Both Mike Coppinger and ESPN report that, as expected, Jamel Herring will defend his WBO super featherweight title against Jonathan Oquendo in a July 2nd ESPN main event. If made official, which depends on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s upcoming meeting, the fight will be boxing’s first post-quarantine championship bout.
Herring (21-2, 10 KO), who’d seemingly fizzled after rough losses to Denis Shafikov and Ladarius Miller, breathed new life into his career with a move down to 130 pounds. He upset Japan’s Masayuki Ito for the belt last May, then successfully defended it against Lamont Roach Jr. six months later.
He was expected to face Carl Frampton in hostile territory, but, well, you know the rest.
Oquendo (31-6, 19 KO), the WBO #11 contender, rebounded from a narrow loss to Roach wit ha decision over Charles Huerta last November. Save for a 2007 DQ, all of his losses have come against noteworthy figures, including Juanma Lopez, Abner Mares, and Jesus Cuellar.
While Oquendo is the best feasible option thanks to travel restrictions, this still looks like a rough matchup as Herring will have six inches of height and three inches of reach on him. Still, Oquendo’s game and “Semper Fi” has yet to score a signature victory, so there’s still some intrigue. CC:Badlefthook
