Title Shot Vs Ito Looms For Marine Boxer Jamel Herring

Jamel Herring had a helluva 2018, and seems poised to continue the trend in 2019.

The Long Island, NY native, who exited the Haymon Boxing stable and has taken up happily residence in the Top Rank confines, holds a 19-2 record. He is on a three fight win streak and got the gigs he craved in 2018, that being three scraps in a calendar year. He is now campaigning at 130, and has been setting down on his shots better since hooking on with Bud Crawford’s tutor Brain McIntyre.

We checked in with the 33 year old boxer, who is a proud Marine. Indeed, that portion of his identity will likely loom larger in 2019, because he knows that his success can impact how some of the masses view the Marines as a whole.

“Title shot definitely looks like the next thing to happen in April,” Herring told us. “I’m hearing it could land on the Bud Crawford undercard in Madison Square Garden, against Masayuki Ito.”

Ito is a 27 year old Japan based boxer, who is coming off a win Dec. 30. He downed Evgeny Chuprakov in Japan, via TKO, and retained the WBO super feather title, which he secured by beating Christopher Diaz last July.

“According to my retired Sergeant Major Michael Cline, Michael Weaver was the last Marine to hold a world title, from 1980 to 1982, but I feel it’s greatly important to end that long gap of not having a Marine as a world champion. I believe once I win this world title it’ll boost the morale of not only Marines but US troops as an whole to see one of their representing them proudly on the big stage, and another achievement that I’ve knocked off in terms of being a Marine. A lot of people may not know that I’m the last Marine to win a US national title in the amateurs, since Robert Allen back in 1992, and the last Marine to make the USA Olympic boxing team since ’92 as well. Sergio Reyes was the last Marine to make the Olympic boxing team, and we all know of course his teammate was Oscar DeLa Hoya. Last but not least, I was the only Marine to represent the United States in the 2012 Olympic Games, so you see I take a lot of pride honoring and representing the Corps which is why this fight means a lot to me and my career!”

Check out this snippet from Herring's last fight, a win over Adeilson Dos Santos on Dec. 14.

So, Herring will hang tight, stay in fighting shape and wait to hear the specifics of date and site. In the meantime, you can know that he is one of the most active and friendly boxers on social media, so feel free to follow him. He’s unafraid to weigh in on this topic or that; such as, that recent Floyd Mayweather v Tenshin Nasukawa exhibition. Debate on that event has edged into late in the week, with people still debating, Was it fixed, or nah?

“I don’t think it was fixed but it was definitely stupid! I say it wasn’t fixed because it was a exhibition but the weight difference definitely made it a dumb gamble,” the Marine boxer said. “Paid off for Floyd of course but the people in attendance and the ones who viewed it didn’t get their money’s worth. I knew it wasn’t going to be much the minute I heard it was only three rounds to begin with.”

Here is Herring’s Twitter handle if you want to give him a follow and keep up to date on his near future.