Carl Frampton 'over the moon' with MBE honour

IBF super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton says he is “over the moon” after receiving an MBE in the New Year Honours list.

The 28-year-old Northern Irishman, who is 21-0 (14 KOs) as a professional, was recognised for his services to boxing.

Frampton feels the honour will mean a tremendous amount to the community he comes from in Belfast and he is delighted to be following in the footsteps of his close friend, Irish Olympic boxer Paddy Barnes, who was honoured last year.

"It means a hell of a lot," Frampton told Sky Sports. "Obviously coming from Northern Ireland and where I came from in Tigers Bay is a big deal to me.  I'm very proud of it. 

"A lot of boxers get honours when their careers are over so for my achievements to be recognised while I'm still boxing it's a great honour.

"I found out a few weeks ago.  I was in the gym and Barry (McGuigan) pulled me outside and told me the great news.  I was very excited. Big smile across my face and I'm very proud as well.

"I wanted one if I'm being honest.  Paddy (Barnes) has got one, I wanted one. The day before I found out I was talking about it, half joking to one of the lads 'why don't one of you nominate me' as a joke. The next day I found out that I was getting one so I was over the moon."

Frampton, who is from a Protestant background but is married to a Catholic, has succeeded in drawing support from across the different communities of Northern Ireland, like his mentor McGuigan

His next fight is a much-anticipated unification bout with WBA super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg on February 27, 2016 in Manchester.

'The Jackal' experienced his most difficult moments as a professional in his last fight against Alejandro Gonzalez Jr in Texas as he was put down twice in the opening round before battling back to win by unanimous decision.

Frampton believes the experience of fighting through adversity will stand to him during what he is confident will be a career year in 2016.

"Everything is just getting bigger and better," Frampton said. "The Quigg fight is going to be huge and there's obviously a lot of hype around it. 

"It's been talked about probably for about four years and what I've been after for about four years."

"I think that last fight (Gonzalez) was a blessing in disguise because I don't think the Quigg fight would be happening if I had not performed like that.

"They have seen vulnerabilities and weaknesses, so they think!  That is the only reason why this fight is happening.  If I had blown Gonzalez away it would not be happening.

"Whether I remain at super-bantamweight or go up featherweight if the right fight comes around that's an option as well, we'll sit down with the team after February 27th but 2016 going to be a huge year."