Shakur Stevenson and Jamel Herring have exchanged many verbal volleys on social media and in person. They will settle the matter in the Throwdown in A-Town. Former featherweight champion Stevenson will challenge Herring for his WBO junior lightweight world title at the award-winning State Farm Arena in Atlanta on October 23. Top Rank is promoting the event. The agreement helps to avoid a WBO purse bid that was ordered a few days ago. Contracts have not been signed yet, but that is simply a formality now. Both the men will get seven-figure paychecks which will be career-high for them. The fight is most likely to occur in Atlanta, but the exact location has not been fully finalized yet.
Another match in the fight card features Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali. He is seeking to win his second match against a rival yet to be named in a four-round middleweight special attraction. Herring vs. Stevenson, Ali Walsh's fight, and a co-feature will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 7.30 PM PT and 10.30 PM ET. The undercard will be streaming exclusively and live on ESPN+. It will have the professional comeback of US Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan. He will be involved in a six-round featherweight fight. Ragan's Olympic teammate Troy Isley will participate in a six-round middleweight fight. Georgia's native Haven Brady Jr. will fight in a four-round featherweight fight. The night will also see the A-Town debut of junior middleweight candidate Evan Holyfield. He is the son of heavyweight legend Evander Holyfield and an Atlanta native.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said, "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. And with names like Ali Walsh, Regan, and Isley on the undercard, Atlanta's great fight fans will see many of the sport's most promising up-and-comers." Herring is a US Marine Corps veteran who has captained the US Olympic boxing team. He has made more than a couple of defenses of the world championship he won via decision over his opponent Masayuki Ito two years ago. A challenging campaign last year included a bout with coronavirus and a disqualification win over Jonathan Oquendo.
Herring also flew overseas to Dubai and knocked out Carl Frampton, the former two-weight world champion. He now goes up against pound-for-pound boxer and US Olympic silver medallist Stevenson. He is a former WBO featherweight champion who left the belt the previous year to move up to junior lightweight. Stevenson has not lost any matches at junior lightweight. Recently, he obtained the interim WBO junior lightweight world title with a shutout decision over Jeremiah Nakathila of Namibia. Stevenson has only lost a few rounds since turning professional four years ago. This is a very dominant run that has seen victories over the likes of Joet Gonzalez and Christopher Diaz.
Herring said, "I have been happy with what has been put on paper. I have been ready to go. For me, I just want to have the set date so I can prepare a full training camp and go out there and fight my heart out. That is all I wanna do. I kind of take it as a compliment because it is a risky fight. If you are going to take a big risk, you want to get paid. I told [Stevenson] that I know it will be his toughest fight when the fight happens. I said it to his face: 'I am going to be your biggest fight, your biggest test.' I have been in there with better guys than he has fought by far. 2021 has been good to me so far. I started the year with a big fight and a major win over Frampton. 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 am focused on October 23 and the fourth title defense of my WBO belt."
Stevenson responded, "Jamel had to fight me, or he would have 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 cannot 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. We got awkward opponents with real good punching power; it is not always easy to shine. I ain't the only one that went through this. I look back at old Floyd Mayweather fights. [HBO commentators] Emanuel Steward and Larry Merchant are saying Floyd Mayweather, 'He is not that good. He is a very, very boring fighter.' I go fight Jamel Herring next and go beat him and then go beat Oscar Valdez. They will be saying I am the best young fighter and put me on the pound-for-pound list."
Ali Walsh's professional debut a couple of months ago had obtained global media attention. He knocked out Jordan Weeks in the first round while wearing a pair of old trunks of Muhammad Ali. He will return to the ring in a city that has hosted two of his grandfather's most memorable moments. The State Farm Arena is less than a couple of miles from the Atlanta Olympic Cauldron Tower. This was when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame for the Summer Olympics 25 years ago. More than 50 years ago, Ali faced Jerry Quarry at City Auditorium. This was his first bout in more than two years after being banned from boxing after refusing to be inducted into the US Army during the Vietnam War.
The second professional bout of Ali Walsh will come a few days before the anniversary of the Quarry fight. Muhammad Ali won that fight by a third-round knockout. Ali Walsh said, "Atlanta welcomed my grandfather with open arms, and I am honored to fight there on a major world championship card. When Top Rank said I would be fighting in Atlanta, I thought of my grandfather lighting the Olympic torch and his bout against Jerry Quarry. This will be a special evening for my entire family. The legend lives on."
The Herring vs. Stevenson match will take place on October 23 at the State Farm Arena in Georgia. The boxers will be fighting for the WBO featherweight world championship belt. In the super featherweight division, the bout will go on for a maximum of 12 rounds. So, the weight will be 130 pounds. The Herring vs. Stevenson match will begin at about 7 PM PST or 10 PM EST. This is about 3 AM BST in the UK.
Both of the boxers are among the best in the world at the moment. Their statistics also give reason to their hype. Herring stands at nearly 180 centimeters and has only a couple of losses to his name, with more than 22 wins. He has knocked out his rivals more than ten times in his wins. His opponent is the young blood Shakur who will get into the ring with no losses and more than 15 wins to his name. More than seven of his victories are through knockouts. Herring is more experienced than Shakur. He also has a reach advantage of a couple of inches. Herring is ranked five places higher than Shakur in the featherweight division.
Conclusion
It is difficult to say who will be the victor and the loser in this highly competitive matchup in the Shakur vs. Herring fight prediction. The Shakur vs. Herring fight prediction has been given after considering both the sides and their statistics. One is undefeated, while the other has more experience. It is a vital bout for the fighters and the fans alike. The Shakur vs. Herring fight prediction says that it is going to be a very close game.