Martin O’Neill hilariously cuts former boxer Carl Frampton down to size

Martin O’Neill was being honoured over in Belfast this week, as the League and Cup Double winner took his place alongside his Northern Ireland teammates, who were being inducted into the Hall of Fame…

The Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards is where Martin O’Neill found himself on Thursday night and it gave him yet another chance to showcase his rapier wit in a joust with former boxer Carl Frampton…

Frampton, a big fan of the team who finished in third place this season, had made no secret about how he felt regarding a Celtic coronation, taking aim on social media throughout the final few games of the Scottish Premiership’s post-split fixtures.

Like so many others, the thought of yet another Hoops title win was just too much, considering we had been down and out for so much of the campaign, following the less talked about the better Wilfred Nancy debacle and various injuries to key players, in the aftermath of Brendan Rodgers departing and the famous and disgraceful Desmond communiqué.

Frampton’s on the “it’s fixed” bandwagon

Yep, Frampton, like the rest, thought Celtic were dead and buried this season. Oh how they should have all known better…

Carl just couldn’t help but jump on the “it’s fixed” bandwagon, when Celtic were correctly given a penalty for handball against Motherwell in the dying embers of the game at Fir Park. Willie Collum confirmed that in no uncertain terms in his VAR Review last night on Sky Sports.

The barefaced cheek of it all!

Then, to make matters worse, three days later Celtic and Martin O’Neill had the temerity to beat Hearts at home and take the Championship from Derek McInnes and Hearts’ grasp – the barefaced cheek of it all!

Martin O’Neill at the Sports Awards in Belfast tonight….

Hosted by Frampton.

Will Frampton be as vociferous as he was on X?! https://t.co/LKHQkMkcXe pic.twitter.com/aMnEugs2r3

— BelfColm (@BelfColm74) May 28, 2026

The ex-super bantamweight and featherweight champion just couldn’t help himself with the man from Kilrea, having a cheeky back-and-forth with the Celtic boss. As O’Neill begun to reveal the circumstances behind his dramatic return to the club he built a legacy at in the early 2000’s, Frampton interjected (via balls.ie):

Martin O’Neill: “I did the first spell, then they appointed [Wilfried Nancy], and things didn’t go for him, which is the nature of the game.”

Frampton: “[They] should have kept him Martin!”

Martin O’Neill: “What?”

Frampton: “Should have kept him.”

Martin O’Neill: “What did you say Frampton?”

Frampton: “I says they should have kept him.”

Martin O’Neill: “Strange enough, I met him on the King’s Road a way back for the first time ever. He was 12 at the time, fighting for the world championship. Was that just a crass comment that you made there?”

Frampton: “Just a wee joke, ah.”

Martin O’Neill: “You know I am actually bigger than you?”

“Good enough for mere mortals like me”

Never one to back down from a verbal sparring match, the man who once told the Scottish press that if walking down the street to Barrowfield from Celtic Park was good enough for the likes of Jock Stein, it was “good enough for mere mortals like me”, would have had no problems in taking Frampton to school.

The man they call the Saint is always just one step ahead.

Bluenoses like Frampton just never learn…

Paul Gillespie

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