MTK Global’s signing of WBO super featherweight champion Jamel Herring to an advisory deal has opened up the possibility of some incredible match-ups with fellow MTK Global stars. Herring's move will see MTK Global work with Herring’s talented team, including manager Brian McIntyre, marketing director Jerry Casarez, and public relations rep Julie Goldsticker. The 34 year-old Herring said: “I’m very excited about this next step in my career. I know that by adding MTK Global as an advisor along with Brian McIntyre as my manager, I have the strongest team in the game. A special shout out to my guy Jerry Casarez and Jamie Conlan of MTK for helping push this over the line. The best is yet to come from Jamel Herring and with MTK Global on my team I know I’m going to get the right opportunities.”
The 130-pound division is stacked with huge names, many on MTK Global’s roster, leading to the hope of some potential future showdowns with multi-national implications. Here’s the MTK roster at super featherweight:
JAMEL HERRING: From America, Herring (22-2, 10 KOs) has had a memorable career inside and outside the ring, culminating with him winning the WBO title in May 2019. He has since defended it on two occasions, with the most recent of those coming earlier this month when he defeated Jonathan Oquendo at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. During his career, he has also competed at the 2012 Olympics in London, and was a proud-serving US Marine Sergeant, serving two tours in Iraq.
CARL FRAMPTON: Belfast hero Frampton (28-2, 16 KOs) has won titles at both super bantamweight and featherweight. He defeated Kiko Martinez in September 2014 to become IBF super bantamweight champion, before then overcoming Scott Quigg in February 2016 to add the WBA regular title to his collection. "The Jackal" then stepped up in weight, beating Leo Santa Cruz in amazing fashion to win the world featherweight title in July 2016, with thousands of his passionate fans making the trip across the pond to watch the fight in New York. Frampton is now aiming to become Ireland’s first ever three-weight world champion, and after moving up to super featherweight, a clash with Herring appears to be on the cards.
JOJO DIAZ: IBF super-featherweight champion Diaz (31-1, 15 KOs) made history last month by becoming the first-ever American world champion to sign with MTK Global, and it’s been a superb run for the 27-year-old. Following a strong run at featherweight which saw him beat WBA champion Jesus Rojas in a non-title bout in August 2018, he moved up to 130 last year and defeated Tevin Farmer in a fantastic bout back in January, becoming IBF champion.
JONO CARROLL: Dublin star Carroll (18-2-1, 4 KOs) has a fan-friendly style and unique personality making him one of the most-well known fighters throughout Ireland and the UK. He dropped a challenge to Tevin Farmer for the IBF world title in March 2019, but put in a dominant performance to stop Scott Quigg at the Manchester Arena earlier this year. A close-fought battle with Maxi Hughes resulted in a loss at lightweight last month, but Carroll is set to return to super featherweight in the near future.
ARCHIE SHARP: Unbeaten Sharp (19-0, 9 KOs) is 25 years old and gained notoriety in October 2018 with a win over Lyon Woodstock, fllowing that with wins over Jordan McCorry, Declan Geraghty and Artjoms Ramlavs.
LIAM WALSH: After returning from a two-year hiatus in 2019, Walsh (23-1, 15 KOs) has slotted straight back in as one of the best fighters throughout Britain. He has campaigned at lightweight since his return, winning the WBO European title last November, but remains a keen observer of the 130-pound division, following his IBF super-featherweight title loss to Gervonta Davis in May 2017. Walsh has option of fights at both lightweight and super-featherweight, there are plenty of opportunities available.
SULTAN ZAURBEK: The dark horse of the super featherweight division could well be Kazakhstan's Zaurbek (9-0, 7 KOs). The 24 year-old stopped Leshan Li in Almaty last December, and is set to return to the ring in the near future.
