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Jamel Herring has secured his legacy win.
A fight deemed as a virtual pick-‘em heading into the night turned into a showcase performance by Herring, who scored a 6th round knockout of Belfast’s Carl Frampton to defend his WBO junior lightweight title Saturday at Caesars Palace Bluewaters in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Herring scored knockdowns in rounds five and six, the latter followed by an onslaught which left Frampton out on his feet in forcing his corner to throw in the towel. The officlal time was 1:40 of round six.
Jamel Herring (22-2, 10KOs) attempted third title defense versus former two-division champion Carl Frampton (28-2, 16KOs).
Herring put his massive five-inch height and seven-inch reach advantage to good use. The Long Island-bred southpaw extended his long right jab in the opening round, keeping Frampton on the outside and connecting with a straight left to briefly wobble the Belfast native. Frampton enjoyed brief success when bullying his way inside, though often leading to awkward exchanges between the two.
Action picked up in round two, with Herring equipped for the firefight pace Frampton sought to enforce. Herring landed a flush counter right hook, catching the attention of Frampton who took the shot well but failed to offer a response. The final 30 seconds saw the defending titlist land in combination, both along the ropes and in center ring.
Herring remained in control in round three, though Frampton was able to close the gap by round’s end. The former two-division titlist landed with a right hand in the final seconds of the frame, though Herring’s jab and straight left continued to be a problem.
Frampton pawed with the jab to begin round four, while Herring was forced to fight through a cut over his right eye. Frampton pushed his way inside, connecting with a right hand downstairs before bringing the attack up top. Herring did his best to remain poised, though his right eye was covered in blood—reminiscent of his previous title defense where he suffered a cut over the same eye in an 8th round disqualification win over Jonathan Oquendo last September.
An inside fight broke out in round five, working to Frampton’s advantage—until it didn’t. Frampton bounced a right hand off of Herring’s forehead and looked to press the action. It cost him dearly on the scorecards, as Herring scored the bout’s first knockdown courtesy of a straight left hand as Frampton walked in with his guard down.
Herring was far from done.
Frampton fell straight back from a wicked right uppercut early in round six, signaling the beginning of the end. Frampton barely beat the count but was clearly out on his feet as action continued. Herring continued on the attack, battering Frampton until his corner—led by Jamie Moore—called for the end.
Frampton—a former junior featherweight and featherweight titlist—falls to 28-3 (16KOs).
“I said before the fight that I’d retire if I lost,” a teary-eyed Frampton stated afterward. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Boxing has been good to me and also bad to me in recent years.”
Herring makes the third defense of his title, improving to 23-2 (11KOs). The win extends his title reign dating back to a 12-round unanimous decision win over Japan’s Masayuki Ito in May 2019.
The bout aired live on ESPN+.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox