Carl Frampton drops verdict on potential Lewis Crocker vs Conor Benn title fight

Crocker defeated favourite Paddy Donovan on 13 September to become IBF welterweight champion

Lewis Crocker celebrating his win over Paddy Donovan (Getty)

Carl Frampton has advised his compatriot and new IBF welterweight champion, Lewis Crocker, to "take it with both hands" if a fight with Conor Benn can be made.

After Crocker shocked the world and dropped Paddy Donovan twice on the way to a narrow decision victory in September, he took the opportunity to call out Benn for his first title defence. But Frampton was sceptical of Benn's ability to shave off the weight and make 147lb.

"It would make a lot of money,” the former two-weight world champion explained. “But I don’t think Conor Benn is going to box at welterweight again.

“But if a fight like that can be made, I would say take it with both hands. It would be a very winnable fight for Lewis, and there will be plenty of dough on the line.

“You have to remember that Lewis isn’t a small welterweight, so maybe a fight could be made at light middleweight.”

Benn is currently preparing for his rematch with Chris Eubank Jr on 15 November. The fight is at middleweight, but he does intend to return to the welterweight division for a world title shot.

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Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are set to meet for a second time on November 15 (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)

Benn did, however, tell The Ring that Crocker was not on his radar and that he would instead chase the WBC belt held by Mario Barrios.

If the Benn fight is inaccessible in the required timeline, Frampton believes this is the perfect time for Crocker to take hold of a weakened welterweight division.

“There are massive fights on the Horizon,” Frampton told BBC Sport NI. “He has a voluntary defence coming up, and they haven’t chosen who, and it can be anyone in the top 15 of the IBF.

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“The welterweight division wasn’t what it was a few years ago, and Lewis can go and dominate this division for a while.”

Crocker is expected to make his first title defence in December, and Frampton has suggested there is no need for his fellow countryman to rush into big fights just yet.

“I’d like to see a few defences and maybe a unification,” Frampton said. “He’s very capable of all that.”

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