Ranking the Best Opponents for Carl Frampton's Next Fight

"The world's our oyster." Those were Carl Frampton's words after his victory over super bantamweight rival Scott Quigg on Saturday, per Ben Dirs of BBC Sport.

The Northern Irishman unified the IBF and WBA titles with a split-decision points win over Quigg at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

Frampton made the better start and although forced to come through a tricky Round 11, he was awarded a 116-112 victory by two of the three judges (the other scored it 115-113 to Quigg).

Now, The Jackal has to work out what to do next. He, along with his Cyclones Promotions team, have to sift through a number of intriguing options.

He could carry on at his current 122-pound weight limit, but the 29-year-old may feel the time is right to move up to featherweight. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Bleacher Report has tried to help Frampton and his team out by ranking the top five opponents for his next fight.

As already mentioned, Frampton has plenty of different directions open to him.

If he wants to carry on collecting belts, WBO champion Nonito Donaire could be a potential target.

The Filipino Flash—who dropped back down to super bantamweight after losing his WBA featherweight title to Nicholas Walters in 2014—is already booked to face Zsolt Bedak on April 23.

Hugo Ruiz, meanwhile, is the new holder of the WBC title. The Mexican knocked out compatriot Julio Ceja in Round 1 on the same night Frampton defeated Quigg.

Jamie McDonnell could be an option down the line. The Englishman is the current WBA bantamweight champion and, although looking for unification fights, would consider moving up, per Tim Hobbs of Sky Sports.

For now, though, none of the above make our top five.

Shingo Wake (20-4-2, 12 KOs) is Frampton's mandatory challenger for the IBF belt.

If The Jackal wants to keep his hands on a belt he claimed in September 2014 with a points victory over Spaniard Kiko Martinez, Wake is going to end up getting in his way.

The Japanese southpaw is on a 10-fight winning streak and is the top-ranked super bantamweight in his homeland, according to BoxRec.

However, the 28-year-old has never fought outside Japan and isn't the kind of major name Frampton wants at this stage of his career.

The only reason Wake makes the top five is because of any possible tie Frampton has to the first world title he won.

If he's not worried about giving it up, vacating the strap makes more sense than facing Wake next.

Lee Selby's name popped up during Frampton's post-fight interview with Sky Sports.

Per Isaac Robinson of Sky Sports, the Northern Irishman said: "I'm happy to stay at super bantamweight, but if a big fight comes calling up at featherweight—Leo Santa Cruz, Lee Selby or any of these guys—I'm ready for it."

Selby (22-1, eight KOs) is the reigning IBF champion at featherweight.

The Welshman is expected to defend his title against Eric Hunter next, per BBC Sport.

However, he has spoken about the possibility of facing Frampton—or Scott Quigg—before, telling Simon Crawford of Sporting Life last June: "Quigg and Frampton are big names in boxing and I'm happy to fight anyone, so we'll what happens."

Having seen how Frampton vs. Quigg created so much media interest, not to mention money, Selby could be tempted into an all-British showdown later in the year.

The first fight wasn't a thriller, but that doesn't mean a rematch with Scott Quigg is completely off the table.

What would have happened if Quigg hadn't broken his jaw in Round 4? What if the boxer from Bury, a town in Greater Manchester, had started the bout as he finished it?

And, what exactly did judge Levi Martinez see to score the contest 115-113 in favour of the loser?

Quigg would certainly like another crack at his British rival, per James Robson of the Manchester Evening News: "If we did it again, it would carry on from where the last few rounds finished off."

However, Frampton isn't so keen.

He told Colin Murray on TalkSport: "I wouldn’t rule it [a rematch] out completely, but I just don’t think it is going to happen."

Frampton would likely want home advantage second time around, having travelled to Quigg's backyard in Manchester for the first meeting.

Before any potential second episode, however, Quigg must first recover from his injury. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, confirmed on Twitter the fighter had surgery on his broken jaw on Sunday.

Guillermo Rigondeaux wants his belt back.

The Cuban lost his WBA title outside of the ring, with the governing body declaring him "champion in recess" due to inactivity, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.

Still, the 35-year-old is scheduled to face whoever happens to be the WBA champion before May 1.

That would mean Frampton's first defence would have to be against Rigondeaux—making it The Jackal versus El Chacal.

According to David Anderson of the Mirror, Frampton is not against the idea: "The Rigondeaux fight also appeals to me, and I believe I’m the only super bantamweight who can beat him."

Rigondeaux would be a tough challenge. He is 16-0 (10 KOs) as a professional, having previously won two Olympic gold medals during a stellar amateur career.

The slick southpaw gets the chance to impress a British audience when he faces local fighter James "Jazza" Dickens at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, on March 12.

Leo Santa Cruz is the name Frampton has talked about the most since unifying the WBA and IBF titles.

The Mexican (32-0-1, 18 KOs) is the former WBC champion at 122 pounds who has stepped up to win the WBA belt at featherweight.

Like Frampton, he was in action on Saturday. Santa Cruz flattened Kiko Martinez—a man who lost twice to The Jackal at super bantamweight—inside five rounds in California.

Jake McGuigan, head of boxing at Cyclone Promotions, had already held talks with Santa Cruz's people over a potential summer showdown, per David Kelly of the Belfast Telegraph.

It is the fight for Frampton, as McGuigan explained to Kelly: "We would love the fight for the summer in Belfast and I think we can make him an offer that can help us bring him here, but whether it's the summer or later in the year, it's the biggest fight out there for Carl."

Frampton tweeted his congratulations to Santa Cruz after his win over Martinez—and also asked the question about a showdown later in 2016.

Considering both have connections to Al Haymon, a deal should be relatively easy to sort out.

Who would you like to see Carl Frampton face next? Have your say via the comments section.