Jamie Moore: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Carl Frampton gets Nonito Donaire out of there in say nine or ten rounds!”

Former British world champion and current boxing trainer Jamie Moore has a big fight coming up for one of his fighters as Carl Frampton is set to return to the ring against Nonito Donaire. Frampton, the former WBA Super Bantamweight belt holder, is a wide favorite over Donaire, who many feel has already seen his best days.
,
In my interview with Jamie Moore, I discuss with him Frampton’s upcoming fight against Donaire, getting his views on the matchup and the chances the fight ends in a KO. Moore also shares his thoughts on Canelo vs. Golovkin, talking about the first fight’s scoring and rematch. Additionally, Jamie gives his thoughts on Wilder vs. Joshua and his official prediction for Frampton vs. Donaire.

Robert Brown: There’s a fight coming up between Nonito Donaire and Carl Frampton, how do you feel about that fight coming up?

Jamie Moore: There’s easier fights that Carl could have took, especially with the carrot being dangled of the big opener fight in the summer time in Belfast and that’s been a dream of his since he was a kid. You could have forgiven him for taking an easier fight than this fight, but obviously Carl is at a stage in his career now where he needs to rise to the occasion.

Carl needs that fear factor there to bring out the best of him. I think that was evident in his last fight, even though he performed well early on, he fell into the trap of lowering himself to his opponents level and allowed to be dragged into a fight, and that was because the fear factor wasn’t there. That won’t be the case with Donaire, you know what you’re going to get with Donaire, he’s been one of the best fighters in any weight for years.

Donaire is probably past his best but nevertheless he still has power to take you out with either hand. Carl knows that and that’s bringing the best out of him in training. He’s focused and he understands the dangers and that’s bringing out the best in him.

Robert Brown: Do you think Frampton has the power to knock Donaire out or do you think it’s most likely going to be a points decision?

Jamie Moore: I just think that he definitely carries the power to hurt him, he has the work rate and the strength to wear him out down the stretch, but he doesn’t carry the same knockout power that Donaire does, although Donaire was more devastating at super flyweight than at bantamweight, but he still carries the power to hurt you and put you in trouble, so we have to be very weary there.

I think Carl’s best attributes are his strength, his speed, and I think he’s adding to that. He’s working on different things and he’s adding to his arsenal. Can he get Donaire out of there? Absolutely, I think he can wear him down and stop him after the midway point. My bet would be that Carl will be smart enough and outbox him enough and then work him down the stretch to beat him on points. I wouldn’t be surprised if Carl gets him out of there in say nine or ten rounds.

Robert Brown: If he does get past Donaire, would Carl want to go back in with Santa Cruz again?

Jamie Moore: Listen, the division is stacked and there’s so many fighters that we could potentially pair him against before the end of the year. I’d rather not talk about those fights until there’s absolutely no chance that he can fight Santa Cruz because I know how much he wants that third fight and I know how much Frank Warren wants to make that fight for him.

I don’t think there’s any point in putting in the effort to potentially match him up with other people until we have explored every avenue possible to try to make that fight because at the end of the day, they had two fights and they each won one.

The boxing world, the crowd, Carl and Santa Cruz all want the fight. If we start looking at other options, that sends Santa Cruz a message that we’re not really that serious about it. If the fight can’t happen for whatever reason, then we’re going to explore other avenues, but the first priority has to be Santa Cruz.

Robert Brown: There’s a rematch coming up between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, who do you think won the first fight? What do you think is going to happen in the second?

Jamie Moore: I had Golovkin by two points, but I couldn’t argue with a draw, it was a close fight. I do think that Canelo found his momentum and his rhythm to beat Golovkin, and I think he gained confidence as the fight went on.

My feeling is that the rematch, Canelo will start off in a much better place, which in turn then could win him the fight. I think it will be a close fight but I think if Canelo can get a better start, he will be the slight favorite. Golovkin won the first fight, but I think Canelo is going to cut in more in the second fight because he was getting into the fight more as it went on and I think he’ll pick up where he left off last time.

Robert Brown: There is a lot of talk about a potential Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua fight. Is that fight a case of who lands first?

Jamie Moore: I think so, I think Wilder is a dangerous fighter — not just to other people, but to himself because he leaves himself so wide open. But that’s what makes him difficult to fight, because he’s not got much form, so he’s hard to beat.

You can’t anticipate the shots or the angles that they’re coming from because he’s so wild, but that’s what makes him dangerous. That’s a terrific fight. As much as Joshua and Parker is a good fight, Wilder-Joshua is one of those fights where it could end at any point.

Robert Brown: What is your final prediction for the fight between Nonito Donaire and Carl Frampton?

Jamie Moore: I think Carl will win on points clearly, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he has them out of there by nine or ten rounds.