Jamel Herring Ready to Put Long Island On Boxing Map

By Jake Donovan

Jamel Herring knew that he would have to live with being put alongside the best of today’s Cincinnati reviving boxing scene all through fight week. It’s where he lives and trains these days, but make no mistake - his short-term mission in the sport is as strong as his New York accent is still evident. 

“We gotta showcase that Long Island has boxing talent, too,” Herring (13-0, 8KOs) – born in Rockville Center (Nassau County) and raised in the Suffolk County suburb of Coram - said with a smile ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Yakubu Amidu at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

The bout serves in supporting capacity to Adrien Broner’s homecoming, when he faces Russia’s Khabib Allakhverdiev in the main event of a Showtime Championship Boxing telecast. Herring’s lightweight scrap with Amidu will air earlier on the evening on SHO Extreme.

The televised showcase is his first time live on air, though in his second attempt at gaining nationwide exposure in the pro ranks. The unbeaten lightweight – who turns 30 later this month – was due to appear on a ShoBox card in June, but was downgraded to non-televised status after original opponent Oscar Cortes missed weight by a mile and was scratched from the show.

Herring would go on to beat late replacement Hector Velasquez in an eight-round shutout, and enters Saturday coming off of a 3rd round knockout win this past August in Washington, D.C. 

“It wasn’t meant to be; this was my time to be showcased,” Herring accepts of the hand the boxing gods have dealt him, now getting the opportunity in his adopted hometown. 

Cincinnati has been home for the lightweight since signing with adviser Al Haymon following his run in the 2012 London Olympics. Prior to his pro debut, Herring set up camp in Queen City, working with Mike Stafford, who is best known for his role as Broner’s head trainer. Saturday night will mark his first in his home away from home, making it that much more special that it will also be televised.

“I’m here now and ready. To hear (famed ring announcer) Jimmy Lennon, Jr. announce your name at the weigh-in and have him introduce before the fight, I know I’ve made it. Now I got to show them what Long Island has to offer.” 

Herring has already offered plenty, not just to the sport but to life in general, having served his country in the U.S. Marines (hence his “Semper Fi” nickname and his oft-found salute pose in photos from any given event) as well as on the 2012  U.S. Olympic team. 

Having made the U.S. Olympic team was not only a dream come true, but the benefit of his sticking it out in boxing. Herring was always a fighter to the core, enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003 after graduating from Longwood High School. Within two years, he was ordered to serve his first of two tours in Iraq, forced to juggle military life, boxing and his role as a husband and father all at once.

It wasn’t wartime situation that threatened his love for the game, but rather the tragic loss of his daughter Ariyanah, who was just two months old when she passed away due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in July ’09.

Rather than pack it in, Herring instead found solace in the boxing gym, determined to only become stronger. It led to his representing the U.S. in the 2012 London Olympics, the first active duty military member in 20 years (since Sergio Reyes in 1992) to do so, and also the first from Long Island since legendary amateur standout Howard Davis Jr. (Glen Cove in Nassau County) enjoyed his incredible run in 1996. 

Unfortunately, there was nothing legendary of the 2012 team, instead best remembered as the lone male squad to fail to bring home a medal. 

“After the whole upset during the Olympics, everyone was trying to count us out,” notes Herring. “But we’re still rolling strong. It's a real great honor to see all my teammates advance in the pros.”

Collective, the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing squad is 132-1 heading into Herring’s fight tonight. The most recent wins from the team came just one week ago, when Dominic Breazeale survived a stiff test from Fred Kassi to take a 10-round decision (albeit a disputed one given the final scores) live on NBC from Birmingham, Alabama. On the non-televised undercard, Terrell Gausha overcame a slow start to outpoint Eleizer Gonzalez. 

The lone loss in the pros came in another disputed decision, when Rau’Shee Warren came up just short versus unbeaten bantamweight champ Juan Carlos Payano in August. 

A common theme in all three fights is that they represent the toughest test to date for each fighter. Herring is walking into that very scenario on Saturday versus Amidu (21-7-2, 19KOs), who has hit rough waters in recent times but still remains a dangerous threat on any given night. 

The hard-hitting lightweight from Ghana matched Herring’s chiseled physique during Friday’s weigh-in, where both fighters weighed 134.5 lbs. Amidu looked like anything other than a fighter on a losing streak who is willing to accept the role of opponent, armed with a solid supporting cast that includes high-in-demand strength and conditioning coach Liza 'Coach L' Porras. 

“I know he’s ready for me, and I spent all of my training preparing for the toughest fight of my career so far,” Herring cautions. “He's real durable, he's a tough guy. He's been around for a while and I expect him to push me a bit. It's why I took the fight; it's a good test for me.”

It’s also a great opportunity to remind fans what his corner of the world has to offer. 

“When people talk about New York, they focus on Brooklyn, the Bronx, they don't pay much attention to Long Island,” Herring observes. “So I have to make sure they’re talking about us after (tonight).”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.