After Going To War, Jamel Herring Is Ready To Fight

As Jamel Herring hung around his locker room last Tuesday night, shortly before the biggest fight of his career, he watched the undercard bouts on Fox Sports 1. It helped distract Herring and calm his nerves a bit. Still, he was anxious. He had never fought that late at night, and had never headlined a nationally televised card.

Finally, around 12:30 a.m., the public address announcer at the Sands Bethlehem Events Center in eastern Pennsylvania introduced Herring as David Bowie's "Fame" blared on the loudspeakers. Herring, a lightweight, emerged from the back to face Luis Eduardo Flores, a Colombian making his U.S. debut. Flores, a hard-hitter who was 21-2 with 17 knockouts, was supposed to present the most difficult challenge since Herring turned professional following the 2012 Olympics.

It didn't really work out that way. Flores couldn't do much of anything against Herring. During the fifth round, Herring knocked Flores down twice, the first on a left hand to the body and the second on a right to the head. From there, Herring continued dominating the 10-round fight and won a convincing unanimous decision. Two judges scored it 100-88, while the third had it 99-89. "He pitched a shutout," said Danny Garcia, the undefeated WBC welterweight champion who served as a television analyst. "No fight is easy, but he went in there and he handled business. He fought the perfect fight."

With the victory, Herring improved to 15-0. Although he hasn't yet faced any of the division's top competition, he's eager to prove he's for real and more than just an inspirational story.

After the bout, Herring walked around the ring with a red United States Marine Corps flag around his shoulders and a military fatigue hat on his head. The Marine Corps motto, "Semper Fidelis," was printed on his red and black trunks. It's not just a marketing ploy: Herring, whose nickname is "Semper Fi," is deeply proud of his military roots.

Herring joined the Marines in October 2003, a few months after graduating from high school on Long Island. He celebrated his 18th birthday in boot camp in South Carolina. He was inspired to enter the Marines by the events of September 11, 2001 and by the decision of his best friend, Stephen Brown, who had enlisted the previous year.

"Me being from New York, [9-11] hit close to home," Herring said. "I just wanted to do something with my life, something that had a meaning. I just wanted to do something better with myself than just hanging out in the streets and things like that."

When Herring enrolled, he had to give up boxing, a sport he had started training for in 2001 as a junior in high school, after getting cut from the basketball team for poor grades. Herring suffered his first amateur loss to current WBA middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs. Jacobs wasn't the only skilled fighter Herring faced. Others from New York City's five boroughs taunted Herring for growing up in the suburbs. "They look at us like we're rich kids, which we're all not," Herring said. "It was rough because you had to prove yourself."

Herring's time in the ring helped him adapt to his new life in boot camp and training. Still, there was no way he could prepare for the call he got in 2005—Herring was headed to Fallujah. He was initially naïve and didn't understand what he'd encounter. He worked as a field electrician and spent a lot of time with the reconnaissance units. "I didn't really care too much for it," Herring said. "I was just like, 'Let's get this over with.' I had that type of attitude. I wasn't really worried about it." He got home safe.

After leaving Iraq in 2006, Herring joined the Marines Corps boxing team before getting called back to Iraq a year later. He spent several months at the Al Taqaddum air base in central Iraq, where he worked security detail. Herring said he saw a few improvised explosive device explosions, including one that hit a nearby vehicle. "Luckily, no one was severely hurt and everybody survived, but it was crazy times," Herring said. "After seeing all that, it was kind of a reality check, like, 'This is real.' You never know what can happen. Not everybody is fortunate [enough] to go home."

When he returned to the U.S., Herring decided to re-enlist in the Marines with the caveat that boxing for the military would be his primary job. His first son had recently been born, and he didn't want to return to war. "I was fortunate and lucky to get that type of deal," Herring said. "Boxing was my job 24-7."

For the next four years, Herring worked hard to hone his boxing skills, which he said were admittedly rusty after taking so much time off. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina and traveled to compete against top amateurs.

In June 2011, Herring lost in the quarterfinals of the U.S. national amateur championships. Five weeks later, though, Herring redeemed himself and surprised most observers by winning the light welterweight division at the Olympic Trials in Mobile, Alabama. Afterward, Herring could have left the Marines, because he had fulfilled his four-year commitment. Instead, he volunteered to add an extra year because he wanted to become the first boxer in 20 years to represent the Marines in the Olympics.

After losing in the first round of the Olympics to a fighter from Kazakhstan, Herring spent several weeks contemplating whether to re-enlist or turn professional. He decided to give boxing his full attention, and try to make a career of it. He knew he could always have the military as a backup option when his fighting days ended. "I didn't ever want to be the guy that was like, 'What if?' years from now," Herring said. "I just wanted to take my chances and go from there."

When Herring left the Marines in October 2012 as a sergeant, he signed with advisor/promoter Al Haymon and moved to Cincinnati, where he's lived ever since, working with trainers Mike Stafford and Levi Smith.

Herring made his professional debut in December 2012 with a unanimous decision victory over Jose M. Valderrama. He's kept busy since then, fighting five times in 2013 and four times apiece in 2014 and 2015. All but one of Herring's bouts has ended with a knockout, TKO, unanimous decision, or referee technical decision. The lone exception was a split decision victory over Antonio Sanchez in January of 2014.

During the past few years, he's developed close relationships with WBA super lightweight champion Adrien Broner, bantamweight Rau'shee Warren and lightweight Robert Easter, Jr., all of whom train with Stafford and Levi Smith.

Broner was at last Tuesday night's fight, as were several members of Herring's family. Herring entered the ring wearing a red and black jacket with "Remember Trinity" stitched across the back. It was an homage to his niece, Trinity, who recently passed away due to sudden infant death syndrome. Herring's daughter had also died from SIDS in 2009. Exactly three years later, Herring marched in the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics as the U.S. boxing team's captain. "It made me appreciate life more because you never know what can happen," Herring said. "It makes me work harder."

On Tuesday, in Bethlehem, Herring connected on 29 percent of his 580 punches, while Flores connected 20 percent of his 292 punches. Herring was in such control that he stood in his corner before the final round instead of sitting on a stool, which is customary. He didn't need to. He wasn't tired at all.

"I feel like I'm improving," Herring said. "This was supposed to be a step up. You've seen the scorecards, man. It was like a clean slate. I'm really happy with my performance."

Herring said he hoped to fight again this spring, possibly on April 16. He also wants a title shot later this year. So far, Herring's handlers have been careful with him and eased him into his professional career. Still, he's ready to show he can hang with the best lightweights in the world. He's ready for the spotlight, and eager to seize it.

"If anything, I want people to take from my story and see what I did and see I didn't let my setbacks keep me down," Herring said. "I'm still going strong. I'm still following my dreams. I just want to let people to know we all go through tragedies in life, but it's not the end if you just keep on believing and going."