Jamel Herring vs Carl Frampton for the WBO super-featherweight title goes down in Dubai Saturday, and it’s just about a pick em fight when you look at the odds.
‘The Jackal’ is a somewhat surprising favorite by the width of a cigarette paper as he bids to make history by becoming Ireland’s first ever three-weight world champion.
The 34-year-old from Belfast gives up big physical advantages to the 35-year-old Herring – who is unusually long for a super-featherweight.
But Frampton is one of the greatest fighters to ever emerge from his nation, and oddsmakers clearly expect him to give a good account Saturday night.
Herring vs Frampton pick
Like we said, the odds for this one are super-tight – Frampton is just trading as favorite at best odds of -111 (bet $111 to win $100) with BetAmerica and Resorts.
Herring is available at best odds of +100 with a number of sportsbooks, and we expect the fight to match expectations.
While Frampton may be the favorite, Herring presents a tough challenge, both in terms of size and ability. The current odds represent quite the turnaround – when sportsbooks opened up for business Herring had been favorite at around -225.
This means bettors have a golden opportunity to bet Jamel at odds way bigger than anybody expected. And we are definitely siding with the former U.S. Marine. As well as being a southpaw he has those crazy height and reach advantages. A tough package for Frampton to contend with.
In essence we’ve always believed a good big man beats a good little man. So it’s time to bet Herring.
Carl though has yet to be stopped as a pro and we don’t expect that proud record to go Saturday night. Instead we prefer Herring to win by decision or technical decision – you can bet that with odds of +175 (bet $100 to win $175) at William Hill and bet365.
What time does the fight start?
The fight, which goes down at Caesars Bluewaters in Dubai, is expected to start at around 1700 ET (1400 PT).
How can I watch the fight on TV?
Herring vs Frampton will be streamed by ESPN+ in the U.S. with a subscription retailing for either $5.99 per month or $59.99 for an annual deal.
Jamel Herring record
The 35-year-old Herring has a pro resume of 22-2 – a total of 24 fights with 22 wins and two defeats. Ten of those victories have come inside distance.
‘Semper Fi’ is extremely tall for a super-featherweight, standing 5ft 10ins (1.78m) and he has a reach of 72ins (1.83m).
Herring looked destined for big things when he reeled off his first 15 bouts in the paid ranks, but things came close to going completely off the rails in 2016 and 2017. He lost twice in that period, both inside distance, to Denis Shafikov and Ladarius Miller.
Things could have gone either way for Jamel at this stage, but he came through the most testing period of his career and is undefeated since. He claimed the WBO super-featherweight title in 2019 by decisioning Masayuki Ito and has defended the belt twice.
Carl Frampton record
As already stated, Frampton will make history if he lands the upset Saturday night. ‘The Jackal’ will already go down as one of the greatest fighters in Irish boxing folklore.
Frampton’s professional record stands right now at 28-2 – a total of 30 fights with 28 victories and two defeats. Some 16 of those wins have come inside distance.
The 34-year-old from Belfast gives up significant height and reach advantages to Herring. He stands 5ft 5ins tall (1.65m) with a reach of 65ins (1.65m).
‘The Jackal’ has already claimed world titles at super-bantamweight and featherweight, and his record includes a string of top names between 122 and 130lbs.
Frampton’s only two defeats have come at the very highest level. First he lost a close decision against Leo Santa Cruz in their 2017 rematch, and then dropped a unanimous decision to Britain’s Josh Warrington at featherweight in 2018.
Since that Warrington defeat, Carl has returned with wins over Tyler McCreary and Darren Traynor. But Herring represents a far greater challenge. We’ll find out if he still has what it takes Saturday night.