Carl Frampton and Jamel Herring have an agreement to fight but they don’t have a date or a place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jamel Herring and Carl Frampton have an agreement. But they don’t have a date or a place.
Welcome to a new way of doing business. Tentative is the operative word for as long as the coronavirus pandemic forces the world into quarantine.
Frank Warren, of Queensberry Promotions, announced the deal Wednesday on his Twitter account, saying: Terms are agreed. … News on date and venue coming soon.’’
But the date and place are subject to when the contagious virus subsides. There are no reliable odds on that. Just fears that it will continue.
Warren is hoping to stage the bout on June 13 in Belfast, Ireland, Frampton’s hometown.
Herring-Frampton, for Herring’s junior lightweight belt, has been speculated for months. At first, there were questions about whether it would ever happen because of injuries to Frampton (27-2, 15 KOs), a former junior featherweight and featherweight champion who underwent surgery for fractures in both hands after his decision unanimous over Tyler McCreary on Nov. 30 in Las Vegas.
Herring (21-2, 10 KOs), a Marine and Iraq war veteran, is coming off a unanimous decision over Lamont Roach in his first title defense on Nov. 9 in Fresno, California.
Carl Frampton said reports that he’ll have to delay a planned fight against Jamel Herring in May are wrong.
Carl Frampton dismissed speculation that recovery from hand surgery will force a postponement of his planned fight in May against junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Frampton’s hometown.
Frampton underwent surgery during the week before Christmas for fractures he sustained in both hands in a unanimous decision over Tyler McCreary on Nov. 30 in Las Vegas.
“Everything is going where it needs to be and I’m looking forward to getting back to training,’’ Frampton (27-2, 15 KOs) told MTK Global, an international agency that represents about 100 fighters. “I’m itching to get back in there.”
A story in the Irish Times reported that the fight would be delayed until June or July because Frampton would not be ready. The newspaper quoted Herring as saying he didn’t foresee “a fight happening in Belfast any time soon.”
The newspaper speculated that Herring (21-2, 10 KOs) would take a possible interim fight on March 15 in New York.
“Someone showed me an article that said sources had told them the hands won’t be ready for May,’’ Frampton said. “I don’t know where these sources are coming from, but they’ve got it wrong.
“I’ve had both hands operated on, and they’re sore, but the surgeon was happy with how the operations went. He said I’ve got plenty of time. He said I could be punching within six weeks after the surgery.
“Even if I waited 10 weeks to start punching, it would still be plenty of time to get ready for May. I have another appointment with the specialist at the end of the month, and we’ll know more after that, but the pain is easing every day, and I’ve got more movement in both hands every day.’’
At least two clubs have distanced themselves from Prince Andrew in the wake of his reputed involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Royal Portrush Golf Club, site of this year’s British Open in July, is considering seeking a new patron after Prince Andrew stepped back from public life and his royal duties in the wake of his reputed involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex-abuse scandal.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Royal Portrush plans to discuss the Duke of York’s involvement at the club in Northern Ireland at its next meeting. His patron role at Royal Portrush was largely as a publicity figurehead.
“The allegations surrounding Prince Andrew, and especially the trauma and distress suffered by the victims of Jeffrey Epstein is a matter of deep regret,” the club said in a statement obtained by the Daily Telegraph. “Royal Portrush will continue to monitor the ongoing investigative process. There are no scheduled plans for him to return to the club.
“The council of Royal Portrush is acutely aware of the widespread public concern about these allegations, and Prince Andrew’s decision to step away from public duties will be discussed at our next meeting.”
Prince Andrew, Duke of York (center) watches the third round of the British Open at Royal Portrush on July 20, 2019. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Prince Andrew also has ties to Royal Liverpool Golf Club, host site for the 2022 British Open. The Daily Telegraph also reported that club will “not call upon” Andrew’s services during his exile.
Andrew is also a member of the R&A, the ruling body for golf in much of the world and the organization that puts on the British Open. The R&A would confirm only that he was a member to the Daily Telegraph. Andrew was captain of that club in 2003 during its 250th anniversary.
USA TODAY reported that Virginia Roberts Giuffre has repeatedly said she was groomed by Epstein and his associates to sexually service Epstein’s powerful friends, including Prince Andrew, when she was a teen. Andrew has denied the accusation, but he announced Wednesday that he was halting his public duties because “my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work.”
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission,” Queen Elizabeth II’s second son said in a statement released Wednesday by Buckingham Palace.
USA TODAY also reported that Andrew’s resignation comes on the heels of a recent controversial interview with the BBC in which he said he doesn’t remember meeting Giuffre, despite a picture of the two, he with his arm around her waist, that has been floating around the internet since at least 2011.
“Our clients welcome Prince Andrew’s decision to withdraw from public life as a member of England’s royal family,” read a statement to USA TODAY from Sigrid McCawley and the law firm Boies Schiller, which is representing Giuffre and other women. “It is a positive first step towards taking responsibility for his actions.”
USA TODAY also reported that as Andrew’s connection to Epstein made headlines in recent months, corporate sponsors started to pull their support and distance themselves from the prince’s Pitch@Palace networking initiative, which connects entrepreneurs with various business leaders. Companies that have ditched Andrew include Cisco Systems, KPMG and AstraZeneca.
