CARL FRAMPTON admits Nick Ball beating Naoya Inoue could eclipse Llloyd Honeyghan’s famous victory as Britain’s best ever win - and has backed him to pull it off.

Inoue is arguably the world’s No.1 pound-for-pound fighter at the moment following his dazzling run to 29-0 (26), which has included world titles in four weight classes - and the status as undisputed champion in two of those.

The Japanese icon, who currently holds all the belts at super-bantam, is now said to be considering a move up to featherweight and Ball has already openly offered him a crack at his WBA belt.

Frampton has previously raised a few eyebrows by suggesting that ‘the Wrecking’ Ball, 28, who is 22-0-1 (13), has the style to beat Inoue and he knows that it’s a win that would go straight into British boxing folklore.

Frampton was named the 2016 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year after he moved up from his position as world super-bantamweight champion to win the WBA belt at featherweight - just like Inoue would attempt to do against Ball. But the Belfast man thinks Inoue might just come unstuck.

He said: “He might not be with the bookmakers but Nick Ball would start as a favourite for me in that fight.

“I love to watch him fight and I just think there’s a ceiling to how high you can go when you start at light-flyweight like Inoue has.

“Featherweight might be Inoue’s ceiling, possibly super-feather, but I don’t think he can go much higher than that. I think Nick Ball’s tenacity, strength, punch power and his resilience as well gives Inoue a lot of problems.”

It is 39 years ago this September since south London’s Honeyghan travelled to Atlantic City to dethrone the 25-0 Donald Curry, maybe the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter at the time, in what is described by some as the biggest upset in British boxing history.

And Frampton said: “Even though I’m picking him to cause problems and I make him the favourite, if Ball was to beat Inoue you would have to put it up there with Lloyd Honeyghan beating Don Currie. It would be that big, maybe even bigger.

“Inoue is The Monster and the vast majority of people would have him in the top three pound-for-pound so it would be a humongous win for Ball.”