11/9 ESPN+: Jamel Herring vs Lamont Roach Jr. (WBO Super Featherweight Title)

[patscorpio]

November 9: Jamel Herring Set for Ballpark Title Defense Versus Lamont Roach Jr. in Fresno

Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring, the U.S. Marine veteran who upset Masayuki Ito in on Memorial Day weekend to win the WBO junior lightweight title, is set to honor his comrades by returning on Veterans Day weekend.

Herring will make his first title defense against the undefeated Lamont Roach Jr. on Saturday, November 9 at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, home of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies. This is a return engagement for Herring, who fought at Fresno’s Save Mart Center last September and had more than 1,000 active, retired and aspiring service members in the crowd cheering him on.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy, Herring-Roach and a co-feature will stream live beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on ESPN+. The undercard will stream on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

“Our camps have gone back and forth, and I’m just ready to get to work,” Herring said. “I have a great team, and Terence Crawford will also be in camp to make sure I’m at my best. Overall, the night means much more than trash-talking, since it’s the weekend of both Veterans Day and the Marine Corps birthday.

“I’m glad to be back in Fresno. I had a huge crowd supporting me last time I fought in the area. I know a victory here will lead to bigger and better things.”

“I know Jamel very well and he knows me,” Roach Jr. said. “I’m super excited, and I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life. This victory will be only the beginning of my legacy. I’m here for a reason, and I can’t wait to show the world why! I will be the WBO junior lightweight world champion on November 9.”

Herring (20-2, 10 KOs) served two tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq and captained the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team. His pro career stalled with a 1-2 skid from 2016-2017, but after signing with Top Rank and moving down to 130 pounds, he won three straight fights to earn the title shot against Ito. His September 2018 fight against John Vincent Moralde was a particularly special occasion, as dozens of Marines lined the Save Mart Center walkway as Herring made his entrance. He shut out Moralde as the ESPN-televised co-feature, and now he returns to California’s Central Valley ready to put on a clinic under the lights.

Roach (19-0-1, 7 KOs) is one of the best young fighters to emerge from the boxing hotbed of Washington, D.C. in recent years. His only hiccup as a pro — an April 2018 draw against Orlando Cruz in Cruz’s home country of Puerto Rico — was a minor speed bump in what has been an otherwise sterling run up the ranks. He is 3-0 since the Cruz fight, winning a pair of regional belts and putting forth his best performances on high-profile cards. He last fought May 4 on the Canelo Alvarez-Danny Jacobs undercard in Las Vegas, scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Jonathan Oquendo. Roach is trained by his father, Lamont Roach Sr., who has been the head man in his corner for his past five bouts.

 

[patscorpio]

November 9: Top Heavyweight Contender Kubrat Pulev Returns Against Rydell Booker LIVE on ESPN+

Pulev to face Booker as co-feature to Jamel Herring-Lamont Roach Jr. junior lightweight world title bout LIVE from Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California

Roach-Herring and Pulev-Booker to stream live on ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Undercard to stream on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Tickets start at $29 and are on sale NOW

FRESNO, Calif. (Oct. 22, 2019) — IBF No. 1 heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev returns to the ring to face Rydell Booker in a 10-round clash Saturday, November 9 at Chukchansi Park in downtown Fresno, California.

Pulev-Booker will serve as the co-feature to the Jamel Herring-Lamont Roach Jr. WBO junior lightweight world title bout and both fights will live stream on ESPN+, the leading multi-sport streaming service, starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

The entire undercard will stream on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

“Kubrat Pulev is ready to fight for a heavyweight title today, but he has one final test before that can become a reality,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “He is motivated to knock out Booker and get ready for his title shot in early 2020.”

“This fight with Rydell Booker is very important because of what’s at stake,” Pulev said. “Everything is on the line. I am the top contender in the heavyweight division, and I am the mandatory challenger for the winner of the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua rematch. I want the winner. It doesn’t matter who it is.”

"It’s a big deal for me. This is a chance for me to show everyone that I still have it,” Booker said. “I haven’t missed a beat. This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time. I was in camp with Oleksandr Usyk for six weeks before I got the fight. The numbers made sense, so I jumped at the opportunity.”

Pulev (27-1, 14 KOs), one of Bulgaria’s most prominent sporting figures, has won seven fights in a row since challenging Wladimir Klitschko in a failed bid for the unified heavyweight title in November 2014. He earned the IBF No. 1 ranking last October with a unanimous decision over Hughie Fury in his hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria.

Pulev maintained his ranking with a seventh-round knockout over Bogdan Dinu in the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN telecast March 23 in Costa Mesa, California. He faces Booker (26-2, 13 KOs), a 38-year-old Detroit native who is 4-1 since returning in February 2018 from serving a 12-year prison term for a drug conviction. A cruiserweight contender in the early 2000s, Booker now hopes a return to boxing can help him outside of the ring as well.

In other undercard action:

• Middleweight sensation Janibek Alimkhanuly (7-0, 3 KOs) hopes to bring his brand of “Qazaq Style” to Fresno when he defends his WBC Continental Americas and WBO Global belts against former NABO and Canadian middleweight champion Albert Onolunose (24-2-1, 8 KOs) in a 10-rounder. Alimkhanuly is trained by Hall of Famer Buddy McGirt and has knocked out two of his last three foes.
  
• Longtime middleweight contender and 2012 Olympic silver medalist Esquiva Falcao (24-0, 16 KOs) will continue his march up the rankings in a 10-rounder against Manny Woods (16-8-1, 6 KOs). Falcao was the first Brazilian boxer to reach an Olympic final and is ranked No. 7 by the IBF and No. 6 by the WBC.
  
• The pride of Stockton, California, Gabriel Flores Jr. (15-0, 6 KOs), will see his hometown fans head south to watch him face Aelio Mesquita (19-4, 17 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight fight. The 19-year-old Flores packed more than 10,000 fans into the Stockton Arena back in May and is perhaps the sport’s top ticket-selling prospect.
  
• Former world title challenger Amir Imam (21-2, 18 KOs) will make his long-awaited ring return versus Marcos Mojica (16-4-2, 12 KOs) in an eight-round welterweight fight. Imam, who recently signed with Top Rank, hasn’t fought since a March 2018 decision loss to Jose Ramirez for the vacant WBC super lightweight world title.

• Robeisy Ramirez (0-1), a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, will look to rebound from a shocking defeat in his professional debut against Fernando Ibarra De Anda (2-1, 0 KOs) in a six-rounder at featherweight.
  
• David Kaminsky (5-0, 2 KOs), the 19-year-old Israeli-born middleweight prospect, will face an opponent to be named in a six-rounder.

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy, tickets are priced at $200, $96, $46 and $29 (not including applicable fees). Tickets can be purchased by visiting mpv.tickets.com, charge by phone at 559.320.TIXS (8497) or at the Chukchansi Park box office (open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. PT to 5 p.m. PT). In honor of Veterans Day and the Marine Corps Birthday, any active or retired service members will receive up to four free tickets to the event by presenting their military ID at the Chukchansi Park box office (while supplies last).

 

[patscorpio]

well i hope whoever is boycotting dazn and ksi-logan paul card for whatever at least tunes in to catch this card

with that being said i wish they would have gotten a better co main....pulev who i think is trash fighting that somebody that james toney whipped like 15 years ago in a co main is not must see TV

i am interested in seeing young imam do his thing..he can still be a champ some day and see if ramirez goes 0 for 2 in his first couple of fights lol

 

[patscorpio]

 

[patscorpio]

good to see young imam win a fight..hopefully he can do big things and reach his potential

 

[patscorpio]

that was one sided from jump.

 

[patscorpio]

always good to see the young boy gabriel flores do his thing

 

[patscorpio]

this pulev vs booker fight is horrid.my goodness

 

[GzUp]

View attachment 27017


​

This is literally 2 minutes from my house, if I stand on my roof I can probably see the fight

 

[patscorpio]

This is literally 2 minutes from my house, if I stand on my roof I can probably see the fight

 

[aceboon]

Roach/Herring is as nondescript as I expected

 

[patscorpio]

this fight is close...but roach needs to stop on the gas a little

 

[patscorpio]

joel diaz is trying to light a fire under roach's ass

 

[patscorpio]

that was a knockdown...roach walked his ass forward squared up and got dropped...that was no slip

 

[patscorpio]

herring absorbed a mean shot at the end of the round...he was lucky