Carl Frampton edges out Horacio Garcia to end terrible year on a high

The Northern Irishman won it on points in Belfast on Saturday night

Frampton was named winner at the end of the 10 rounds (Getty)

It took Carl Frampton 10 gruelling rounds to find out if he can still fight and if he still wants to fight, on Saturday night in front of boxing’s most devoted flock in his beloved Belfast.

Frampton was cut, had been trapped repeatedly on the ropes and looked truly exhausted when the final bell sounded to end a horrible year in and out of the ring. Frampton was a clear winner on points in a tough, tight fight against Horacio Garcia, a neglected Mexican who arrived in Belfast with boxing royalty Saul Alvarez in his large and confident entourage.

Garcia was certainly not a modern member of the Mexican Roadsweepers, a group of touring losers from the ‘70s and ‘80s, whose woeful efforts shamed the sport and their nation’s rich boxing heritage. Frampton was actually given a count in round seven when he was clipped as he slipped and it was correctly ruled a knockdown. Frampton sat on the floor smiling but the inevitable loss of a point was, even in a fight he was winning, still a concern; it was a 10-8 round for Garcia and some of the people at ringside suddenly had the fight very close - Frampton was in the exact fight he needed, but perhaps not the fight he wanted.

This time last year Frampton was unbeaten, a world champion and had started to drift closer to planning a glorious last schedule of fights before an early and satisfactory retirement. It all started to go wrong in January, which is something that always happens in boxing, when he lost his world title in Las Vegas to Leo Santa Cruz; last summer Frampton had boxed glittering rings round Santa Cruz to win the featherweight title in New York. In January Frampton was glum and confused in the carnival city, knowing he had got it wrong on the night and had been cleverly duped by Santa Cruz’s transformation to thinking fighter. “He became the boxer, I had no idea he could do that,” a rueful Frampton offered when the pain of the loss had subsided. It was the type of defeat that haunts a fighter, makes a boxer reconsider all he thought he understood of the brutal business; it has certainly been that type of year for Carl.

Frampton tired as the fight wore on (Getty)

A summer fight in Belfast collapsed in bloody farce less than 24-hours before the first bell when his opponent, Andres Gutierrez, took a brutal tumble in the shower, cut his face and was left unconscious. Frampton was livid, the fight he needed at the time he needed it was gone; a few weeks later the Belfast idol separated from Barry McGuigan, his promoter, and Shane McGuigan, his trainer, in a split that will inevitably become far more graphic, sad and nasty when more details emerge.

Frampton relocated to Manchester, tucked himself away in isolation and continued separation from his city and his family to prepare for Saturday night with Jamie Moore, his new trainer. They tinkered with a few tiny bits, eyed each other and had formed enough of a bond to get through what was a difficult night.

Canelo Alvarez was in the ring following the fight after supporting his countryman (Getty)

“It was my fault, I picked Garcia - nobody else,” admitted Frampton with a smile. Garcia had never been stopped, had lost just three times in 37 fights and after 10 rounds looked disappointed that it was over; the Mexican would have been a legitimate challenger if Frampton still held a world title. However, Frampton would have been a different fighter without his trio of mishaps, personal calamities and obstacles during the last 10 months. “It’s been a horrible year, I’m glad it’s finally over,” Frampton offered late at night in Belfast.

“That was to get rid of the rust, to get back in the ring and fight,” said Frampton. His timing was not bad, his movement early in the fight was good but he seemed to fade rapidly, his legs stiffening and his punches becoming far easier to detect from about round six. He was winning rounds, but sitting for far too long and often on the ropes and leaving himself exposed to Garcia’s heavy fists. It was not vintage Frampton, but neither was the Frampton in the Las Vegas ring 10 months ago.

He will be back in March or April and he will be a different beast, faster, brighter, smarter and then next summer he will fight for a world title under the stars at Windsor Park. He is no longer planning a retirement and is instead looking at winning the title back and then moving up in weight for another world title. It’s an ambitious plan, one which would require delicate skills at the negotiating table and a heaving bagful of cash. However, a simple interpretation of Saturday night’s scrap might just persuade one or two reluctant fighters - champions using their title belts as convenient shields - that Frampton is beatable, even in the raucous citadel of his hometown.

“Santa Cruz gave me his word he would come over and fight me,” said Frampton. “That’s what I want, that’s what this city deserves.” Frampton is back and will be far better next time - so will the man in the opposite corner.