Fans gathered in the grounds of Belfast City Hall on Friday for a homecoming event for Carl Frampton, after he became the first Northern Irish boxer to win world championships in two different weight divisions.

The 29-year-old from Tiger’s Bay in north Belfast, who is known as The Jackal, made history in New York at the end of last month with his victory in the featherweight category over the previously undefeated Mexican Léo Santa Cruz.

Frampton won his first world title, in the IBF super-bantamweight category, in 2014 when he beat Spain’s Kiko Martinez in an outdoor fight on the Titanic Slipways.

He became the unified world champion at that weight when he defeated WBA champion Scott Quigg earlier this year.

He then moved up to featherweight division to fight Santa Cruz in Brooklyn for that WBA title on July 30th.

Frampton and his children Carla and Rossa were cheered on by his home crowd at the homecoming event.

He told his fans he was overwhelmed by the support he has received.

He said: “I love Belfast and want to fight here as much as possible.”

Frampton said he now wanted to relax with his family and that he was looking forward to heading to The Moyola chip shop close to where he grew up for “The Jackal Special” of “cod bites, chips and curry sauce”.

McGuigan tribute

At the homecoming, former boxing champion Barry McGuigan thanked the fans who had travelled to New York for helping Frampton win and said that the Belfast man “will go down as one of the best Irish fighters of all time”.

James Crawford (22) from Belfast was at the homecoming with his partner and child.

“Carl is a really good ambassador for Northern Ireland,” he said.

Jay Doyle (10) was at the event to welcome his hero home.

“Carl is very good. He is my favourite boxer,” he said.

First Minister Arlene Foster said Frampton was a “tremendous ambassador . . . who never forgets his fans”, while Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the boxer was “a unifier for our people”.