Carl Frampton has the chance to become Ireland’s first three-weight world champion in history when he takes on Jamel Herring in Dubai on Saturday night.
Frampton, who has not fought for a world title since losing his against Josh Warrington back in 2018, has had to be patient, with the bout initially postponed following the outbreak of coronavirus, before the rescheduled date of February 27 was pushed back once more as the Irishman injured his hand in training.
The 34-year-old has already captured world titles at both super-bantamweight and featherweight in what has been a long and distinguished career, but he now has the chance to add the WBO super-featherweight strap to the collection.
Standing in his way is 35-year-old American Herring, who won the belt with a surprise win over Masayuki Ito in 2019, since defending it against both Lamont Roach Jr and Jonathan Oquendo.
Their is no clear favourite in what promises to be an intriguing match-up, and with the bout now fast approaching, Sportsmail takes you through the all-important details.
Carl Frampton’s last world title fight came against British rival Josh Warrington in 2018
When is Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring?
The eagerly anticipated world title fight between Carl Frampton and Jamel Herring is set to take place on Saturday, April 3.
The pair will go head-to-head at the Caesars Palace Bluewaters in Dubai, with the main event scheduled to start at around 10pm BST.
Of course, that is just an estimate at this moment, with a number of bouts on the undercard to be completed first.
How to watch Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring?
Fight fans in the United Kingdom will be delighted to hear that Carl Frampton’s world title shot will be shown live on free-to-air television.
Yes, it will be broadcast live on Channel 5, with programming starting at 10pm.
Those with a valid TV license can also stream the event live on the My5 app.
Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring: The records
Carl Frampton
Age: 34
Nationality: Irish
Height: 5ft 5′
Reach: 65′
Record: 28W, 2L
Knockouts: 16
Stance: Orthodox
Jamel Herring
Age: 35
Nationality: American
Height: 5ft 10′
Reach: 72′
Record: 22W, 2L
Knockouts: 10
Stance: Southpaw
Who is Jamel Herring
Jamel Herring won his WBO featherweight world title with victory over Masayuki Ito in 2019
There will be many who are perhaps less familiar with Jamel Herring and his route to becoming a world champion, but his story is both heartbreaking and remarkable.
Herring is a former US Marine, who still suffers with PTSD after losing a number of his comrades when completing two tours of Iraq, as he told Sun Sport.
Additionally, the American lost his daughter to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome when she was just two months old back in 2009.
Just three years later, Herring captained his USA side to the London Olympic Games, and in 2019, he became a world champion.
Herring has since defended his title twice, and Frampton acknowledges that it will be a difficult battle on Saturday, both physically and emotionally.
‘It is very sad what has happened to Jamel and his family,’ he told Sun Sport.
‘As a father with a young family, I cannot think of anything worse than losing a child.
‘I have the deepest sympathy for Jamel and his wife, I would not wish that on my absolute worst enemy.
‘They have come through a lot but, as harsh as it sounds, I cannot think about that on the night. I have to think about the fight and winning it.
‘I have the utmost respect and sympathy for Jamel and his family, I always have but this is a fight and I have to do everything I can to win it.’
Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring undercard in full
- Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring
- Tursynbay Kulakhmet vs Heber Rondon
- Donnie Nietes vs Pablo Carrillo
- Zhankosh Turarov vs Tyrone McKenna
- Faizan Anwar vs Evgenii Vazem
- Keyshawn Davis vs Richman Ashelley
- Fahad Al Bloushi vs Suraj
Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring: The odds
Despite Herring coming in as the champion, it’s Frampton who is the marginal favourite to prevail among the bookies.
And by marginal, I really mean marginal. Frampton is at 10/11 to secure his third world title, while Herring is the slight underdog at 5/6.
A draw is also a possibility, though the bookies clearly think it’s unlikely, with odds of 16/1.
*Odds as per Betfair and correct at the time of publication.
What next for Carl Frampton?
At the age of 34, it’s fair to say Frampton is now firmly in the twilight years of his career.
And that has reflected in both what he and his US promoter Bob Arum have said in the build-up to the fight.
As reported by talkSPORT, Frampton has revealed that should he lose on Saturday, he will hang up his gloves for good, with defeat leaving him staring at a long route back to another world title shot.
Frampton has assured that losing is not an option, however, and insisted he will do everything in his power to secure the win.
And should he seal the victory, Arum has already pointed in the direction of a mandatory defence against 23-year-old American Shakur Stevenson.
It’s fair to say, it’s all on the line for Frampton.