Rain, Pain And Poultry - When Windsor Park Hosted Frampton's Last Belfast Dance

IBF welterweight world title: Lewis Crocker v Paddy Donovan

Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast Date: Saturday, 13 September

Coverage: Live connected Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra 2 pinch unrecorded matter commentary connected BBC Sport website and app

The rainfall poured, but not that galore seemed to care.

Saturday, 8 August 2018 was a important nighttime successful nan profession of Carl Frampton who topped nan measure astatine Windsor Park successful Belfast.

It whitethorn not person been his first outdoor show successful his location metropolis - that famously came successful September 2014 erstwhile Frampton won his first world title astatine nan Titanic Slipways - but it would move retired to beryllium his last foray successful a boxing ringing successful Belfast.

If nan 16,000 successful attendance by nan rima of Belfast Lough survived nan bitter acold connected a nighttime which is now firmly portion of boxing folklore, nan rainfall astatine nan location of Northern Ireland shot 4 years later was a locomotion successful nan park.

A defence of nan interim WBO featherweight title against Australia's Luke Jackson whitethorn not person been apical of Frampton's wish database for specified an occasion, but it remained a immense tie pinch complete 20,000 packed into nan stadium and a ninth information stoppage for nan location favourite.

"People ever said 'it must beryllium a puerility dream to container astatine Windsor Park', but really could it beryllium to container astatine a shot stadium? The dream astatine nan commencement was astir winning world titles, but I was fortunate and privileged to do both," Frampton told BBC Sport NI.

"The ambiance was great. People talk astir nan rain, but I don't retrieve that arsenic we were nether a canopy successful nan ring.

"I retrieve for nan ring-walk, Jamie Moore (coach) told maine not to get into nan area conscionable yet, but return it each in. If you looked astatine my face, I was smiling and happy to beryllium here, earlier you get successful nan ringing and that changes.

"It was a monolithic juncture and 1 I was very proud of. The only disappointment for maine was that it wasn't for a afloat world title."

For nan fans that packed into Windsor Park, it was not conscionable nan show of Frampton to get excited astir arsenic that nighttime besides saw nan return of Tyson Fury successful nan 2nd conflict of his comeback.

The 10 rounds against nan overmatched Francesco Pianeta were wholly forgettable, but nan aforesaid couldn't beryllium said for what preceded it.

Then WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder was successful attendance to tally his oculus complete Fury, whom he would conflict adjacent successful nan first of their memorable trilogy that December.

At Friday's weigh-in astatine nan Europa Hotel, nan American was successful afloat hype mode, yelling 'Bomb Squad' - successful reference to his 'Bronze Bomber' ringing moniker - wholly oblivious of his surroundings arsenic nan edifice erstwhile held nan unenviable position arsenic Europe's astir bombed edifice during The Troubles.

If this raised eyebrows, what would travel that evening would participate either infamy aliases folklore.

Wilder and middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders sewage progressive successful an altercation successful a metropolis edifice which culminated successful Saunders throwing chickenhearted astatine nan heavyweight earlier being chased done nan Belfast streets by an infuriated Wilder successful beforehand of stunned onlookers.

Although nan heavyweight hoopla could person overshadowed Frampton connected his large night, that added distraction served arsenic a blessing for nan Belfast man.

"Fight week was special," Frampton recalls.

"The truth Fury was connected nan undercard, I rather liked, arsenic it took a spot of nan limelight disconnected maine successful position of media obligations, truthful it wasn't arsenic hectic for me. It was still my show and it was ever trading retired regardless.

"Fury's conflict wasn't nan astir breathtaking successful nan world, but I tin opportunity nan heavyweight of nan clip and erstwhile unified champion were connected my undercard.

"Wilder came into nan changing room to wish maine good and I said 'I'll do my best', trying not to sound excessively brash, but he started shouting astatine maine 'you've sewage to judge successful yourself, baby' and gave it a large 'Bomb Squad' earlier he left, but he's a bully large lad."

Lewis Crocker, who featured connected that 2018 undercard erstwhile out-pointing William Warburton, is now nan prima for what is simply a historical nighttime arsenic he and Limerick's Paddy Donovan conflict for nan IBF welterweight title - nan first clip 2 fighters from nan land of Ireland person contested world honours.

However, it's not nan first world title to beryllium contested astatine nan stadium.

Earlier connected that 2018 card, Paddy Barnes sought to triumph nan WBC flyweight title successful conscionable his sixth master outing against Cristofer Rosales.

The three-time Olympian, a adjacent friend of Frampton, was bidding to make Irish history by becoming a world champion successful nan fewest fights, but contempt a agleam start, a crunching correct hook to nan assemblage from nan Nicaraguan would extremity nan statement successful nan 4th round.

"I was still trying to determine what measurement to fight, 'will I guidelines pinch him aliases will I container him?' because I was having occurrence doing both," Barnes reflected.

"Then he caught maine arsenic I was throwing astatine nan aforesaid clip and I felt nan afloat unit of it. Victor Loughlin (referee) started counting but I don't cognize why arsenic I was ne'er going to beryllium capable to get up.

"That conflict I made little than I did against immoderate journeymen, but money comes and goes. Legacy and history was much important than nan money and I person nary regrets whatsoever.

"To conflict for a world title connected a monolithic paper was unbelievable."

On Saturday night, Frampton will beryllium connected nan different broadside of nan ropes arsenic nan stars of coming spell into conflict pinch nan prize of nan IBF welterweight title - 1 of boxing's marquee divisions - successful a rematch of a title eliminator Crocker won by disqualification successful March.

Some of nan all-time greats person reigned successful nan 147lb division, including Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad and 'Sugar' Ray Leonard, each nan measurement backmost to nan awesome 'Sugar' Ray Robinson and moreover Hillsborough autochthonal Jimmy McLarnin - regarded arsenic nan champion Irish combatant of each time.

The value of joining this nine is not mislaid connected nan fighters and indeed, Frampton who predicts large things for this weekend's winner.

"Paddy and Lewis get nan chance to conflict for a morganatic world title, truthful successful immoderate consciousness this is simply a bigger conflict than mine," said Frampton.

"It's 2 Irishmen fighting for a world title for nan first time; awesome for nan city, awesome for nan fighters and I'm looking guardant to it.

"It's going to beryllium a difficult conflict for both.

"This is specified a recognisable section and it gives these boys nan opportunity to put their sanction alongside immoderate of nan awesome champions."