four rounds. The 27-year-old floored Kiko Martinez twice en route to a second-round TKO last July 18 in Manchester, England, the same day Frampton defeated Gonzalez Jr. The powerful Quigg has fought just 29 total rounds in his last five fights, but he’ll be facing his toughest test to date in a fellow champion with an unblemished record.
