Everything you need to know about Friday's Carl Frampton homecoming celebration
The event will take place at Belfast City Hall.
A homecoming celebration for Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton – the first Northern Ireland boxer to win world championships at two different weights - will take place at the City Hall on Friday, 12 August.
The event will be a chance for local fans, unable to attend Carl’s recent WBA World Featherweight bout in New York, to show their appreciation and support for the north Belfast fighter who regularly attributes his success to dedication, hard work, and the support from his family and fans.
Jointly hosted by the Lord Mayor Alderman Brian Kingston and the Minister for Communities, Paul Givan, the event will run from 6pm - 7pm with entry on a first come first served basis. Boxing demonstrations by local fighters will be taking place in the grounds from 4.30pm.
Excerpts from Carl’s two championship fights will be shown on large screens as Carl, his family and friends join the Lord Mayor and Minister to chat about his extraordinary achievement and continuing ambition.
The Lord Mayor, Alderman Brian Kingston, said:
“The whole city wants to pay tribute to a fantastic fighter who is a role model not just for his sport but for sport in general and what it can contribute in life skills and opportunity.
“He is hard working, determined, focused and a first-class ambassador for Belfast – he never forgets where he comes from and often pays tribute to it and its people. At Friday’s event our people can pay their own well-deserved tribute to him – an extraordinary champion and an even more extraordinary man who has his roots firmly planted at home.
“Congratulations to Carl, his family and his support team – you have made everyone so proud and now we want to show how proud we are of you,” added the Lord Mayor.
Minister Givan added his own congratulations and said:
“Through his historic win over Santa Cruz, Carl has once again put Northern Ireland on the sporting map. Thousands of boxing fans from here travelled to New York to witness his remarkable win, whilst tens of thousands cheered him on from back home. This is testament to the high esteem and affection that people have for The Jackal.
"I was keen for an event to be staged as soon as possible once Carl came home to mark his success so that all fans could come together to celebrate his success. I trust it will be a great occasion.”
The boxing champion himself is looking forward to the event. He said:
“I am honoured that the city of Belfast is hosting a homecoming event for me. I’m a working-class lad from Belfast and I’m delighted that I’ll be able to celebrate my World title win with the people of this great city.”