Jamel Herring vs. Carl Frampton now targeted for “late summer” or “early autumn”

Jame Herring and Carl Frampton are still set to go at it for Herring’s WBO super featherweight title, but it won’t be happening in June. Frank Warren tells the Evening Standard that they’re now planning to stage the Belfast tussle in late 2020.

“We were looking for June but that is not going to happen,” Warren told Standard Sport. “We will look to get it on for late summer or the early autumn now.”

Warren also says that Josh Taylor’s mandatory defense against Apinun Khongsong, originally slated for May 2nd, “will probably be around the same time as well.” It might be a slightly longer wait for Daniel Dubois vs. Joe Joyce, however, as Warren insists that it not be held behind closed doors.

“That doesn’t fit the criteria for that fight,” Warren said of Dubois vs Joyce being held in an empty arena. “It was nigh-on sold out. You can imagine what the atmosphere would be like. That fight needs to feed off the fans on the night.”

It’s hard not to feel for Frampton (27-2, 15 KO), whose recent career has seen one misfortune after another. A freak accident cost him an August fight against Emmanuel Dominguez, and though he handily defeated Tyler McCreary in his delayed Top Rank debut, he fractured both of his hands in the process.

Herring (21-2, 10 KO), meanwhile, had a breakout 2019 that saw him upset Masayuki Ito for the title and survive a late surge to beat Lamont Roach Jr. in his first defense.