Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images
The fight Frampton goes out on was an ambitious bid to win a world title in a third weight class, to add something more to his legacy in the ring, to put something more on his résumé. He was fighting small at 130 lbs; Carl frankly fought small even at 126, as he was a thickly-built but not tall guy at 122, where he was at his very best.
He was beaten soundly by a better fighter on the night against Herring, and he made no bones and no excuses about that.
“I just got beat by the better man. I really struggled to get inside him. He was sharpshooting from a distance, perfect game plan,” he said. “Zero excuses, I had an amazing camp, I was coming into this fight to win it. I was just beaten by the better man.”