Carl Frampton says he has not decided if he will retire after fighting Jamel Herring, but admits he could be tempted into continuing by big-money offers should he win a third world title.
Belfast fighter Frampton, 33, is expected to face Herring for the WBO super-featherweight belt in early 2021.
“Who knows what’s going to happen [after the fight],” said Frampton.
“I’ll be a world champion, people will want me, there’ll be big money fights being offered.”
He explained: “I don’t want to be boxing when I’m 40, but right now I’m enjoying boxing, I’m still loving it.
“I’m loving the company in the gym, I feel like I’m performing in the gym.”
He is aiming to become the first Irish boxer to win world titles in three weight divisions, having previously held belts at super-bantamweight and featherweight.
Since defeating Leo Santa Cruz in 2016, Frampton has lost two title fights, the rematch against Santa Cruz and against Josh Warrington two years ago.
The defeat by Warrington, comprehensive in nature, nearly signalled the end of Frampton’s career, with the Belfast man admitting he seriously considered hanging up his gloves.
But he was convinced to continue by the lure of another title fight, and the meeting with Herring has been over a year in the making.
“I know I can win this fight and the way things are going right now, the sparring I’ve been getting and how switched on I’ve been, and my weight and everything else, it feels like everything is coming together,” affirmed Frampton.
“It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be a hard fight but I will be beat Jamel Herring. I’m very confident that’s going to happen.”
Having been planned for earlier this year, the fight was one of the many sporting events to be delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It was officially sanctioned by the WBO in October, but there is still no fixed date or venue.
“I’m training towards end of January, early February. That’s what I’ve got in my head and I’ve already started sparring,” said Frampton.
“Once we get a date confirmed I can hit the ground running, my weight and stuff is good.”
Court case ‘a weight off my shoulders’
Frampton is also relieved to be able to focus solely on the Herring fight, with his legal battle against former manager Barry McGuigan now over.
The dispute was resolved out of court in November, over three years after Frampton left McGuigan’s Cyclone Promotions.
“It’s a weight off my shoulders,” added Frampton.
“While the court case was going on I was trying to train and doing little bits and pieces.
“I thought mentally it wasn’t affecting me, but you can just feel now it’s a weight that has been lifted.
“To be honest, I kind of half miss going to court, it was something I was starting to enjoy.
“It felt like something that I was just doing and I was enjoying my days in court, I was enjoying listening to people talk and be asked questions.
“It allows me now that it’s over to completely focus on my fights and boxing career.”
