Carl Frampton vs Jamel Herring Boxing Picks, Odds, Predictions 4/3/21

Jamel Herring and Carl Frampton fight Saturday for the WBO junior lightweight title at The Rotunda Caesars Palace Bluewaters.

Jamel Herring enters this fight with a 22-2 record that includes 10 knockouts. Herring has won each of his last six fights, and he’s coming off a September win over Jonathan Oquendo. Herring is coming off a comfortable victory in his last bout where he dropped his opponent in the third round and then eventually won by DQ due to intentional headbutts. Herring hasn’t lost in nearly four years and he’ll be defending his belt for a fourth straight fight. Herring is a 35-year-old southpaw who stands at 5’10” and has a 72-inch reach. Herring is a shifty boxer who slips punches well and does some of his best work on counters. Herring works the body well and does a good job of getting in and out. Herring doesn’t have terrific quickness or power, but he puts together combinations when he throws shots and usually lands at a solid percentage. As he continues to get up there in age, Herring is going to rely on his defense more and more as he picks his spots to win on the scorecards. Herring hasn’t had a knockout victory since Juan Pablo Sanchez, which was three years ago. This will be Herring’s first career fight in Dubai. 

Carl Frampton enters this fight with a 28-2 record that includes 16 knockouts. Frampton has won five of his last six fights, and he’s coming off an August win over Darren Traynor. Frampton is coming off a solid performance where he dropped his opponent in the sixth round and eventually finished him in the seventh. Frampton looks for a third straight victory and his first belt since winning the WBO interim featherweight title when beating Luke Jackson in 2018. Frampton is a 34-year-old who stands at 5’5”, has a 65-inch reach and an orthodox stance. Frampton is a great athletic boxer with fast hands and some serious pop, as he has one-punch knockout potential. Frampton likes to box on the inside where he can land powerful punches to the body and wear down his opponent. Frampton has just two knockouts in his last eight victories, but it’s certainly not due to a lack of effort, as he has a good work rate and lands some serious shots that eventually breakdown fighters over time. Frampton is one of the tougher UK fighters and has never been knocked out despite two career losses. This will be Frampton’s first career fight in Dubai. 

Frampton at this cheap price and given how he looks in terms of strength and conditioning heading into this bout, there’s value with this line. However, Frampton does some of his best work on the inside where he can let hooks go and work the body. The issue is Herring is the much bigger fighter with the much longer reach, and he likes to use that range. It’s going to be tough for Frampton to get comfortable and he’ll have to go through some shots to get the fight where he wants it. Herring should control the pace of this fight and likely win on the scorecards.

Herring keeps his belt in a competitive bout.