Carl Frampton says he fears for big-time boxing in Belfast following Michael Conlan's defeat to Luis Alberto Lopez.
Conlan's world title hopes ended with a brutal fifth-round stoppage at the SSE Arena last Saturday night.
The 31-year-old is now considering his next move in boxing, and Frampton has questioned what the future holds for big fight events in his home city.
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'The Jackal' used to pack out arenas here, including the SSE, Titanic and Windsor Park.
Ryan Burnett also brought some big nights to the city, while Conlan has been flying the flag in recent years.
But after last week's devastating loss - his second in a world title fight - Frampton wonders who can bring the big promoters back to Belfast.
"It’s hard to know what the future holds for Michael Conlan — and big nights of boxing in Belfast — following his loss to Luis Alberto Lopez last Saturday night," he told the Sunday Life.
"I spoke to Mick and Jamie Conlan for BT Sport before the fight. We talked about the pressure and importance of him winning to bring the big nights back to Belfast, but because he’s lost twice now I’m unsure what he will do after this.
"The atmosphere in the SSE Arena last Saturday was incredible. Belfast is a city that loves big-time boxing and almost needs it as we love it so much, but we’ve got to look at where we go from here and who can fill the arena.
"It could still well be Mick if he can get himself back on track with a couple of wins, but we don’t know what he will do with his career. Behind him, I’m not sure we have that big headliner who can fill the arena."
While Conlan's career is at a crossroads, Frampton believes Anthony Cacace has the world at his hands.
The 'Apache' won the IBO World super-featherweight title last year and enjoyed a first successful defence of his belt on Conlan's undercard last week.
Frampton believes the 34-year-old deserves a shot at a major belt next.
"Anthony Cacace had a good win against Damian Wrzesinski last Saturday and although I was hoping he would have put on a huge performance, injuring his hands early in the fight allows him a bit of breathing space," he said.
"Wrzesinski wasn’t a bad fight coming ward and was aggressive, but there was always a clear winner.
"I was happy to hear Anto mention the big names like Joe Cordina and Emanuel Navarrete because they are fights that can be made pretty easily, especially as Navarrete is with Top Rank and their ears may have picked up hearing Anto calling him out.
"Anto is the type of fighter a champion would take on a voluntary, but he has the ability to go and upset the world, especially Navarrete who hasn’t look as good at super-featherweight and may have found his limit in terms of weight. The Mexican is a big name in the sport, an incredible fighter who has gone through the weights, but he is someone I absolutely would have preferred over Jamel Herring.
"If Anto was to face him, people would just assume Navarrete would have an easy night, but I’m not so sure and would have Cacace a great chance if it comes off."
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