October 24, (THEWILL) – On Saturday night in Atlanta, Shakur Stevenson beat Jamel Herring to win the WBO junior lightweight title.
The match ended in the tenth round with a technical knockout (TKO) after Stevenson’s multiple hard combinations opened up a bad cut above Herring’s right eye, prompting the referee to intervene midway through the round.
Stevenson, who is only 24 year old, dominated the former champion and demonstrated why he is one of the sport’s most promising young athletes. From the first bell, he showed off his renowned elite defensive ability and lightning-quick hand speed.
Often criticised for his lack of offensive prowess, Stevenson continued to pick apart the Herring, who is 11 years his senior, with hard jabs and hooks. He dazzled Herring in Round 3 with sharp combinations and landed two right hooks to Herring’s face in the sixth round.
Although the 24-year-old eased off in the middle of the fight, he clearly had enough in the tenth round and went for the knockout. So effective was his combinations that on the night, he landed 99 power punches.
Herring, a U.S. Marine, has held the title since May of this year and this is his first defeat in eight fights.
Meanwhile, Nico Ali-Walsh, the grandson of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, moved to 2-0 in his young career with a third-round TKO of James Westley earlier in the evening.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
