On Saturday, October 23 Jamel Herring and Shakur Stevenson will ‘Throwdown in A-Town’.
That is Top Rank’s wonderful Hollywood title that provides us with a world title clash at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena between the WBO super-featherweight champion (Herring) and his challenger (Herring). The pair have been no stranger to one another lately and with their ‘beef’ ready cooked it’s time for ‘Semper-Fi’ and ‘Fearless’ to duel it out in just under eight weeks.
“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 defence of my WBO belt.”
Herring indeed impressively halted the historic challenge laid down by Frampton in April. ‘The Jackal’ came up short in his bid to become a three-weight champion when Herring cut him down in six rounds. It was a win that rocketed Herring’s profile and now sees him take centre stage once again but this time in more familiar territory than that of Dubai last time out.
“Jamel had to fight me, or he would’ve been stripped of his world title,” said Stevenson who has been eager for this fight to be nailed down.
“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.”
The Top Rank promotion, to be shown live on ESPN in the U.S and Sky Sports in the U.K, will also feature the second outing of Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh.
He’ll make his ring return in a city that hosted two of Muhammad Ali’s most memorable moments. State Farm Arena sits less than two miles from the Atlanta Olympic Cauldron Tower, where Ali lit the Olympic flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In October 1970, Ali fought Jerry Quarry at City Auditorium, his first fight in more than three years after being banned from the ring for refusing induction into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Ali Walsh’s second pro fight will come three days shy of the 51st anniversary of the Quarry fight, which Ali won by third-round knockout.
“Atlanta welcomed my grandfather with open arms, and I am honoured to fight there on a major world championship card,” said Walsh. “When Top Rank said I’d 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.”