Premier Boxing Champions returns to ESPN on Saturday when 2012 United States Olympian and Marine Corps veteran Jamel Herring faces his toughest test to date against two-time lightweight title challenger Denis Shafikov.
In the co-main event, Wilky Campfort will face Patryk Szymanski in junior middleweight action.
Lightweight bout
Herring enters Saturday’s fight with a career record of 15-0 (8 KO). It’s Herring’s second fight in 2016 after he went 4-0 last year.
Herring, who has served two tours of duty as a United States Marine in Iraq, is an above-average power puncher in this division. In his past two fights, Herring landed 43 percent of power punches thrown, seven percentage points above the lightweight average, according to CompuBox.
The more experienced fighter in this bout, Shafikov, takes a 36-2-1 (19 KO) career record into Saturday night. Both of his losses were in world title fights.
Unlike Herring, who won four of his past five bouts by unanimous decision, three of Shafikov’s past four wins were by knockout.
According to CompuBox, both fighters throw 64 punches per round, which is just above the lightweight average of 60. Shafikov lands more punches per round (20.4 vs. 15.6) and at a higher percentage than Herring (32 percent vs. 24 percent).
2012 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team continues dominance
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, no American male boxer won a medal, marking the first time that has ever happened. Many of the team members turned pro, including team captain Herring, and they have combined to win 168 fights.
Rau’shee Warren won the first title for the group on June 18, and heavyweight Dominic Breazeale fought for a heavyweight title Saturday. A victory by Herring Saturday could put himself in lightweight title contention. Robert Easter Jr. will fight for the vacant IBF lightweight title later this year.
Junior Middleweight bout
Campfort and Szymanski will meet in a junior middleweight bout that is scheduled for 10 rounds.
Campfort enters the fight at 21-2 (12 KO). His 20-fight win streak was snapped in his last fight, an IBF junior middleweight title fight against Jermall Charlo.
Szymanski is 15-0 (9 KO). He has won seven of his past eight bouts by knockout. It’s Szymanski’s 10th career fight in the United States.
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