Carl Frampton draws on home comforts after turbulent year

Rare enough are athletes for whom defeat can be dismissed as an occasional evil; rarer still those who manage to evade it entirely.

It took eight years for defeat to catch up with Carl Frampton, last January 28 bringing a first-ever pro loss for the then unified world champion.

“It was a bitter pill”, says Frampton of his Las Vegas reverse. “We had a few drinks, then maybe a few tears in the Irish pub across from the MGM. I was gutted, but I tried not to let it upset me too much. I lost to a three-weight champion on what was a bad night for me, and still it was really close.”