By Jake Donovan

You can count Jamel Herring among those who will be paying close attention to this weekend’s lightweight title fight between Anthony Crolla and Ismael Barroso.

The unbeaten rising prospect-turned-contender has more motivation than most boxing fans to scout out Saturday’s action from Manchester, England; the winner could very well factor into his plans for an intended breakout campaign in 2016.

“This is a very dangerous fight for Crolla, but you have to respect his courage in and out of the ring,” notes Herring (15-0, 8KOs). “I wish him luck and look forward to one day challenging for his title should he win this weekend.”

It’s been a big year thus far for Herring, despite having fought just once and with nothing confirmed for the immediate future. The 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team captain enjoyed his first televised main event – a sound 10-round victory over Luis Flores this past February which topped a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on FS1 telecast – and was recently inducted into the U.S. Marines Boxing Hall of Fame.

The decorated two-time war veteran now looks to join his Olympic teammates in graduating from prospect to title contender. Gym mate Rau’Shee Warren – the only U.S. boxer in history to serve on three Olympic teams - was the first from the 2012 squad to challenge for a major title, coming up just short versus unbeaten bantamweight champion Juan Carlos Payano last August. The two are on course for a rematch, which will come June 18 live in primetime on NBC from UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.

One week later, Dominic Breazeale (17-0, 15KOs) – a former college football quarterback before converting to boxing – fights in London for the first time since his tour as a super heavyweight for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. Awaiting him is local here and the super heavyweight Gold medal winner from those games, unbeaten recently crowned heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua.

Transitioning from prospect to contender are the likes of Errol Spence, Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jose Ramirez and now Herring.

One possibility that was presented to the Long Island-born, Cincinnati-based southpaw was reigning super featherweight titlist Javier Fortuna. The mere offer alone was enough for Herring – who has competed at lightweight – to immediately move towards a training plan that will allow him to get to 130-pounds at full strength.

He remains ready for such an opportunity, but early whispers suggest Fortuna will be moving in a different direction. The final decision will be announced the release of the latest rankings from the World Boxing Association (WBA), whom recognizes the unbeaten Dominican as its super featherweight “regular” champion.

Should those plans fall through, Herring plans to target any available titlist at either 130 or 135. However, Crolla’s amazing tale of overcoming a near-fatal attack while attempting to take down armed muggers last January to not only return to boxing but realize his dream of winning a major title was high among the feel good stories to come out of 2015.

It’s a tale that largely contributes to a potential matchup of real-life heroes – Crolla’s brave act and surviving such a horrific ordeal, Herring for proudly serving his country in wartime.

Of course, Crolla (30-4-3, 12KOs) has to first worry about what’s directly in front of him. Barroso (19-0-2, 18KOs) is as dangerous a mandatory challenger as they come, as evidenced in his one-sided 5th round knockout of Kevin Mitchell last December in London.

The feat came three weeks after Crolla claimed his lightweight title in a 5th round knockout of his own versus Darleys Perez last November. The win was sweet justice for what many felt was his being robbed in a disputed draw verdict the preceding July.

With his first title defense on deck this weekend, Crolla remains the sympathetic favorite – though perhaps not from a betting perspective – among his fans and peers.

“You can’t not appreciate Crolla and all that he’s overcome to get where he is today,” Herring notes. “His background story is admirable, and has shown to be a true champion. I’ll be watching closely and – should he win – will discuss with my team the possibility of our meeting in the future for my first world title opportunity."

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Follow his shiny new Twitter account: @JakeNDaBox_v2