The fight Gods remembered that the holiday weekend will probably be spent on beaches and at cook-outs nationwide, and have taken a hiatus after last weekends fireworks between Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter.
But on Saturday, July 2nd, unbeaten Jamel Semper Fi Herring (15-0) will be the lone gunman this weekend taking on former title challenger Denis Shafikov (36-2-1) in a 10-round bout.
Shafikov lost a unanimous decision to Rances Barthelemy in December for the then-vacant IBF lightweight title. The veteran, whose two losses were both during title fights, will test Herring, who is rising up the ranks and facing his toughest challenge to date.
Herring’s last bout in February was a unanimous decision win over Colombian fighter, Luis Eduardo Florez, where Herring displayed his ability to throw a barrage of punches and out-land his opponents.
Standing at 510, Herring poses a threat to the other 135-pounders in his division, plus he has a mental fortitude forged from life or death combat experiences. Herring balanced his boxing training with his duties as an active United States Marine and served two tours of duty in Iraq.
During that time he was a member of the All-Marine Corps boxing team, competing nationally against scene-facing notables like current WBO World welterweight champion Jesse Vargas at the 2006 National PAL tournament.
The Marine Sergeant won a silver medal at the 2010 World Military Games and took a gold medal at the 2011 and 2012 Armed Forces Championships. Herring also qualified for the 2012 London Olympics, is the only United States Marine to compete during the London Olympics and the first active duty marine to qualify for the US boxing team since 1992.
This fight will continue to sketch out the lightweight division, which is currently dominated by Terrence Bud Crawford.
Catch all the action live this Saturday from Santander Arena in Reading, PA live on ESPN at 9:00pm EST / 6:00pm PST
