Don't call Herring, Stevenson friends as they get ready to meet for jr. lightweight title
Much was made of a supposed friendship between WBO junior lightweight titlist Jamel Herring and interim titlist Shakur Stevenson.
Yes, they have been friendly, but neither will classify the relationship as a friendship, even though they have trained together and have known each other for years.
Whatever the depth of their relationship, it has understandably grown testy in the lead up to their mandatory fight on Saturday (ESPN/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+, 10:30 p.m. ET), which will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
When the fighters had a face-off at their final pre-fight news conference on Thursday, they and their teams exchanged some harsh words and Stevenson even grabbed Herring’s belt, the one who wants to win, multiple times before they had to be separated.
With so much at stake, Herring and Stevenson both chalk it up to business.
“It’s definitely not personal, just business at the end of the day,” Stevenson said. “He’s not my friend. I don’t hit him up and say, ‘Let’s fight.’ We don’t have any conversations. I don’t talk to Jamel Herring outside of boxing.”
Herring agreed.
“It’s not personal, it’s just business,” Herring said. “We’re building a fight is all it means to me. I’ve heard worse and been through worse. We’re just two top competitors in the division trying to prove who is the best.
“It just feels like another elite level fight in a loaded and talented division, so we just take it one fight at a time. We put all personal feelings to the side and just go to work and do what we have to do.”
Herring is the experienced underdog making his fourth title defense. Stevenson is the hot-shot youngster and former featherweight titlist aiming to win a world title in his second division.
“We both have something to prove in our own rights,” Herring said. “He's young, and he wants to be a two-division champion, which I respect. I feel like I've always been counted out. I'm still just fighting for my respect. That's what keeps me motivated and hungry. I think this fight will bring out the best in both of us.”
Herring (23-2, 11 KOs), 35, a Coram, New York, and 2012 U.S. Olympian, is coming off his biggest victory, a sixth-round knockout of former two-division titlist Carl Frampton on April 3 in Dubai. Beating Stevenson would be even bigger.
“I always gave Shakur his respect. I know what I'm going up against, but that's what motivates me to go in the gym and do what I have to do,” said Herring, a Marine Corp veteran, who served two tours in Iraq. “I don't take anyone lightly. It's familiar territory and another day in the life of Jamel Herring. That's just how it is.
“They're making Shakur out to be the future superstar, but again, maybe he will be a future star in his own right, but right now, we're focusing on the now. I still feel like I have things to prove to myself, and I'm just going to go out and do what I have to do.”
Stevenson (16-0, 8 KOs), 24, of Newark, New Jersey, a 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist, easily outpointed Joet Gonzalez to win the vacant WBO featherweight title in October 2019 but never defended it. He was supposed to face Miguel Marriaga in a defense in March 2020, but it was canceled due the coronavirus pandemic and Stevenson elected to move up in weight. He has won all three of his junior lightweight bouts, including a shutout decision of Jeremia Nakathila in June to claim the interim belt. Stevenson agreed to step aside to allow Herring to first face Frampton and the interim title was made available because of it.
“This is my first time being able to go against a champion and being able to take a champion's belt will mean a lot to me,” Stevenson said. “I can’t wait to hear them say, ‘and the new!’
“It’s going to feel real good beating the whole team. I can’t wait to go against (Herring trainers Brian McIntyre and Red Spikes). It’s not just Jamel that I’m fighting. I’ve got to beat Bomac and Red, and it’ll feel good doing that. You’re going to see a special night, my coming out party. It’s going to be a great night, and he said he’s going to spoil the party, so let’s see if he can do it.”
Undercard action
In the co-feature, Puerto Rican junior middleweight Xander Zayas (10-0, 7 KOs), 19, of Sunrise, Florida, will face Dan Karpency (9-3-1, 4 KOs), 30, of Adah, Pennsylvania, in a six-rounder.
“It’s just an amazing experience to be 19 years old making my ESPN debut,” Zayas said. “I’m ready to go, and on Saturday night, I’m going to show it.”
Las Vegas middleweight Nico Ali Walsh (1-0, 1 KO), 21, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, will face James Westley II (1-0, 0 KOs), 36, of Toledo, Ohio, in a four-rounder in the televised opener.
“All of the greats say that the first fight is always the hardest. The first is out of the way, so it’s all fun from here on out,” said Ali, who turned pro with fanfare on Aug. 14 and scored a first-round knockout. “I love boxing, it’s my passion, and I’m looking forward to continuing my grandfather’s legacy and creating my own. After the first fight, you get used to it. I have the greatest people in my corner. I have SugarHill Steward and BB Hudson, so I’m very happy with the corner that I have, and if I could build anything off of my pro debut, it would be more off a jab and a cleaner right hand."
Preliminary action will stream on ESPN+ beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. Among those bouts will be junior middleweight Evan Holyfield (7-0, 5 KOs), 23, of Atlanta, the son of heavyweight legend Evander Holyfield, against Charles Stanford (6-3, 3 KOs), 35, of Toledo, Ohio, in a six-rounder.
“It means absolutely everything to fight in my hometown,” Holyfield said. “This is my second time fighting in Atlanta. It’s boxing, hit and don’t get hit, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to win whether I fight or box. My dad always tells me to train at my hardest. I’ve been real focused this training camp, and I’m just ready to go to work. It’s definitely like a kid in a candy store just being around all of this talent. It’s an honor. We got Xander Zayas, Shakur Stevenson, Jamel Herring, and Nico Ali. It’s nothing but greatness.”
Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
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