Frampton gutted for fans and family after freak accident

Boxer Carl Frampton has been left with a broken hand after a freak accident in his Philadelphia hotel. Credit: Carl Frampton

Friday 28 July 2017, Carl Frampton cut a forlorn figure as he sat in Belfast's Europa Hotel.

He was about to go on camera to explain the unexplainable. His fight with Andres Gutierrez had just been cancelled with less than 24 hours notice because the Mexican had slipped in the shower in his hotel room.

He sat in disbelief as pictures of his opponent's face filtered through to his phone.

A nasty gash on his chin could be seen and teeth chipped.

Away from the cameras, stories of how Gutierrez had begged the doctors to fight despite the circumstances were also being relayed to Frampton, who instantly responded: "The kid obviously has no money if he's still wanting to fight in that state, I want to give him a few quid."

His next concern was about the fans who had paid for tickets and the other boxers who were due to be on the undercard: "They'll not be getting paid now, this is terrible."

That's the thing about Frampton, he thinks about everyone else first.

  • VIDEO: Hear from Frampton's stablemate and friend Steven Ward on the latest blow to the former world champion's career

His latest disappointment has to be a first.

In a freak accident, a pillar fell on his hand in his hotel lobby in Philadelphia five days out from his fight against Emanuel Dominguez. (To any doubters out there, have a look at the online video and see what it did to the marble table his hand was resting on.)

It broke his 5th metacarpal in his left hand which will now be in a cast for 4-6 weeks. In Frampton's own words: "I don't have four to six weeks, do I? The fight is Saturday."

To say he is devastated is an understatement. Yes, he's spent the guts of £30k on his training camp with nothing to show for it, and of course he wanted to get back to winning ways in the ring - but the first thing he said in his statement was that he was "extremely disappointed for the travelling support".

He apologised to everyone involved and to his wife Christine and their kids Carla and Rossa for being away while they've been off school.

If you follow Frampton on social media, you will see how much his family means to him. It's his motivation in not just boxing, but in life. Everything he does is for them.

Having been privileged to work so closely with him throughout his career, I have seen this for myself.

I'll never forget being there when he arrived at his Manchester hotel ahead of the Scott Quigg fight. The first thing he asked the hotel receptionist before he even checked in was: "Is there a hairdressers in this hotel? My wife asked me to find out as she wants to get her hair done for the fight."

To me that sums up Carl.

Carl Frampton was due to fight Emmanuel Dominguez to prepare for a shot at the world featherweight title. Credit: Presseye

There are few elite athletes out there that aren't selfish, indeed it's arguably a necessity to get to the the top of any sport.

But every so often there are those in life who stand out for being selfless - Carl Frampton is one of these people.

They say things happen for a reason. We may never find out what the reason is for this one, but to quote the tweet pinned on the Jackal's Twitter page: "Every set-back is a set-up for an even greater comeback."