Sunday 19 July 2015 18:21, UK
Carl Frampton will step up to featherweight rather than fight fellow undefeated super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg, believes promoter Eddie Hearn.
Frampton successfully defended his IBF title for a second time with a one-sided points win over Alejandro Gonzalez on Saturday in Texas.
However, the Belfast boxer, who beat Kiko Martinez on points to win the title last September, was sent to the canvas twice in the opening round in El Paso.
Quigg, meanwhile, destroyed Spaniard Martinez in two rounds to retain his WBA title at the Manchester Arena.
"I think if Frampton is getting knocked over twice by the 11th best super-bantamweight in Mexico, he ain't going to last six rounds with Scott Quigg," the Bury boxer's promoter Hearn said in The Daily Mirror.
"Frampton will now move up to feather as an excuse for avoiding the fight with Scott Quigg.
"He's not going to get hit like that and survive the fight. And after this, they'll know that even more, so the obvious move for them would be to move to feather. We've got other plans anyway."
Hearn’s other plans could see Quigg defend his crown against former four-weight champion Nonito Donaire.
The Filipino put himself back in world title mix with a second-round stoppage of France's Anthony Settoul in Macau on Saturday.
"We are very close to the Donaire fight," added Hearn. "That's a real possibility for November, December.
"They are talking about Dubai, but I'd like to do it in Manchester. It's a pay-per-view fight and if that's the case, then we can definitely bring it here."
