Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring – Who wins?
Northern Ireland's Carl Frampton's (28-2, 16KOs) attempts to make history against WBO World super-featherweight champion Jamel Herring (22-2, 10KOs), by winning a world title in a third weight division.
The show is titled 'Legacy', which is exacly what the Belfast hero is aiming to achieve for himself here on the 58th day of the year.
BBN's trusted panel of experts give their opinions on who wins and why:
Kieran Gething
Welsh Area super-lightweight champion
"I’d love Frampton to be the man, come back and win this huge fight.
Herring is very good, hungry, and young so it’ll be an awesome watch either way.
I’d go for the experience of Frampton to pull through."
Arijan Goricki
Unbeaten super-featherweight
"My opinion is that Herring will win by split decision. Frampton will be a lot smaller then Herring and I don't think that he will have same power, as he had in the lower weight classes to stop the fight. But the fight will be close and very entertaining, possibly ending in a controversial decision."
Chris Glover
Unbeaten professional boxer
"It’s a great fight. It comes down to who has the most left in the tank to be honest. Prime Frampton walks through a Prime Herring. This one really comes down to who made the weight right and who turns up on the night. I’m backing Frampton on points via a very close decision."
Dee the Hat
Boxing Trainer
"I’m backing Carl to do the business. I think he really wants this and knows it’s a massive opportunity to end his career on his own terms. He’s always been a phenomenal fighter when he’s on it! And I’m pretty sure he will be on it. Carl frampton wins this by emphatic knockout."
Tim Rickson
BBN Editor
"I know this pair were meant to meet last year, but were forced to take different fights instead, which both won but didn't do much for them.
I personally found Jonathan Oquendo to be quite a big disappointment. He was very crude and one-dimensional. He just kept coming forward in straight lines and lunged in predictably, eventually resorting to headbutts.
For Frampton, Darren Traynor was also not a good choice in opponent. A three-weight Scottish Area champion against a two-weight world champion? It was never going to match up correctly.
Neither opponent provided the most practical preparation for this next fight, but they each got a similar amount of rounds in the bag, meaning the come into this contest evenly.
Everyone in the UK is going to be so desperate for Frampton to win and secure his legacy. We all saw Frampton get his tactics wrong in The Josh Warrington fight and he definitely isn't the same fighter that won Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year in 2016.
It could come down to who gets their tactics right on the night.
I hope and pray for Frampton to win this fight. It's going to be one of those fights where you really, really want your fighter to win, like Fury vs Wilder, for a recent example. If he does, then I think it'll probably a very close points decision."
Jack Bradley
BBN Writer
"I cannot claim to have seen lots of Jamel Herring, though from what I have, I think a prime Carl Frampton would have got the better of him over the distance. It's safe to say that, with all due respect, Frampton is no longer at his peak and his last two performances have been against a level of opponent that won't have prepared him particularly well for a fighter at Herring's level – though the same can be said for Herring's latest opposition.
Despite being older, I think Herring may be coming into this the fresher man too, with Frampton in his 12th year as a professional and having been in significantly more tough fights at the elite level. This does lead me to believe that we're looking at a tricky fight for Frampton, particularly with Herring's size advantage and the fact that he's a rather busy southpaw.
Whatever result, I think this one is going the distance and I don't think it will be pretty either. The onus is on Frampton to force a rhythm that unsettles Herring, and allows him to close the gap and cut him down to size on the inside. This is a chance at history for Frampton, who I'd personally love to see become a three-weight world champion. If Frampton still has plenty in the tank, then I think he has it in him to take a close decision victory in this one, but I can see it being a somewhat polarising decision on the scorecards."
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