Carl Frampton was the only focus for Barry McGuigan at Vegas debut

No hard feelings. Barry McGuigan is back where it all went wrong in his own ring career but is solely focused on ensuring things continue to go oh so right for his protege.

Three decades ago in a different fighting time McGuigan’s Las Vegas debut saw him surrender his WBA featherweight title to Steve Cruz on the sweltering surface of a temporary arena outside Caesar’s Palace.

He never recovered from the soul-sapping experience. But as Carl Frampton puts that same piece of hardware on the line against another Cruz, his mentor insists 31 years of history will have nothing to do with tomorrow night’s showdown.

“It was hard to shake off that fight, but it never made me resent the city,” McGuigan insisted ahead of Frampton’s title rematch with Leo Santa Cruz. “If you want to be remembered as one of the best, you have to make it in America, and that includes the bright lights of Las Vegas.”

The Clones Cyclone has been an ever presence as fight week has ramped up under those same bright lights. McGuigan has myriad roles in the renewal of last year’s fight of the year.

Manager, promoter, father, cheerleader, he does everything but rest. On Wednesday as Frampton fans poured into the place, he seemed to be trying to greet every one of them personally.

“Many of these people have never been to America. This is their chance to go and it’s because of him. If you want motivation, there’s your motivation,” said the 55-year-old of the estimated 5,000 strong invasion.

The Quigg fight was a beautiful fight and 16,000 people came across for that fight! A guy at nine stone doesn’t draw that kind of people, but [Carl] does. He’s very, very special.

“We’re approaching the biggest fight of his life. There’s a lot of pressure on him, but he loves it. All these accolades he’s had, normally that would diminish someone, but he rises up. He’s a show off, he loves it. He’s a tremendous fighter when the pressure is on, he loves it.”

Frampton arrives at his own Las Vegas debut in a very different place to that of his mentor in June 1986. Frampton’s preparations have been the definition of smooth, the 29-year-old former super bantamweight champion so much more comfortable four pounds up at featherweight.

Asked if he felt he was finishing some of McGuigan’s own business here, Frampton insisted not.

“We’re two different men and Barry did his thing,” Frampton said.