Carl Frampton: Ex-world champion to face Mexican Horacio Garcia in comeback bout

Frampton suffered the first defeat of his career when beaten by Leo Santa Cruz last January

Former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton will face Mexican Horacio Garcia in his comeback bout in Belfast on 18 November.

The fight will be Frampton's first contest since moving from long-time manager Barry McGuigan's Cyclone Promotions to Frank Warren's stable.

Garcia, 27, has lost three of his 37 pro bouts including a defeat by Japan's former world champion Hozumi Hasegawa.

The Mexican beat compatriot Diuhl Olguin in Las Vegas three weeks ago.

That victory avenged a defeat by Olguin in July.

Garcia won his opening 29 professional contests before losing a unanimous decision in May 2015 against Hasegawa, who was a previous WBC world bantamweight world champion and later went on to clinch the WBC super-bantamweight belt.

Horacio Garcia (left) lost to Jamie Diaz last December

Garcia beaten by highly-rated Diaz

After drawing a North American Boxing Federation title bout against Erik Ruiz in May 2016, Garcia suffered the second defeat of his career against highly rated Joseph Diaz last December.

Diaz is ranked in the top 10 by all four major boxing governing bodies but Garcia is not rated in the top 15 by the WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO.

Frampton, 30, has not fought since losing the WBA featherweight title to Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas last January as the Mexican avenged his defeat by the Northern Irishman six months earlier.

The Belfast man's scheduled comeback fight in late July with another Mexican Andres Gutierrez was postponed at the 11th hour after his opponent was injured when slipping in a hotel shower.

Less than a month later, Frampton announced his split with long-time manager McGuigan and his link-up with Warren was announced last week.

Frampton 'excited' by Garcia bout

Speaking on Wednesday, Frampton said that he was "excited" by the prospect of his 10-round contest with Garcia.

"He's a typical Mexican warrior, he's tough and he's game and he'll try and put it on me in front of my home crowd," said Frampton.

"He has never been stopped in his career and has only lost to world class opposition, excluding the loss against Olguin.

"It will be good to get a fight in against a live opponent before I get one of the big boys in the new year."

Frampton's fight at Belfast's SSE Arena will top a bill which will include Jamie Conlan's IBF world super-flyweight contest with Filipino Jerwin Ancajas plus the WBO bantamweight bout between South Africans Zolani Tete and Siboniso Gonya.

The undercard will also see Ireland's twice Olympic medallist Paddy Barnes defending his WBO European flyweight title.