Report- Jamel Herring-Shakur Stevenson In Atlanta October 23rd

The highly anticipated WBO World Jr. lightweight title fight between champ Jamel Herring and unbeaten former WBO Featherweight title holder, Shakur Stevenson, has reportedly settled on a date and location.

ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported that Herring-Stevenson has been agreed to and will take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA on October 23rd,

Jamel Herring and Shakur Stevenson have both signed the contracts for their junior lightweight title fight on ESPN and ESPN+, sources told @MikeCoppinger.

The fight will take place on Oct. 23 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/MRnBMhAyIf

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) August 12, 2021

From Coppinger’s item,

Herring and Stevenson both will earn at least $1.5 million — career-high paydays — for a bout that will headline Top Rank Boxing on ESPN/ESPN+, sources said. ESPN reported last week that the deal was agreed to, avoiding a purse bid.

“I told [Stevenson] … that when the fight happens, I know it will be his toughest fight,” Herring told ESPN last month. “I said it to his face: ‘I’m going to be your biggest fight, your biggest test.’

“I’ve been in there with better guys than he’s fought by far.”

As we have written previously, Herring (23-2, 11 KOs) was unsure if this bout with the former U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Stevenson would be happening. This after the ridiculous rules that the WBO was trying to impose on the champ, if the fight had to go to their purse bid. That included Herring allegedly getting only 37% of the purse despite being the titleholder.

The champ sounded off on social media about it here,

For the past couple of weeks, I thought the fight was basically a done deal. I’ve agreed to everything my team brought to the table so this bid comes as a shock, but I’m more blown away looking at the SPLIT. This is how they do you, when they want you to quit or walk away 😅 https://t.co/hW3e4iujOp pic.twitter.com/8owZkiT9rb

— Jamel Herring (@JamelHerring) August 2, 2021

Alas, the two sides have agreed before that purse bid mayhem could be implemented and as Coppinger wrote above, both fighters will apparently split the purse and make the largest money of their careers.

Make sure to get a full preview of all the fight action this weekend, including the Franco-Moloney third fight with ESPN’s Crystina Poncher, on the Big Fight Weekend podcast by clicking below,

The 35-year-old former two tour of duty U.S. Marine Herring upped his leverage with an impressive sixth round TKO of former two division world champion Carl Frampton in Dubai back in April. That was the third defense of his title and put him in line for the mandatory challenger Stevenson.

As for Stevenson, he is 16-0 after wining a lackluster 12 round decision over #2 WBO 130 lb. contender Jeremiah Nakathila in June. But, while that fight was dull, it solidified him as the fighter getting Herring, next.

The selection of Atlanta is interesting as Showtime/PBC have used it twice in the last year and half for Gervonta Davis PPV’s. That includes his exciting fight with Mario Barrios in June at the 18,000 seat, home arena of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Davis was challenged by the bigger Barrios before finally getting a TKO win in front of a near sellout crowd.

It’s not clear, yet, whether ESPN will put the fight on it’s PPV service or show it on the main network after college football on a Saturday night, etc.?