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It may be a little unknown this weekend, but nonetheless, the top two fighters from the talented 130-pound division will compete with the WBO Junior Lightweight Championship in Atlanta on Saturday.
Jamel Herring (23-2, 11 KO), who just defeated two-tier champion Carl Frampton, welcomes a rising star and former lightweight champion Shakur Steven Sen (16-0, 8 KOs) in State Farm Arena (10:30 PM EST, ESPN).
Because of their entire boxing circle, the main storyline to enter the fight is to suspend (or disband, depending on your vantage point) the growing friendship between them.
Stevenson, 24, a silver medalist at the 2016 Olympics, has established close ties and mentor/trainee relationships with the undefeated welterweight champion Terence Crawford. The 35-year-old Herring has been trained by Crawford’s co-head coach Brian “Bo Mac” McIntyre in recent years, which means that the junior lightweight players have gathered in the same extended group of friends for a while. Time is up, although knowing that once Stevenson chooses this day it becomes possible to gain weight.
The two are not called big trash talkers, and both respect each other but are direct in the construction of the battle, including the giggling confrontation between them at the final press conference on Thursday. However, if you listen carefully enough, then considering the stakes, the underlying tension may boil.
“It’s definitely not personal, it’s all business in the final analysis,” Stevenson said. “I don’t care about him, he is not my friend. I don’t talk to Jamel Herring except boxing.”
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Herring, who served twice in Iraq as a member of the US Marine Corps, agreed.
“This has nothing to do with individuals, it’s just business,” Herring said. “We are building a battle, and this is all for me. I have heard of worse things, I have experienced worse things. We are just two top competitors in the department, trying to prove who is the best of.
“It feels like another high-level elite battle in a dynamic and talented department. For me, we only play one game at a time, putting all our personal feelings aside. We do What we must do.”
Although Stevenson has achieved brilliant success in 16 games of his career, he is still expected to become a two-level champion that requires breakthrough performance. If boxing has long been a relentless sport in which every boxer is only considered as good as their recent performance, then Stevenson decided to defeat the tough Jeremiah in June. Jeremiah Nakathila was criticized during the game.
Although Stevenson continued to score 120-107 in the lockout performance when he was knocked down in the 4th round, the performance was not inspiring or exciting. However, when asked if he needs to eliminate the herring to win back the praise of critics, the proud Newark, New Jersey native disagreed.
“Absolutely not. In the final analysis, this is an elite and championship-level battle,” Stevenson said. “When I perform again and again, you can’t judge me with a battle [again]. I can’t say I’m going there to look for a knockout, but if he makes a mistake, I will use it. ”
Herring knew what one night could bring to the reputation of a fighter. In his defense of Jonathan Oquendo in 2020, Herring won because of multiple head bumps and was disqualified, but was criticized that Herring was packed with foul effects and basically knew he would win, so he was asked to withdraw competition.
However, because his qualifications were suddenly questioned, Herring made the largest possible response when he went to Dubai in April this year. Not only did he complete the future Hall of Fame member in Frampton, he was also in the exciting sixth round. Let him retire after TKO.
This is part of the reason why Herring is not bothered by hearing how the odds setters put the defending champion at a 6-1 disadvantage against Stevenson.
“It just played a role in my story,” Herring said. “I have always been a loser, not only in boxing, but also in life. I didn’t really get involved in the whole odds maker thing, anyway I’m not gambling. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
Stevenson believes this will be his coming out party, and Hering has the responsibility to stop it.
“It feels really good to beat the whole team. I can’t wait to oppose it. [Herring trainers Brian McIntyre and Red Spikes]. It’s not just Jamel that I’m fighting. I have to beat Bomac and Reid. It feels good to do so,” Stevenson said.
“You will see a special night, my coming out party. It will be a great night, he said he will spoil the party, so let’s see if he can do it.”
Undercard is also a feature of some Top Rank rising prospects. The 19-year-old sensational Xander Zayas will face Dan Karpency again in the junior middleweight competition. The two will have six rounds of romance. Since becoming a professional player in October 2019, Zayas has been impressive, with a perfect 10-0 record and 7 knockout rounds. The Puerto Rican native is still slowly building his reputation and then reaching a higher level with a weight of 154 pounds.
In addition, some relatives of legendary figures continued their thriving careers on Saturday. Evan Holyfield, the son of former heavyweight champion Evan Holyfield, returned to the junior welterweight game against Charles Stanford. Holyfield followed in his father’s footsteps with a perfect 7-0 record and five knockout rounds during his young career. In addition, Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Mohammed Ali, returned to the middleweight feature competition during a face-off with James Westley II. Ali Walsh made waves with his TKO victory in his professional debut in August. There will be four rounds of competition on Saturday.
Battle card, odds
Odds for betting on Caesars Sports
- Shakur Stevenson (16-0, 8 KOs) -900 vs. Jamel Herring (c) (23-2, 11 KOs) +600, WBO Junior Lightweight Championship
- Xander Zayas (10-0, 7 KOs) -4000 vs. Dan Karpency (9-3-1, 4 KOs) +1500, junior middleweight (six rounds)
- Nico Ali Walsh (1-0) vs. James Westley II (1-0), middleweight (four rounds)
prophecy
As a former amateur player who represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics, he is commendable for how he can reverse his career in recent years after two defeats made him from a future competitor to a fringe skilled worker.
As a tough lefty with a high boxing IQ, Herring has won seven times in a row and remains one of the best feel-good stories in boxing. But there is a reason why betting odds is where they enter this battle, and that is because Stevenson has shown the long-term potential of the pound against the pound in the future.
Unless Herring succeeds in slowing Stevenson down by removing the corpse, it will be a long night in the office. Stevenson’s speed and footwork are simply fantastic, which means that even if he cannot (or is unwilling) to participate in the knockout rounds, the default reserve of external boxing is still a choice for him regardless of the entertainment value it creates.
Stevenson’s ability to miss a layup can only be compared with the young Mayweather at this point. The natural gap in speed is expected to be large enough to surpass herring.
Pick: Stevenson passes UD12
Who won Stevenson and Herring? Which item is necessary? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise’s best bets on Saturday, All from CBS fighting sports experts, he smashed his boxing pick in 2021 and found out.
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