Speaking to talkSPORT, the 38-year-old admitted his previous friendship with fellow boxer McGuigan was “completely gone”.
Frampton was quizzed by hosts — former footballer Leon McKenzie and cricket player Steve Harmison — about the souring of his relationship with McGuigan, his regrets and his risk of dementia.
After the partnership between Frampton and his former trainers and promoters in Cyclone Promotions broke down after eight years in 2017, the two sued each other in Belfast’s High Court.
Barry McGuigan in action against WBA champion Eusebio Pedroza during their world title bout at Loftus Road
Frampton walked after his fight with Andres Gutierrez in Belfast that July was called off.
McGuigan claimed the protege he had treated like a son was in breach of contract by quitting Cyclone.
The £6m legal battle was settled in November 2020 after former two-weight champion Frampton alleged McGuigan had withheld earnings from major bouts staged in Northern Ireland, England and the US during his career.
He also claimed McGuigan used some of the earnings for personal expenses, with alleged holidays.
His lawyers had alleged he had been signed up to a “slave contract”.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Frampton claimed he was yet to be sued “for saying anything incorrect” about McGuigan in his autobiography.
“Often a critique that gets fired back to me is, ‘Well, this is one side of the story. This is Frampton’s side of the story’,” he said.
“And my answer to that is why has Barry not told his side? And I think I know the answer. He hasn’t really come out and told his side to the story. I go into a lot of detail in the book and I’ve yet to receive a legal letter off someone trying to sue me for saying anything incorrect.
“So although I did have a real friendship [and] fondness of these guys and respect as well, all that’s completely gone.
“I had this real resentment for them and it’s dwindled now. I mean, we’re never going to have a relationship but within the boxing game, I get enough satisfaction in knowing that there’s a lot of people in this game who don’t really like them and they know what they’re like. So that’ll do for me.”
Carl Frampton
Recent statements by McGuigan also suggest that any reconciliation is unlikely. Asked how he felt about Frampton by the Sunday Times last year, McGuigan said: “Just a disappointment. Pretty deep disappointment.
“I took him into my home; made him part of my family.
“I didn’t take a penny off him for over two years [until] he won the Commonwealth title.
“He [Frampton] can say what he wants but he knows he could not have achieved anything without me or my family and the work that we put into him.”
In addition to the feud with McGuigan, Frampton also spoke about some regrets in his career, mainly when two members of his wife’s, Christine’s, family died.
Carl Frampton and Barry McGuigan at a reception outside Belfast City Hall after Frampton became IBF super-bantamweight world champion in 2014 (Pacemaker)
News Catch Up – Tuesday 10th June
“I do have some regrets. There were members of my wife’s family who passed away while I was in the middle of camp,” he said.
“Now these were kind of at the start of camp and I was training in London at the time and I was persuaded not to go home because I need to be in camp, I can’t go home, you pick up bugs on the flights and stuff. And I was just thinking like, you know, one day off to go back, I’ll be back in that evening, back in the camp.
“I need to be there for my wife who’s lost two close family members and I allowed other people to persuade me not to do that.
“I felt like, I mean, I was a man at that stage. I was a grown up, I had children and stuff, but I felt like I didn’t stand up for myself enough.
“I just did what I was told. There were just times where I feel like I should have been a bit more vocal and had my own say.
“I’ve been [directly affected] by issues with it and I know other people who have been directly affected.
“I know friends of mine, family members of my wife who’ve taken their own lives and stuff. It’s horrible, talking about the funerals that I missed, one of them was that.”
With boxers at increased risk of dementia, Frampton revealed he was “not scared” by the prospect.
“It doesn’t give me fear. I feel like I’ll get it at some point because of what I’ve done.”