Carl Frampton has questioned whether the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award is anti-Northern Irish and anti-boxing, having been omitted from the shortlist for this year’s award.

The Belfast-born fighter was crowned WBA world featherweight champion after moving up a weight division to defeat the previously unbeaten Leo Santa Cruz in New York.

Yet Frampton, who also added the WBA’s super-bantamweight title to his IBF crown by beating Scott Quigg in February, was not among the 16 sportswomen and men nominated by the BBC’s 12-member panel.

Team GB's most decorated Paralympian, Seaford’s Bethany Firth, and two-time world Superbike champion Jonathan Rea, from Larne, were also left off the shortlist.

Frampton told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show: “I feel like I should have got on but Johnny Rea also had a shout, Bethany Firth as well also had a shout.

“And I think maybe what it looks to me is maybe anti-boxing, maybe anti-Northern Ireland, who knows? But listen, I am not going to cry about it and I'll get on with my career.

Britain's current boxing world champions Show all 8 1 /8 Britain's current boxing world champions Britain's current boxing world champions Britain's current boxing world champions Getty Britain's current boxing world champions Tyson Fury WBC heavyweight AFP Britain's current boxing world champions Anthony Joshua IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight PA Britain's current boxing world champions Callum Smith WBA super middleweight (Super) Getty Britain's current boxing world champions Billy Joe Saunders WBO super middleweight Getty Britain's current boxing world champions Josh Taylor WBA and IBF light welterweight Getty Britain's current boxing world champions Terri Harper IBF super featherweight Getty Britain's current boxing world champions Josh Warrington IBF featherweight Getty

"No-one's on it from Northern Ireland - there's five Yorkshire men on it. I feel that one of the three that I mentioned should have got on.”

Frampton's manager Barry McGuigan, who won the award in 1985, claimed the fighter was “deeply hurt” by his omission and that the BBC had “dropped a bomb”.

The Sports Personality of the Year shortlist is compiled by a committee of 12, featuring BBC Sport representatives, former nominees of the award, sports journalists and a representative from the UK sports industry.

SPOTY 2016 nominations Nicola Adams, Boxing Gareth Bale, Football Alistair Brownlee, Triathlon Sophie Christiansen, Equestrian Kadeena Cox, Athletics/Cycling Mo Farah, Athletics Jason Kenny, Cycling Laura Kenny, Cycling Andy Murray, Tennis Adam Peaty, Swimming Kate Richardson-Walsh, Hockey Nick Skelton, Equestrian Dame Sarah Storey, Cycling Jamie Vardy, Football Max Whitlock, Gymnastics Danny Willett, Golf



In response to Frampton’s comments, a BBC spokesperson said: “In what has been an extraordinary year of sport, many contenders were considered and debated by an expert industry panel, who by consensus agreed on the shortlist.”

Ian Paisley Jr, the Democratic Unionist MP for North Antrim, will raise the absence of any Northern Irish sportswomen or men from the shortlist at Westminster.

“We're talking about a double motorcycle racing world champion, we're talking about a double weight world champion in boxing, we're talking about Bethany Firth, a phenomenal athlete,” he said.