Carl Frampton will challenge Jamel Herring for the WBO junior lightweight title on Feb. 27 in London. The fight was reported by The Athletic on Tuesday morning before MTK Global, who represents Frampton, confirmed the news later in the day.
Frampton (28-2, 16 KOs), a former world titleholder at both super bantamweight and featherweight, will attempt to become his native Northern Ireland's first-ever three-weight champ against New York's Herring (22-2, 10 KOs) in a fight the two have been attempting to put together for some time.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented it from happening last June with Frampton instead halting Darren Traynor in seven rounds at the BT Sport Studio in August. The TV network's HQ could also end up serving as the destination for this title bout, following the British Boxing Board of Control confirming this week that fight cards will be back in February.
Had the two been able to do battle last summer, Belfast was set to be the location. Frampton will have to wait a little longer before he can fight in front of a home crowd again, having last done so in 2018 in stopping Australia's Luke Jackson.
“I’m delighted to finally get a date nailed down for this fight that has now been talked about for over a year," Frampton said in a press release. “I have the upmost respect for Jamel as a fighter and as a man but there is nobody stopping me on becoming the island of Irelands only ever 3 weight world champ, one of Britain’s only ever 3 weight world champions and potentially have one foot in the hall of fame.”
Meanwhile, Herring has also had one pandemic outing, going eight rounds with Puerto Rico's Jonathan Oquendo before winning via disqualification due to Oquendo's frequent use of the head.
“I’m really excited that the fight is finally happening, more importantly it’ll be an honor to share the ring with a true warrior, and class act such as Carl Frampton," Herring said. "It may be the biggest fight of my career to date, but I’ll be more than ready for the task ahead.
“There’s a lot on the line, and I know he’s aiming to make history, but he’ll have to wait another day, because I plan on returning home with my title in hand. I’ve been training very hard for this fight, and went back to what got me to my world title from sparring the likes of Terence Crawford and other top talent across the nation. I can’t wait to put on a great show!”