Who’s next to face Jamel Herring?
The WBO champion at 130 Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring is looking for a fight in the ring and the million dollar question for it is: whose next for Herring after his mandatory defense victory over challenger Lamont Roach?
If you are looking at WBC champion Miguel Berchelt, it doesn’t sound like it’s going to be him anytime soon. Herring gave the latest on that deal in an interview with Jake Donovan of Boxingscene.com.
“I don’t get it, Miguel Berchelt was ringside and thought for sure he was going to face (then-defending titlist) Masayuki Ito next,” Herring (21-2, 10KOs) told BoxingScene.com in an interview. The moment my hand was raised, all of a sudden he’s not interested in unifying the title anymore.”
Went to war overseas, lost a child, suffered from PTSD, clinical depression, and a parent of autistic children. A opponent across the ring is the least of my worries. Boxing is therapeutic.
— Jamel Herring (@JamelHerring) June 27, 2019
I was ringside in attendance when Herring looked at Berchelt in Kissimmee, FL, talking to Crystina Poncher of Top Rank mentioning that Memorial Day Weekend. In the upcoming months from that victory, the Berchelt-Herring bout went from a lock, to all of sudden over the summer being a “dream sequence” everyone woke up from.
“Oscar Valdez vacated his featherweight title, and was first in line for my title. He passed,” said Herring to BoxingScene. “Miguel Berchelt went from saying he wants to unify to suddenly forgetting how to pronounce my name.
Herring who is fresh off his victory over Lamont Roach this past Veteran’s Day weekend by unambitious decision still isn’t without his lack of competition at the top to face him next. While Valdez and Berchelt seem to be on a course to face off against each other, Herring noted to BoxingScene that he one person on Top Rank who will face him is Carl Frampton.
“The only guy who wants to fight everyone is Carl Frampton. So, who knows. If he gets past my boy Tyler McCreary (16-0-1, 7KOs)—shout to Toledo, Ohio—then I’d love to face him next St. Patrick’s Day, head back home to New York and give our fans a big fight to remember,” Herring said.
Herring-Frampton would be a fun one next St. Patty’s Day if it comes to fruition. It’s important to note that Frampton himself is looking to regain a title and didn’t want to be stuck in “tune-up” fights since signing with Top Rank. He has mentioned as much on his TKO with Carl Frampton Podcast if you haven’t had a chance to hear it.
Another one that could be in the works would be a unification bout with current WBA “Super” Champion Andrew Cancio. Much like the buildup for Roach-Herring, there have been a lot of gentlemen gestures and hints on social media between both back and forth. With the mandatory out of the way for Herring, I’d be shocked if it is anyone not mentioned in this piece for him to challenge in 2020.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
