Carl Frampton: Belfast man puts Big Brother on hold to chase more big fights

Carl Frampton admits his contest with Nonito Donaire may be his "last-chance saloon" but has vowed to win and delay the day he considers offers to appear on Big Brother and I'm a Celebrity.

Frampton, 31, faces former four-weight world champion Donaire, in Saturday's WBO interim featherweight title bout.

Filipino Donaire is now 35 and the loser in Belfast could find themselves with declining options at world level.

"I'm a boxer and I'm still boxing," said Frampton of the celebrity offers.

"I was asked to do it [I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here]. And I was asked to do Big Brother as well and I turned them both down.

"Maybe in a few years time, if they ask me again I might change my mind."

According to Frampton's promoter Frank Warren, WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez will have to "quickly" fight the winner of Saturday's Belfast bout. That could be delayed, though, by the broken jaw the Mexican suffered in defeating England's Scott Quigg last month.

Donaire 'better than Santa Cruz' says Frampton

Frampton says he is relishing the prospect of a possible contest with Valdez, with his hope that his long-cherished world title fight at Belfast's Windsor Park could happen against the Mexican later this year.

But to keep alive that dream, Frampton will need to take care of a fighter who he says will be the best opponent he has ever faced.

That would suggest Donaire is even better than Leo Santa Cruz - who avenged his defeat by Frampton in the summer of 2016 by regaining the WBA world featherweight title in January 2017 as he handed the Northern Irishman his sole career loss.

"To have a guy like Nonito Donaire coming to Belfast to fight me feels like a bit of an honour," said Frampton, who insisted that his ongoing legal fight with former manager Barry McGuigan has had "no effect" on his fight build-up.

"He's in a similar position to me. It's maybe the last-chance saloon, which makes him a danger in itself.

"I've been preparing for the best Nonito Donaire there has ever been. It's going to take a big performance to get my hand raised at the end. But I'm ready to produce that big performance."

Nonito Donaire will have his 43rd professional fight when he takes on Frampton in Belfast

Donaire beaten by Rigondeaux in 2013

Donaire's 17-year professional career has seen him win world titles as flyweight, bantamweight, super-bantamweight and featherweight in addition to holding an interim belt at super-flyweight.

The Filipino was named The Ring magazine's 2012 world boxer of the year after making four defences of his WBO super-bantamweight title.

However, a points defeat by elusive Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux in April 2013 saw him lose that title - and his nine fights since then have included two further losses.

After losing a WBO super-bantamweight challenge against American Jessie Magdaleno on points in November 2016, Donaire regrouped to beat Mexican Ruben Garcia Hernandez last September which brought his record up to 38 wins and four defeats.

With the perception that Donaire is past his best, the bookies have Frampton as an overwhelming favourite but the Filipino insists that he is "very confident" of beating the former IBF super-bantamweight and WBA featherweight champion.

"Carl is an amazing fighter and I have got to give it to the guy for taking this fight," added Donaire, whose famed weapon is his left hook.

"He has chosen this fight because it inspires him. But I have come to Belfast because it inspires me. This is going to be an incredible fight."