Home Boxing News Carl Frampton closing in on Jamel Herring fight

Carl Frampton closing in on Jamel Herring fight

Carl Frampton
Carl Frampton. Photo credit: Top Rank

Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton 27-2 (15) is determined to realise his dream of becoming a three-weight world champion with a shot at WBO super featherweight champion Jamel ‘Semper Fi’ Herring 21-2 (10) in the offing for November if he gets past late replacement Darren ‘Trayn Wreck’ Traynor 16-3 (7) at BT Sports Studio in Stratford, London this Saturday night.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum confirmed plans for Herring to defend his title against Frampton provided he is successful against Jonathan Oquendo in Las Vegas on September 5.

“Jamel Herring will be defending his title versus Oquendo. Finally, he will get that off after it was twice postponements because of this coronavirus,” Arum said during a recent Zoom conference call with the media.

“That fight will happen September 5. If Jamel is successful and if Carl is successful on Saturday, I have a date picked out in November where they will fight for the title.

“That’s done. Everybody is on board.”

Frampton has fought just once since his 12-round decision loss to IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington 30-0 (7) in December 2018, a 10-round shutout victory over Tyler McCleary 16-1-1 (7) in Las Vegas last November.

The 33-year-old Northern Irishman contemplated retirement after the Warrington loss but eventually decided he still had more to give the sport.

“After the Josh Warrington defeat, in my head I was retired, I was going to retire,” Frampton said to The NewsLetter.

“I hadn’t announced retirement, but I suppose I was not embarrassed, but my pride was hurt a little bit.

“Then when I sat down and reflected on the fight, I knew that it was more down to a bad performance from me and me tactically getting it very wrong and tactically making wrong decisions in the first three rounds.

“That was the reason I lost that fight more so than me being over the hill or on the slide because if you see what I’m doing in the gym still, you wouldn’t suggest that I’m over the hill, like some people are doing at the minute.

“I know that I’m a better fighter than the Warrington performance and there’s a lot of stuff that’s gone on – the break of the hand and stuff and other things, and coronavirus too.

“But I haven’t thought about that again since the Warrington fight. I want to win a world title and that’s the drive.

“I hope I don’t disappoint at the weekend. I’m sure I’ll win the fight and the fight with me and Jamel Herring will be a dream come true.”