Carl Frampton still feels confident that he’ll get his title shot against Jamel Herring late this year.
Carl Frampton and Jamel Herring, in particular, have had a challenging 2020.
Frampton had been preparing to face Vahram Vardanyan on Saturday, but those plans changed last week when the Armenian boxer ran into visa issues and was denied entry into England.
Meanwhile, Herring, the a junior lightweight titleholder, had separate positive COVID-19 results that twice postponed his fight against Jonathan Oquendo. Herring is now set to face Oquendo on Sept. 5.
All this being said, Frampton, who will now face Darren Traynor on Saturday, still feels confident that he’ll get that title shot against Herring late this year.
“[Herring’s in] exactly the same boat as me in terms of mishaps and things gone wrong,” Frampton recently said on “Boxing with Chris Mannix”. “It hasn’t been a great year.
“I feel extremely sorry for (Herring), and I understand what it’s like, and I know Jamel, like myself, he trains away from home,” he continued. “He leaves his family and he goes and trains. He leaves his children and wife behind. I’m sure it would almost feel like a wasted time away from family. It’s got to be hard to deal with.”
He added: “I don’t know him personally, but the impression I have of him is that he’s mentally a very strong person, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be able to deal with it. I feel like I’m a mentally strong person. I think we’ll get it sorted.”
Frampton (27-2, 15 KOs) hasn’t fought since he shut out Tyler McCreary on Nov. 30. Herring (21-2, 10 KOs) successfully defended his title against Lamont Roach on Nov. 9.
Jamel Herring hopes to give it another go next month.
Jamel Herring hopes to give it another go next month.
The junior lightweight titleholder has had his title defense against Jonathan Oquendo canceled twice after testing positive for COVID-19 each time, the last time being Monday, the day before the next installment of Top Rank’s summer series inside the MGM Grand bubble in Las Vegas.
Herring told Yahoo Sports that tests have shown that he has coronavirus antibodies and he believes the latest result was a false positive.
Mikaela Mayer made the same claim after she tested positive and was removed from the June 9 show. Her fight with Helen Joseph replaced Herring-Oquendo as the main event Tuesday.
Herring is in quarantine in Las Vegas but will go home to Cincinnati before resuming training, Yahoo Sports reported. He would have three consecutive camps if he gets the date in August.
“Before I was allowed to travel here, I had to take a test and I passed it, because you’re not allowed to fly if you’re positive. So I get here and a day later I’m positive? Come on.”
He went on: “It’s going to be tough [with back-to-back-to-back] camps, but I’ve never been afraid of hard work. I just want to get to that first bell. I am trying to keep a positive attitude. There is a lot going on in this world and people have a lot of issues they’re having to deal with.
“I’ve had my problems, but it could be worse. I’m fine and it won’t be long before I’m back, so I will be grateful for that.”
The Jamel Herring-Jonathan Oquendo title fight scheduled for tomorrow was canceled because Herring tested positive for COVID-19 again.
The title fight between Jamel Herring and Jonathan Oquendo scheduled for tomorrow was canceled because Herring tested positive for COVID-19 a second time, Top Rank announced.
The Herring-Oquendo fight was originally scheduled for July 2 but it was postponed after Herring’s initial positive test. Herring reportedly recovered and tested negative, which allowed the fight to be rescheduled for tomorrow inside the MGM Grand bubble in Las Vegas.
Herring said he was surprised to have tested positive a second time.
“I’m extremely disappointed that I’m not going to be able to fight tomorrow night,” Herring said in a press release. “As I’ve shared previously, I tested positive for COVID-19 on June 22 after exhibiting symptoms. I quarantined and recovered as directed by my doctor. I then retested on July 3 and my test was negative, so this result is a complete surprise.
“I was fully prepared to make my second title defense tomorrow night. I am hoping that my team and Top Rank can reschedule this fight soon. Thank you for all the support everyone has shown. I can’t wait to get back in the ring and perform.”
The 10-round junior lightweight bout between 2016 U.S. Olympian Mikael Mayer and Helen Joseph has been elevated to the main event.
The ESPN telecast will include three other fights: Clay Collard vs. Lorawnt-T Nelson, six rounds, middleweights; Ruben Cervera vs. Clay Burns, six rounds, lightweights; and Javier Martinez vs. Jonathan Burrs, four rounds, middleweights.
The main event between Jamel Herring and Jonathan Oquendo scheduled for tomorrow (July 14) on ESPN is off for undisclosed reasons.
The main event between Jamel Herring and Jonathan Oquendo scheduled for tomorrow (July 14) on ESPN is off.
The Athletic is reporting that Herring, set to defend junior lightweight title, was forced to withdraw for an undisclosed reason.
Top Rank, the promoter, could elevate the 10-round women’s junior lightweight bout between 2016 U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer and Helen Joseph to the featured fight inside the MGM Grand bubble in Las Vegas.
The Herring-Oquendo fight was originally scheduled for July 2 but it was postponed after Herring tested positive for COVID-19. Herring subsequently recovered and tested negative virus, which allowed the fight to be rescheduled.
“I am back, healthy and 100 percent ready to defend my world title,” he told ESPN only a few days ago.
Some members of Herring’s team had suggested that he wait to come back or fight 10 rounds, instead of 12. However, he insisted on going through with the title defense … until today, that is.
Mayer (12-0, 5KOs) also tested positive and was pulled from Top Rank’s June 9 card as a result. However, it was later determined that it was a false positive.
Thus, her fight was rescheduled for tomorrow and listed as the co-feature. Joseph (17-4-2, 10 KOs) is a respected fighter from Nigeria.
Other bouts on the card: Clay Collard vs. Lorawnt T Nelson, six rounds, middleweights; Luis Melendez vs. Edward Vazquez, eight round, featherweights; Ruben Cervera vs. Clay Burns, six rounds, lightweights; and William Villa vs. Eduardo Sanchez, four rounds, junior lightweights.
The Jamel Herring-Carl Frampton fight that was canceled because of the coronavirus could resurface in November.
The Jamel Herring-Carl Frampton fight that was canceled because of the coronavirus could resurface in November.
Promoter Bob Arum, who promotes Herring and co-promotes Frampton, told BoxingScene.com that he doesn’t know exactly when or where it will take place because of the pandemic but he believes we’ll see it if they win their interim fights.
Herring, who has recovered from the coronavirus, is scheduled to defend his junior lightweight title against Jonathan Oquendo on Tuesday inside the MGM Grand bubble in Las Vegas. He reportedly is a 14-1 favorite.
Frampton is scheduled to return to the ring on Aug. 15 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His opponent hasn’t been selected.
“Don’t ask me where, with all these travel bans and everything else,” Arum said. “But [Herring-Frampton] will happen. The plan is to do it in November. … I think it’s a terrific fight. Both guys think they’re gonna win the fight easy. So, we’ll see.”
Herring (21-2, 10 KOs) was scheduled to face Frampton (27-2, 15 KOs) on June 13 in Belfast, the Irishman’s hometown, but then the sport was shut down.
Jonathan Oquendo was ready to retire from boxing as recently as last year. Now he’s fighting for a world title.
Jonathan Oquendo was thinking seriously about retirement as recently as 2018.
The Puerto Rican slugger was in his mid-30s, had been fighting hard since 2004 and, most important, it seemed as if meaningful opportunities had dried up. He had fought only once in almost three years after he lost a decision to then-featherweight beltholder Jesus Cuellar in 2015, his only major title shot.
Then, with the backing of co-promoter Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy, the crowd-pleaser was afforded one more run at glory.
Now, at 36, he’s only days away from his second opportunity to fight for a major belt. He faces junior lightweight titleholder Jamel Herring on Tuesday night inside the MGM Grand bubble in Las Vegas.
“I didn’t know I would get this opportunity,” Oquendo told Boxing Junkie through a translator. “I was about to say goodbye to the sport. I thought I only had a few fights left. To get this opportunity is marvelous.”
Oquendo (31-6, 19 KOs) has the reputation of being a durable, reliable fringe contender who will give his all every time he steps through the ropes but come up short.
Jonathan Oquendo (left) shut out Charle Huerta in November, his most recent fight. Kyle Monroe / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy
The product of Bayamon has a few notable victories – a decision over Jhonny Gonzalez that earned him a shot at Cuellar stands out – but he hasn’t fared well in his biggest fights, including setbacks against Juan Manuel Lopez, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Abner Mares and (in May of last year) Lamont Roach.
Oquendo didn’t fight for 19 months after the Cuellar setback, stopped journeyman Orlando Rizo and then didn’t fight again for another 13 months. It was around this time that he thought it was time to move on.
It was also around this time that Cotto, the former four-division champion, convinced Oquendo that he had more to give and they geared up for one more run at a title.
Oquendo, feeling strong at 130 pounds, won three fights in four months in Puerto Rico, which earned him a chance to face Roach in a title eliminator at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Oquendo gave a strong performance but ended up on the wrong end of a disputed unanimous decision that was booed by the crowd.
Oquendo didn’t fret. He proved to himself that night that he was still capable of competing at a high level. Roach went on to lose a wide decision to Herring in November while Oquendo shut out Charles Huerta in a stay-busy fight the same month.
Oquendo (right) came up short against Lamont Roach but felt like the winner. Tom Hogan / Hoganphotos-Golden Boy
“I felt like the winner in [the Roach] fight. And I was feeling like my moment would come soon,” he said.
It would, although no one could’ve predicted how it would arrive.
Oquendo agreed in late May – amid the coronavirus pandemic – to face Herring on July 2 inside the bubble at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The challenger, thrilled about the opportunity, went right to work to prepare for what might be his last opportunity to realize his dream of becoming a world champion. Then, on June 23, came the news: Herring had tested positive for COVID-19 and the fight was postponed.
Oquendo’s first thoughts were with Herring and his family. “That was most important,” he said. At the same time, he was worried. When would Herring be able to fight? And would Oquendo still be in the picture when he could?
It wouldn’t be the first time a scheduled fight fell through completely over something unforeseen.
“I was worried,” Oquendo said. “An opportunity to fight for a world title isn’t something given to just anybody. I felt it was slipping through my fingers. I was also worried about the health of Herring and his family.
“Thank God he’s better, thank God everything is set.”
Herring (21-2, 10 KOs) raised some eyebrows – including those of his own team members – when he announced he would go through with the fight only three weeks after testing positive. However, he recovered, follow-up tests came back negative and insists he’ll be ready to defend his title.
Will it be the same old story for Oquendo? A valiant, but futile effort?
The underdog is confident things will be different. He feels particularly strong after he moved up to 130 pounds permanently. And he’s in a good place in his life mentally and emotionally, including his finances. He likes his chances.
“I feel more mature, more intelligent,” he said. “And with the money I’ve been making my mind is clear. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m stronger, wiser at 36 than I was at 25. I think of boxing more as a business now. I’m in a better place now.
“[Herring] has a lot of good qualities. He boxes well, his height, his length. He has lots of advantages. I have one too: Faith in my training I’ve had. I’ll be ready for anything he brings.”
And if Oquendo wins? If he reaches the pinnacle of the sport 14 years into his pro career?
“It would mean everything,” he said. “My whole life, since I was very young, my dream was to become world champion. I’ll dedicate this to those who have believed in me, my fans, my family. It has been their dream too.
“When at 35 I was thinking of saying good bye … to become champion would be amazing.”
Jamel Herring will defend his junior lightweight title against Jonathan Oquendo only three weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.
All fighters are brave. Jamel Herring might be taking it step further.
Herring, the junior lightweight titleholder and former U.S. Marine, tested positive for COVID-19 on June 21, which resulted in the postponement of his scheduled July 2 title defense against Jonathan Oquendo (31-6, 19 KOs) of Puerto Rico inside the MGM Bubble in Las Vegas.
The fight will take place only three weeks later, on Tuesday (July 14), even though members of his team suggested he wait or fight in a 10-round non-title bout.
“I am back, healthy and 100 percent ready to defend my world title,” he told ESPN, which will television the fight. “Oquendo is a tough opponent who realizes this is his last chance to win a world title.
“He’s coming for what I have, and I’m not going to cut any corners. I will return home to celebrate with my family and my belt.”
Herring said he felt achy but wasn’t concerned until he developed a fever on June 19. He was tested the following day and received the results the day after that, at which point he went into quarantine.
He was interviewed by ESPN on June 23.
“I’m OK, I feel like my normal self again,” Herring said at that time. “I feel good. After I got past the whole fever, I felt good. I didn’t even know I had it ’til I came down with the fever.”
He went on: “The doctor said since I came in after I already had the fever, that I was already at the last stages of the virus. I literally broke the fever Saturday night; it only last two days for me, Friday night and Saturday night. By the time I got the test results … Sunday morning, I was already done with the fever stages.”
Herring (21-2, 10 KOs) said that a follow-up test came back negative and that he’s now symptom free. And his strength and conditioning coach said he has seen no fall off in Herring’s training since he returned to the gym.
Still, there is no telling how having had the virus will affect him – if at all.
“We have no idea how athletes recover from COVID,” Paulina Endara, Herring’s nutritionist, told ESPN. “This is still so new. But we’ve done everything we can to make sure Jamel is healthy and ready to fight.”
Herring isn’t the only fighter on the card who has had to deal with COVID-19.
Mikaela Mayer (12-0, 5KOs) also tested positive and was pulled from Top Rank’s June 9 card as a result. However, it was later determined that it was a false positive.
The 2016 U.S. Olympian from Los Angeles will face Helen Joseph (17-4-2, 10 KOs) of Nigeria in a 10-round junior lightweight co-feature.
Other bouts on the card: Clay Collard vs. Lorawnt T Nelson, six rounds, middleweights; Luis Melendez vs. Edward Vazquez, eight round, featherweights; Ruben Cervera vs. Clay Burns, six rounds, lightweights; and William Villa vs. Eduardo Sanchez, four rounds, junior lightweights.
Jamel Herring is scheduled to defend his 130-pound title against Jonathan Oquendo on a July 2 Top Rank card in Las Vegas on ESPN.
First Shakur Stevenson and Jessie Magdaleno on separate cards. Now Jamel Herring.
The junior lightweight titleholder will defend his belt against Jonathan Oquendo on a July 2 Top Rank card in Las Vegas on ESPN, assuming the Nevada State Athletic Commission approves the show, according to multiple reports. It would be the first post-coronavirus-lockdown title fight in the U.S.
Herring (21-2, 10 KOs) rebounded from losses at lightweight to Denis Shafikov and Ladarius Miller to easily outpoint Masayuki Ito to win a junior lightweight title in May of last year. The 34-year-old outpointed Lamont Roach in his first defense in November.
Oquendo (31-6, 19 KOs) rebounded from a decision loss to Roach in May of last year to shut out Charles Huerta in November.
Herring had been expected to face Carl Frampton in Ireland this summer but that fight was called off because of the pandemic. He said it was important for him to fight as soon as possible.
“You can spar and do whatever workouts at home all you want, but if you’re not getting hit with those 8-ounce gloves without head gear, it’s a huge difference,” Herring told ESPN recently. “Which is why I decided with Top Rank to go out there and stay busy. I could’ve stayed home, as well, and waited for Carl Frampton, but the fact is, we don’t know how long this pandemic is going to last.
“If I have the opportunity to go out and knock the ring rust off myself, why not use the time to do that?”
