Video | Carl Frampton Wins, Edges Closer To Jamel Herring Clash
Former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton (28-2, 16 KO) made a triumphant return to the ring today following a near, nine-month layoff.
Inside York Hall, in Bethnal Green, London, Frampton faced off against Scotland’s Darren Traynor (16-4, 7 KO), with the Scot taking the fight on short notice after Frampton’s original opponent Vahram Vardanyan, was unable to secure a visa.
Frampton needed a few rounds to establish his rhythm but never looked in any danger of losing the lightweight contest. The Northern Irishman connected with a wicked left hook to the body in the sixth, which dropped Traynor before unleashing another body shot in the seventh that forced Traynor to admit defeat and wave the fight off.
“I’m happy to get the win, obviously. Far from my best, but I suppose people talk about rounds. I don’t think it’s going to harm me doing the rounds. If I had the chance to take him out in the first round, I would’ve done that,” Frampton said, following the fight.
Now that he has this fight out of the way, Frampton has his sights set on Jamel Herring’s WBO Super Featherweight Championship. The pair were set to clash earlier this year until the outbreak of Covid-19 saw that bout fall through. Herring’s next outing will take place on Sat. September 5 against Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo. If Herring gets the job done, then the coast will be clear for a Frampton-Herring bout.
Frampton is aware that he will need to start a lot faster against Herring if he wants to have a chance at becoming a three-time world champion.
“It [Traynor] was a better opponent for Herring than the original opponent because I think he was about my height, maybe even a little bit shorter. Darren isn’t a southpaw, but the dimensions are similar. I know I need to be a lot better for Herring. It’s good to get the rounds done. My hands are fine. No issues there. Onward and upward,” Frampton said today.
Herring may not have been able to attend the fight in person, but he paid close attention to the action from his home and went online following the contest to send a message to Frampton.
” I want to say congrats to Carl Frampton and his team; they did what they had to do. I respect Carl’s honesty like he said in the post-fight interview, it wasn’t his best performance, and I am saying that as a fan because I have always respected Carl Frampton throughout his career,” Herring said
“When it’s time for us to face each other. I am definitely going to bring my best, without a doubt, it will be the biggest fight of my career. But first and foremost, I have to also take care of business between myself and Jonathan Oquendom September 5, but when the time comes, this will be one of the best fights in the division in 2020.”
Fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that they will see these two sharing the ring before the year is out.
Who do you think wins out of Frampton and Herring?
