Herring latest to dispute Top Rank/Nevada Covid-19 tests

It is the latest twist with the Top Rank Boxing “bubble” in Las Vegas and the Nevada State Athletic Commission testing, as WBO Junior Lightweight Champion, Jamel Herring’s, Tuesday night title defense is now off again due to another Covid 19 positive test. However, the champ, like to others before him, is not happy with the testing system.

First, as we wrote earlier on Monday, Herring learned before the weigh-in prior to his Tuesday night defense against Jonathan Oquendo that he was still positive for Covid-19. This after having contracted the virus more than three weeks ago and postponing his title fight for late June.

Herring was apparently cleared and the title fight was rescheduled for Tuesday night, as the main event for Top Rank on ESPN.

According to Herring, he was giving two tests, one for Coronavirus antibodies, which he passed, but the second, for Covid-19 has came up positive, again. So, under the guidelines from the NSAC and Top Rank, that means Herring could not participate for at least another 14 days.

For his part, the champ went on social media to dispute the positive test:

These test are 30% faulty… Here’s clearly my timeline of when I contracted the virus, til the time I came back negative. I even woke up today on weight, ready to go, and even took an antibody test this morning to prove I’m fine, but the commission didn’t want to risk it. https://t.co/7Mv3ex0jbo pic.twitter.com/pItpOwq0rA

— Jamel Herring (@JamelHerring) July 13, 2020

The champ, who was slated to make his second title defense, then made another point about having passed the commission’s “antibodies” test for the virus earlier on Monday:

I did everything possible ??‍♂️. They asked me to take the antibody test this morning, just for them to return and cancel the fight. ? pic.twitter.com/yazleTKG1C

— Jamel Herring (@JamelHerring) July 13, 2020

Herring is 21 – 2 and was in line to fight Ireland’s Carl Frampton in Belfast in June before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down all of sports back in March. He was last in the ring winning in November, when he scored a 12-round decision over Lamont Roach for his first title defense. The Former U.S. Marine had won the WBO title on Memorial Day of 2019 capturing the belt by 12 decision over Japan’s Masayuki Ito.

Further, if Herring’s disputing sounds familiar, it should. This after Mikaela Mayer, who will now ironically be the main event fighter Tuesday night, tested positive for Coronavirus in early June.

Mayer previously disputed with Top Rank and the NSAC that her postponed women’s non-title fight with Helen Joseph for June 13th should have gone on.

Mayer contended that she had been given a Covid 19 test prior to coming to Vegas the week before that was clean for being contagious for the virus before entering the Las Vegas “bubble.” However, the test being administered the NSAC turned out to be positive.

Still, Mayer went on to test negative just two days after not being allowed to fight.

Mayer and Joseph were scheduled to go ten rounds in the co-feature for Herring-Oquendo in the main event, but the ladies will now be the feature fight on ESPN.

Another controversy involving the Covid-19 testing for the Top Rank shows in the MGM Grand “bubble,” involved the trainer for Mikkel LesPierre having tested positive just days before his fighter was to face  Jose Pedraza last month. Jose Tavarez also tested negative a couple of days later, was eventually allowed to return to the LesPierre corner and the fight was put back on for July 2nd.

Pedraza won an easy 10-round decision in that Top Rank main event.

There is no word yet on if the promoter Bob Arum will attempt, for a third time, to schedule and have a Herring title defense in the near future. Or, if they will simply scrap this fight for the time being and have Herring come back “Covid clean” at a later time late summer or early fall?