Notebook: Jamel Herring leaving options open but primary target is Oscar Valdez

Berlanga has big plans; Harrison fine with draw; Quick hits; more

Jamel Herring, fresh from a dominant sixth-round knockout win to retain the WBO junior lightweight world title and sending Carl Frampton into retirement on April 3 in Dubai, is thinking about his next fight already.

“I look at all roads and options, to be honest with you. I don’t count anything out. I don’t even count out the Shakur Stevenson fight,” Herring said this week about possibly facing his mandatory challenger later in the year, despite many believing he will vacate instead. “It’s just about what is available and what makes the most sense. Not even on the business side but in terms of my own legacy.

“Of course, I want to win another world title. I want to win more world titles. If those opportunities come first at (junior lightweight) or lightweight, then that’s what I am going to go for. Right now, I am enjoying the time off from training, but I am always thinking about what’s next.”

Herring was speaking on a conference call with boxing media to highlight his role as a guest commentator on Thursday’s Ring City USA card (NBC Sports Net, 9 p.m. ET) at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

“I am already over the Frampton fight,” Herring said. “I am glad I got the respect that I was looking for. It was an honor to share the ring with him but now I am looking for the next big thing.”

One possibility would be for Herring (23-2, 11 KOs) to challenge newly crowned WBC titleholder Oscar Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs) for his 130-pound belt, even if it means vacating his own belt to do so. Herring and Valdez are both with Top Rank, which means it probably would not be a difficult fight to make.

“The Valdez fight would be the smart choice,” Herring said. “But I just want to continue conducting myself as a Marine and bringing more prestigious titles to the Marines and be known as the one of the best to do it. I think that a fight with Oscar Valdez and a big win over him would at least put me in the conversation for being fighter of the year.”

One of the reasons Herring was invited to serve a guest commentator on a card at West Point is because he is a military man. Herring is a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and served two tours of duty in Iraq before he was captain of the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team.

“I was thinking about my time from Iraq to where I am at now and it feels like a dream at times,” Herring said. “I know fellow Marines who love the sport of boxing as well who used to dream about being in the position I am in. I remember clearly back in 2007, I was literally in Iraq during the Oscar De La Hoya versus Floyd Mayweather fight. I remember thinking I need to get back into the sport of boxing; I need to get back in the sport when I get home to America. Just to remember that day clearly and to see where I am at now — it’s a blessing.”

Thursday’s Ring City USA main event will see Jelena Mrjdenovich (41-10-2, 19 KOs), 38, of Edmonton, Canada, make the sixth defense of her featherweight world title against Erika Cruz Hernandez (12-1-0, 3 KOs), 30, of Mexico.

‘Inside Boxing Live’

I was the guest this week on my pal Dan Canobbio’s “Inside Boxing Live” and we discussed several topics. We talked about the Triller Fight Club PPV craziness of this past Saturday, some details of the impending Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua undisputed heavyweight championship deal, the loaded May schedule and the announcement of five months of Showtime fights. Make sure to watch the episode here:

Berlanga eyes stardom

Red-hot super middleweight Edgar Berlanga does not just have super stardom on his mind but “mega-superstardom.”

So too is continuing to rack up more eye-catching knockouts, eventually headlining at New York’s Madison Square Garden on the weekend of the annual Puerto Rican Day parade in June and big-time money fights with the likes of David Benavidez and, of course, Canelo Alvarez.

“My gut feeling is that he is going to be a massive superstar. That’s my gut feeling,” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said.

But first the 23-year-old Puerto Rican from Brooklyn continues to try to make the transition from prospect to contender against Demond Nicholson in the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN co-feature on Saturday night in Kissimmee, Florida, a Puerto Rican hotbed, where the 3,500 available seats sold out long ago.

I spoke to Arum and Berlanga at length about Saturday’s fight, his future plans and eventual big fights with the likes of Alvarez and Benavidez. Please read the story on The Ring magazine website here: https://www.ringtv.com/620637-does-edgar-berlanga-have-what-it-takes-to-reach-mega-superstardom/

Harrison OK with draw

When former junior middleweight titlist Tony Harrison (28-3-1, 21 KOs) returned from a 16-month layoff for his first fight since his father and trainer Ali Salaam died from Covid-19 last April, he fought to a draw split draw with the Roy Jones Jr.-trained Bryant Perrella (17-3-1, 14 KOs) this past Saturday night in the PBC on Fox main event in Los Angeles.

Harrison was the significant favorite but the mostly tactical fight had many close rounds and was hard to judge, hence the divergent scores: 116-112 Harrison, 117-111 Perrella and 114-114.

Harrison was not upset with the draw, which came in his first bout after losing his world title by 11th-round knockout in a rematch with Jermell Charlo.

“It was good to be back in there and having fun,” Harrison said. “He was craftier than I thought he'd be. A lot of shots he threw didn't have much on them, and I probably got caught pulling back a couple times. Overall, after 16 months, I thought I did OK. I was in there with a clear head and I was staying on my feet between rounds, so I know my body is still in great shape.

“The judges do their job. I'm not disappointed in their decision. I just have to ask myself what I needed to do more of and what I could have done better at. I'll know more about how I did after I look at it again. I probably could have let my hands go a little more. I gave him a couple of momentum rounds where he felt like he was doing better than he really was.”

Harper, Choi to unify

England’s Terri Harper (11-0-1, 6 KOs), 24, and Hyun-Mi Choi (18-0-1, 4 KOs), 30, of South Korea, will meet to unify their women’s junior lightweight world titles on May 15 (DAZN in the U.S., Sky Sports in the U.K.) at AO Arena in Manchester, England, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn announced, adding he hopes it will be his final U.K. card that can’t have spectators.

“It’s exciting that our dream of becoming undisputed world champion is taking a step closer to reality with my first unification fight,” said Harper, who will be making her third defense. “I’m looking forward to the step-up and fighting an undefeated champion. Choi is the longest-reigning female world champions and it will be an honor to share the ring with her. I’m more than ready.”

Choi, a former featherweight titlist, has made eight junior lightweight title defenses.

“I have waited a very long time for the opportunity to fight for the WBC belt,” Choi said. “I am so excited and looking forward to it. My goal has been to unify my weight division for many years and now the time has finally come. I know this fight in England will not be easy. Fighting in another country is extremely difficult but I am prepared for this adventure and challenge.”

British light heavyweight contender Joshua Buatsi (13-0, 11 KOs), 28, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, will face an opponent to be determined in the co-feature. The fight will be Buatsi’s first since hiring trainer Virgil Hunter.

There will also be three European title fights on the show: Italy’s Giovanni De Carolis (28-9-1, 13 KOs) versus England’s Lerrone Richards (14-0, 3 KOs) for the vacant super middleweight title; Northern Ireland’s Tommy McCarthy (17-2, 18 KOs) defending his cruiserweight title versus Romania’s Alexandru Jur (19-4, 7 KOs); and Gamal Yafai (18-1, 10 KOs) defending the junior featherweight belt against Jason Cunningham (28-6, 6 KOs) in an all-England fight.

Quick hits

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, the only bidder, won the purse bid on Tuesday for the IBF heavyweight title elimination fight between Michael Hunter (19-1-1, 13 KOs), 32, of Las Vegas, and Filip Hrgovic (12-0, 10 KOs), 28, of Croatia. Hearn offered $606,666. Hunter is entitled to 60 percent (363,999.60) and Hrgovic gets 40 percent ($242,666.40). Hearn has 15 days to return signed contracts to the IBF and 90 days to put on the fight. The winner will become one of the mandatory challengers for unified titleholder Anthony Joshua, who first is expected to face Tyson Fury for the undisputed title this summer.

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Eddie Hearn will become chairman of the Matchroom Sport Group of companies as Barry Hearn, his father, announced he will step aside after almost 40 years of running the company he founded in 1982 to become president of the group in an advisory role, dealing primarily with event strategy and global development. Eddie will be in charge of Matchroom Sport, Professional Darts Corporation, Matchroom Boxing, Matchroom Boxing USA, Matchroom Media and the PGA EuroPro Tour, all of which supply a variety of sports programming to broadcasters worldwide, including its boxing events. “Anyone that knows me is well aware of what Matchroom means to me and our family,” Eddie Hearn said. “It has a legacy that spans 40 years from a small office under a snooker hall in Romford to a global powerhouse of sports entertainment. My father has dedicated his life to the company and since I joined in 2004 I have done the same. Now a greater responsibility falls on my shoulders and I am very proud to continue his great work and lead the business.”

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Former junior flyweight world titlist Angel “Tito” Acosta (22-2, 21 KOs), 30, of Puerto Rico, who is 2-0 since moving up to flyweight, is headed to Japan to challenge Junto Nakatani for the WBO flyweight belt on May 29. According to Robert Diaz of Golden Boy, which co-promotes Acosta with Miguel Cotto Promotions, Acosta will arrive in Japan 18 days ahead of the fight and do the mandated 14-day quarantine required due to the coronavirus pandemic but will have the proper facilities available to him to train. Nakatani (21-0, 16 KOs), 23, a Japanese southpaw, won the title vacant belt by eighth-round knockout of the Philippines Giemel Magramo in November and will be making his first defense.

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Weights from West Point, N.Y., for Thursday night’s Ring City USA card on NBC Sports Net (9 p.m. ET): Jelena Mrjdenovich 125.2 pounds, Erika Cruz Hernandez 125.8 (for Mrjdenovich’s women’s featherweight title); Juan Pablo Romero 143, Deiner Berrio 141.8; Bobirzhan Mominov 146.2, Angel Ruiz 146.6; Christian Mbilli 167.4, Jesus Antonio Gutierrez 167.4; Jalan Walker 125.8, Angel Antonio Contreras 126.4; Daniel Bailey 129.6, Luis Alvarado 130.

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Kings Promotions and Salita Promotions announced they have made a deal to co-promote welterweight prospect Janelson Figueroa Bocachica (17-0, 11 KOs), 22, a Puerto Rican from Detroit. “Man, big things are going on in Detroit,” said Bocachica, who has had exposure in recent fights on Showtime’s “ShoBox” series. “(Salita is) doing big shows and I want to be a part of that, so I’m in the right spot to prove myself against every opponent I face. I want all the belts in multiple divisions.”

Show and tell

In 2000, Chris Byrd pulled a huge upset and won a heavyweight world title by forcing Vitali Klitschko to retire after the ninth round because of a severe shoulder injury. Six months later, Byrd lost the belt by lopsided decision to Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali’s younger brother. Klitschko would make five defenses before losing two of his next four fights by stoppage. Many left his career for dead, including Vitali, who encouraged him to retire. But Wladimir rededicated himself and also hired the legendary late trainer Emanuel Steward, who he stayed with even though they lost their first fight together. Klitschko rebounded and won three fights in a row, including a title eliminator against Samuel Peter. That set him up to once again to face Byrd, who had won another belt, as the mandatory challenger.

Klitschko beat Byrd more easily the second time, battering him into a seventh-round stoppage to win a world title for the second time on April 22, 2006 — 15 years ago on Thursday. It was the start of Klitschko’s historic second title reign, during which he secured a Hall of Fame legacy as he unified three of the titles, claimed the lineal championship, made 18 consecutive defenses (third most in heavyweight history), defeated eight unbeaten challengers and held the title for nine years, seven months and seven days (second-longest reign in division history). Here is a program from Klitschko-Byrd II in my collection.

Herring-Frampton photo: D4G Promotions; Harrison-Perrella photo: Sean Michael Ham/TGB Promotions