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JAMEL HERRING WARNS 130-POUND DIVISION: "I CAME IN STRONG AND HEALTHY...MY POWER CARRIED DOWN"

By Percy Crawford | May 22, 2018
JAMEL HERRING WARNS 130-POUND DIVISION:

“I came in strong and healthy and I was still strong, if not stronger than I have showed in my previous fights. That was the whole thing behind all of the emotion; not only did I stop a man who basically kept being labeled as tough and durable, but I showed that my power carried down at a lower weight...I feel like I have more people behind me now since the win and I want to keep the momentum going and keep it moving,” stated lightweight contender Jamel Herring, who talked about his recent win, his future plans, and much more. Check it out!

PC: Congratulations on the 5th round stoppage of Juan Pablo Sanchez in your Top Rank debut. How do you feel?

JH: I feel good, man. I went out there as planned and made a statement, but you know, as a fighter, I felt like I could have did a little bit better, especially avoiding the cuts, even though I wasn’t the one initiating all of the headbutting, but it is what it is and we got the win. We made a good impression with our new promoter. 

PC: I know you kind of expected a rugged type of fight from Sanchez. Was he exactly what you expected him to be?

JH: You hit the nail on the head, I expected a rugged fight. He was a 45-fight vet. I knew that he would know all of the tricks and the trades out there. We seen this in his last fight with Lopez and we were trying to avoid the headbutts, but it is what it is and we expected it to be a rough fight. 

PC: It definitely wasn’t easy. You had a bad cut and had a lot of blood flowing in your eye. How were you able to persevere through that?

JH: You know me personally and I’ve been through worse. Look at the Shafikov fight. That comes with experience on my end where I had to deal with cuts and blood in my face and everything. That’s why when I spoke to the doctors in the corner, I was letting them know that I was okay. I was telling them that I can still see. I just took it for what it was and kept it moving. 

PC: You were in New York and they are very careful about letting fighters continue with cuts or multiple knockdowns and things of that nature. Were you ever concerned that they may stop your fight because of the blood streaming into your eye?

JH: Yeah, man, you see the Felix Verdejo fight where the doctors were the ones that stopped the fight. That was in New York, so I had that in the back of my mind. I knew that I had to get past 4 rounds and I knew I was up in the fight, but like I told you the last time we spoke, I wanted to make a statement. So even though I was up on the cards, I didn’t want to win like that. I wanted to win on my terms. And then if you look at it, I think going into the 5th round, you started to see the doctors examining him more. He was taking a lot of punishment and damage, so once I seen that and everything that I was doing leading up to that point, I knew he was ready to go. That’s why I went in the 5th round and finished the fight. 

PC: We talked about you sitting down on your shots more. The ending was pretty much you biting down on your mouthpiece and ripping body shots. What were you seeing at the conclusion of the fight?

JH: It’s crazy because I felt like I had another coach out there with Bud [Terence Crawford]. Bud was in the crowd and I could hear him clearly. He noticed when I was sitting down on the body shots, it was hurting him. Once I seen that, he started to lower his guard and I started working my way up and down. I was hitting him with a lot of good left hands and once I started to see his body language change from how he first started as being the aggressor to being defensive, I knew it was only a matter of time. 

PC: A lot of jubilation after the fight was stopped. What was that feeling like for you?

JH: It was a great feeling because before I signed with Top Rank. You know how the business goes, man. They were kind of iffy if I still had anything left in me when I was over there at PBC. That’s why I felt like I needed to make a statement. They gave me a list of opponents and I wanted the toughest available at the time. This was a guy who hadn’t been stopped in 6 years. If you look at his resume, he was fighting some other top prospects out there and they haven’t been able to stop him. I went out there and not only did I stop him, but like you said, looking at my training, I was coming down from 35 to basically a whole new weight class. I could’ve made 130 if I had to. I was losing weight that week with my nutritionist. But the fight was contracted at 133 and he struggled to make weight. I came in strong and healthy and I was still strong, if not stronger than I have showed in my previous fights. That was the whole thing behind all of the emotion; not only did I stop a man who basically kept being labeled as tough and durable, but I showed that my power carried down at a lower weight. 

PC: What was it like for you to hear a new voice in the corner now that you’re under BoMac’s guidance?

JH: It’s crazy because it felt natural like we’ve been doing this. Just based off of training camp, we’ve all been building that chemistry. You know more than most, there is more than one trainer besides BoMac, but it still felt like it was the norm for me. Once they seen that I was okay, even with the cut, the corner was calm and cool and no one was panicking and we continued to follow our game plan and act as if nothing happened at all with the headbutts and the cut. 

PC: You have a huge Marine Corp following and it seems bigger now more than ever. I know there were some in attendance as well. 

JH: Let me tell you, for starters, I didn’t even know that those Marines were coming. That was all on Bob. That was Bob and Top Rank’s idea. I knew that he wanted me to play the Marine Corp hymn, but I didn’t know that he was going to have Marine’s escort me out to the ring. That is the beauty of having a promoter. They know what to do and how to bring that crowd out and put that attention on you. I gotta give them a shout out and credit them for that. Not only was I home, but I felt the huge military following that weekend.

PC: It appears August 25th will be the date you get back in there. Tell us about it.

JH: August 25th, that’s another Lomachenko date where he is supposed to get back in the ring in Los Angeles at the Forum. Again, that’s close to the biggest military base in the world, which is Camp Pendleton which is also a Marine Corp base. I feel like everything happens for a reason and if that happens, it’s a plus. Maybe that will bring out more of a military crowd and I can make L.A. maybe one of my home bases when it comes to fights. The military is everywhere, so it doesn’t really matter where I fight at, there will always be veterans around, so I’m comfortable anywhere I go. I’m comfortable at my home in New York or in L.A. by Camp Pendleton and still feel at home. That’s the best part about being at Top Rank, they can make it happen and make you still feel comfortable. 

PC: Had to be a great feeling to get that first fight under your belt and have that result. 

JH: It was probably one of the best feelings I have had in a long time in my career. It’s nothing against PBC. I actually spoke to Brad over there on Al’s side a week before my fight. Everybody still on good terms. I still got love for them and Al Haymon, but it feels like a breath of fresh air career-wise. It was a great feeling. I’m just looking forward to getting back in there and continue to making more progress. 

PC: You seem like one of those guys who a lot of people root for and want to see do well, so congrats again and best of luck during training for your August date. Is there anything else you want to add?

JH: I appreciate it, P. You’re actually the first one I got to speak with after everything slowed down. I’m glad it was you. I appreciate the platform you guys have over there. A lot of my supporters and people in my circle check for me on FightHype. I’m just happy, and like you said, a lot of people still root for me and I feel like I have more people behind me now since the win and I want to keep the momentum going and keep it moving.



[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]

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