Sport

Video: Carl Frampton refusing to budge on dressing-room issue

Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg are restrained by promoters Barry McGuigan and Eddie Hearn after a press conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Manchester on Thursday<br />Picture by PA&nbsp;
Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg are restrained by promoters Barry McGuigan and Eddie Hearn after a press conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Manchester on Thursday
Picture by PA 
Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg are restrained by promoters Barry McGuigan and Eddie Hearn after a press conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Manchester on Thursday
Picture by PA 

CARL FRAMPTON said he could walk away from Saturday’s world title fight after a row erupted over who gets the biggest dressing-room at the Manchester Arena.

Frampton’s opponent Scott Quigg claims he’s the “home fighter”, while Frampton says he’s the main attraction, the A side, and with neither side prepared to give an inch, they are digging their heels in over the floor space.

Lawyers are involved in the argument and, while both sides seemed confident the IBF and WBA world super-bantamweight showdown would go ahead, the latest row is typical of the ill-feeling between the camps.

The main dressing-room is considerably bigger than the others at the Arena and, because he has used it in his previous five appearances there, superstitious Quigg is adamant he’ll get to warm-up in it for Saturday night’s fight.

“I’m the home fighter, I’m in the home corner and I’m in the home dressing-room… the dressing-room that I want,” he said.

He added “I will get it”, but Carl Frampton and his Cyclone management see things very differently. If he can’t use it, Frampton wants the doors of the main dressing-room locked and said Quigg’s superstitious nature was “a sign of weakness”.

“If he backs himself so much, like he says he does, does it really matter what dressing-room he goes into? I don’t think so,” he said.

“I’m not moving on it.”

When asked if he’d be prepared to walk away from the fight, Frampton replied: “I could do that because I’ve got options after it - I’m in the dressing-room or the dressing-room is locked and that’s the bottom line.

“I’m not giving in to Scott Quigg. I’m the A side here, I’m on the left hand-side [of the posters] and I’m not giving in to him. I’m coming to Manchester to fight him. The band Elbow are from Bury, his [Quigg’s] home town. U2 are from Dublin and if U2 come to the Manchester Arena and are supported by Elbow, who gets the main dressing-room? U2. Close it, lock it up and we’ll go into other dressing rooms.”

Frampton coach Shane McGuigan explained the importance of the dressing room issue: “It’s a different surface space - it’s a different space in general,” he said.

“It’s got a completely different look and feel to it and it would be unfair for one person to take it over the other. The warm-up is paramount for a fight. It’s got a hard floor, but mainly for us it’s the space -  we’ll put mats down and we want to warm-up on a specific surface.”