It’s official. Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring (23-2, 11 KOs) will defend his WBO junior lightweight world title against former featherweight world champion Shakur Stevenson (16-0, 8 KOs) on Saturday, October 23 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta in an event promoted by Top Rank.
Nico Ali Walsh (1-0, 1 KO), grandson of “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, looks to make it 2 for 2 against an opponent to be named in a four-round middleweight special attraction.
Herring-Stevenson, Ali Walsh’s bout, and a co-feature will air live on ESPN.
The undercard — streaming on ESPN+ — will see U.S. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan (4-0, 1 KO) in a six-round featherweight bout, Ragan’s Olympic teammate Troy Isley (2-0, 1 KO) in a six-rounder at middleweight, Georgia native Haven Brady Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs) in a four-round featherweight tilt, and the A-Town debut of junior middleweight prospect Evan “Yung Holy” Holyfield (7-0, 5 KOs), an Atlanta native and the son of heavyweight legend Evander Holyfield.
Tickets go on sale Friday, September 10.
“We are thrilled to be back in Atlanta with a spectacular card headlined by a junior lightweight championship grudge match between a veteran champion and one of the sport’s supreme young talents,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “And with names like Ali Walsh, Ragan and Isley on the undercard, Atlanta’s great fight fans will see many of the sport’s most promising up-and-comers.”
“2021 has been good to me so far. I started the year with a big fight and a major win over Frampton,” Herring said. “I look forward to finishing out the year the same way I started it, not only with another huge victory, but as a world champion. I have nothing else to say. I’m focused on October 23 and the fourth title defense of my WBO belt.”
Stevenson said, “Jamel had to fight me, or he would’ve been stripped of his world title. I boxed him into a corner, and I am going to take his world title in devastating fashion on October 23. I can’t wait to fight in front of the amazing fans in Atlanta. Trust me, you are going to see a show, and I will become a two-weight world champion.”
Wow, Stevenson must be so good he only has one name.
Stevenson by decision 10-2, 9-3.
It will not be fun to watch.
Looking forward to this fight, but I fear round to round inactivity and/or technical boxing may cause certain folks to shout Boooooo. I have no problems with technical boxing, but I have big problems with inactive/hesitant fighters.
I favor Stevenson by UD.
NEVER in my life will I waste a Saturday night to watch Shaqueer “woman beater” Stevenson put the entire crowd to sleep.
Your nit-picking a street brawl were a female got in the fight. Most guys will put a female in check if she calls herself wanting to fight with a male. I dont condone but thats the way it is.
Fighters need to be a bit mean to beat people up for a living. You dont know what goes on in your favorite fighters household for you to single out Stevenson.
Great to know I won’t need sleeping pills on that night.
These two both have skills! I got Herring pulling it out with a chessmatch for 6 and by last rd We have a War with both fighters!