Carl Frampton’s bid to become a three-weight world champion will have to wait a little longer, there’s a huge heavyweight showdown on the horizon and Josh Warrington will be making a swift return to the ring following his first professional defeat. Here are five boxing stories you might have missed this week...
Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring Postponed, Moved To Dubai
Carl Frampton’s clash with WBO super-featherweight champion Jamel Herring has been postponed after the Northern Irishman sustained a hand injury in the run-up to their bout, originally scheduled for February 27 at the Copper Box Arena.
It is now expected that they will meet in Dubai on March 27. The two had been set to meet after Frampton’s victory over Tyler McReary in November 2019, but that was cancelled when the 33-year-old required surgery on both hands. This time the Jackal says the injury isn’t as serious, but he’s still taking precaution.
"It is just a twinge to my hand, nothing too serious but I have seen a specialist and his advice was to rest it," Frampton said in a statement.
"(The delay) gives me a better chance because I will be going into the fight with two good hands after taking advice from the specialist. It is nothing major though and there is no fracture."
Josh Warrington’s Rematch With Mauricio Lara Set For Summer
Josh Warrington wants a rematch with Mauricio Lara next according to his promoter, Eddie Hearn. The 30-year-old was handed a shock defeat against Mexico’s Lara in London on Saturday night but Hearn believes that Warrington will look to rectify his first professional loss this summer, likely in front of his hometown crowd in Leeds.
Hearn stated on Wednesday, “It’s very dangerous, but that’s the fire in him. All the talk at the moment from Josh is he wants to fight Lara again.
“Super risky, but summertime I believe you’ll see Warrington vs Lara II. That one [will be in Leeds], we’ll do it with a crowd this time.”
Canelo Vs Billy Joe Saunders Could Be Officially Announced In The Ring
Eddie Hearn has claimed that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs Billy Joe Saunders could officially be announced in the aftermath of Canelo’s fight with Avni Yildirim in Florida next weekend (February 27), with both men face-to-face in the ring should the Mexican superstar come through unscathed.
Canelo last fought in December, dethroning Callum Smith to win the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine super-middleweight belts whilst Billy Joe Saunders, who has an unblemished record, also fought that month, beating Martin Murray to defend his WBO belt.
WBO Order Oleksandr Usyk vs Joe Joyce
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury’s mammoth heavyweight unification clash has one less obstacle in the way, with confirmation that the WBO have ordered Joshua’s mandatory, Olekandr Usyk, to fight Joe Joyce.
It was thought that Usyk might represent a wrench in the works for Joshua vs Fury but with confirmation he’ll fight Britain’s Joyce next, the road to biggest boxing match in history looks to be all clear.
Devin Haney And Jorge Linares In Talks For April Showdown
Devin Haney is one of the hottest properties in a lightweight division packed with talent but the 22-year-old has struggled to tempt the other superstars in the division, including Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis, to get in the ring with him.
Now it looks like a fight with multiple weight world champion Jorge Linares is in the works for April 17. Linares, 36, might be on the wrong side of his prime now but he represents a bonafide challenge for Haney, who despite being unbeaten, is still an unproven commodity and needs a chance to prove himself against the very best. Linares is just what the doctor ordered.
