Jamel Herring: record, next fight and profile →
By Jake Donovan - Jamel Herring has secured his legacy win. A fight deemed as a virtual pick-‘em heading into the night turned into a showcase performance by Herring, who scored a 6th round knockout of Belfast’s Carl Frampton to defend his WBO junior lightweight title Saturday at Caesars Palace Bluewaters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Herring, Frampton Scorecard BoxingScene Live - History will be made Saturday when Jamel "Semper Fi" Herring puts his WBO junior lightweight world title on the line against Belfast's former two-weight world champion Carl "The Jackal" Frampton at Caesars Bluewaters Dubai.
The thought of title unification has always been the goal for Jamel Herring, especially now with another beltholder finally calling his name. Herring still has to get through a dangerous title defense of his WBO junior lightweight crown versus former two-division champ Carl Frampton (28-2, 16KOs), with their bout finally due to take place Saturday on ESPN+ from Caesars Palace in Dubai. With a win, the 35-year-old southpaw will retain his status as the division’s longest-reigning titlist.
Jamel Herring is certain that his battle with COVID-19 last summer impacted his performance against Jonathan Oquendo. Herring wasn’t particularly sharp when he opposed Oquendo on September 5. The WBO junior lightweight champion was way ahead on all three scorecards when referee Tony Weeks disqualified Oquendo following the eighth round, but Herring didn’t box as well that night as he did during his previous two victories versus Lamont Roach and Masayuki Ito.
Oscar Valdez views the Jamel Herring-Carl Frampton fight like lots of experts and fans. The WBC super featherweight champion could see either Herring or Frampton emerging victorious Saturday night in Dubai. Oddsmakers have made Frampton a slight favorite entering their 12-round, 130-pound fight for Herring’s WBO junior lightweight title.
Carl Frampton has support from an unlikely quarter as he bids to become Ireland’s first three-weight world champion this weekend. The popular Belfastman will be cheered on by former opponent Scott Quigg, the man he shared a ring with in 2016, when he challenges WBO super-featherweight champion Jamel Herring.
Shakur Stevenson expects to fight for the WBO junior lightweight title in his next bout. The former WBO featherweight champion just doesn’t anticipate getting that opportunity against either of the boxers who will fight that WBO belt Saturday night in Dubai. Stevenson predicted that Jamel Herring will retain his title by beating Carl Frampton in their 12-round, 130-pound championship match, but he thinks Herring will vacate that crown rather than make a mandated defense against him in his subsequent bout.
Zhankosh Turarov was noticeably absent from Friday’s weigh-In, as will be the case on Saturday when he is unable to make his way to the ring. The unbeaten junior welterweight from Kazakhstan was forced to drop out of his planned regional title fight with Belfast’s Tyrone McKenna after testing positive for Covid-19. News of the development came hours before the two were due to collide Saturday at Caesars Palace Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Carl Frampton wasn’t trying to make a dramatic proclamation. The humble Northern Irishman was just being honest when he stated recently that he’ll retire if he loses to Jamel Herring on Saturday night in Dubai. The 34-year-old Frampton explained his rationale for making that statement Thursday during a press conference to promote their 12-round fight for Herring’s WBO junior lightweight title.
Nothing has or will faze Jamel Herring. He can credit his days as a U.S. Marine and two tours of duty in Iraq during the second Gulf War for that. Herring’s mental strength and ability to overcome obstacles in both boxing and his private life will likely be key factors going into Saturday’s clash against Carl Frampton.