- Northern Irishman stopped in sixth round in Dubai
- Super-featherweight title bout proves Frampton’s last
Jamel Herring ended Carl Frampton’s boxing career on Saturday night when, in a victory as clinical as it was brutal, he stopped the 34-year-old challenger from Belfast in the sixth round to retain his WBO super-featherweight world title. Frampton had hoped to make history in the unlikely setting of a desert resort in Dubai by becoming the first fighter from the island of Ireland to win a world title at three different weights. His dreams were ruined by the former US Marine who dominated the contest in a brilliant display.
Herring suffered a cut above his right eye in the fourth round but, despite blood pouring from the gash, he never looked in serious trouble – unlike Frampton who was outboxed and hurt long before the end. A minute into the sixth round Herring forced him to pause again with sharply accurate punches. Frampton tried to pressure the American but, with his back to the ropes, Herring landed the punch which in effect ended the contest with a withering left uppercut. The impact was so shocking that Frampton seemed to collapse in slow motion, like a building that had been detonated from the inside. It was a distressing sight as he hit the canvas hard.
