By Bill Green
On the undercard of this weekend’s ESPN-televised mega Lightweight showdown between WBA champ Jorge Linares and Vasiliy “Hi-Tech Lomachenko, former Captain of the 2016 US Olympic boxing team and former US Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring (16-2, 9 KOs), makes his Top Rank and B&B Boxing promotions debut.
Herring who signed with Top Rank back in January is now being trained by Brian McIntyre, the 2018 WBO trainer of the year. The 5’10 born and raised New Yorker will face Juan Pablo Sanchez (30-15, 14 KOs) of Huimanguillo, Mexico, in a scheduled 8/10 contest at a catchweight of 133lbs. Linares vs Lomachenko will be televised live on ESPN, beginning at 8:00 pm ET, while Herring vs Sanchez can be viewed live on the ESPN+ app beginning at approximately 4:30pm ET.
After, yet another killer workout, I was able to catch up with Herring as he prepares for this weekend’s battle with Sanchez.
Hello, champ. I really don’t need to ask how camp is going because I witnessed you train like a beast in Omaha and I receive camp notes from BoMac every week. Not to mention you are one of the best athletes in the sport of boxing that remains active on social media but better yet does so in a mature manner. But, you know me, in your own words, how really is camp going for you?
Camp in Omaha was great, the gym there honestly has everything we need. The people in Omaha treated me like family. Out here in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is like second nature for me as I’ve been here so many times during my amateur and pro career. What’s new is my strength and conditioning coach, Jaimie Belt, has been here with me nearly the whole time. Maurice Hooker, who fights for the title in England has been grinding it out with me too. With Bud, Nelson, Nauden, Mayer and even Shakur from time to time, we are putting work in.
You just described nearly a new team compared to 2017 when you were with PBC and Al Haymon. I know you are not the type of fighter that bashes one company and just jumps on another. The split with PBC and signing with Top Rank seemed to have very little drama to it and it at least appears to my eyes as being one with no relationship tearing along the way. Would you agree?
I would definitely agree. There was a few people that tried to say this and that but I would like to think that I carry myself professionally and dealt with it like a man should. I thanked everybody for their time and effort with getting me to the level that I’m at, but after meeting with BoMac and already knowing how this tight group operates…it was simply something I needed to do in order to get me to that next level.
You have always been a hard worker, that reputation follows you from both the Marines and Team USA. So if you work hard everywhere you go, what makes Team Crawford so much different in your opinion?
The biggest thing I can tell you and that I found out is the intensity and consistently is unlike any other camp I’ve been through. Bud rarely takes an off day, so he leads by example, our dieting is on point, everything is broken down to a science. These guys eat, sleep and drink boxing.
Speaking of intensity, BoMac, told me the other day that you dropped a 170 in sparring. He said the guy was no joke and that some of the fellas struggled with cracking his defense but then you came in and just dropped him. Any truth to Bo’s story?
Laughing: Ya, it’s true I did drop him, but its just sparring, I try to leave the storytelling stuff for Bo, he’s the master at it lol
Still, you are not known, at least the first part of your career, as being a big puncher. Do you believe that the new team, changes, and strength training all in place that you may, in fact, become a bigger puncher?
I feel like I’ve always had good power. I’m dropping to 130 lbs and BoMac and Bud both believe that I will be too strong for other fighters in that class. If they believe then so do I. My confidence is, in fact, oozing as I’m heading into my fight this weekend.
Boxing critics have stated that at times you simply overtrain. How do you respond to those critics?
You know I’m actually starting to believe that those critics are right. Working with BoMac, Red, Esau and Jaimie, I’ve learned that I can stay busy and get the results I need without killing my body. As a Marine, I have that mentality of pushing myself to the limit but again with the fellas they are teaching me to work smarter. Those days of fighting near an empty tank are behind me.
Only have a last few questions bud. They say there is no place like home. You have obviously fought in New York before, but with your first fight under a new promotion, could you pick a better script?
Don’t get me wrong I love the script but I definitely can pick a better one or at least add to it. I fought at Barclays Center a few times but never in the Garden, which is the Mecca of Boxing. I’m excited, plus I have Top Rank and B&B behind me which gives me even more momentum. I can’t wait to showcase my hard work in a new weight class, under those bright lights on May 12th!!
Sounds like change is a good thing champ. Time to wrap it up, one more and than you can rest, or knowing you…go run 5 miles lol. Finish this sentence: Herring now at the age of 32, is sitting down on his punches in round 2…..
Puts Sanchez in the corner, he is teeing off on his opponent, look at him go, he is relentless in there, the referee has seen enough and the winner….he’s back fight fans, the fighting Marine is back!!!