Lightweight Jamel Herring, who spent his career in the stable of adviser Al Haymon, has parted ways with the Premier Boxing Champions creator and agreed to a promotional contract with Top Rank.
Herring said that the "deal was too good to pass up, with a minimum of three fights every year. I'll always have love for my PBC family and will be grateful for everything they've done in the past. I just had to do what was best for myself and family."
Herring (16-2, 9 KOs), the captain of the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team and a former U.S. Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, has also parted ways with longtime trainer Mike Stafford and is now being trained by Brian McIntyre, who is best known for his work with the unbeaten former two-division world champion and two-time fighter of the year Terence Crawford.
McIntyre got a good look at Herring, a southpaw, this past summer when he served as one of Crawford's sparring partners when he was training for his undisputed junior welterweight world championship fight with Julius Indongo on Aug. 19.
Herring, 32, a Coram, New York, native who has been fighting out of Cincinnati, is 1-2 in his past three fights and perhaps a change of scenery will do him good. He suffered a 10th-round knockout loss to contender Denis Shafikov in July 2016, bounced back for a third-round knockout win over Art Hovhannisyan last February, and then suffered a 10-round decision loss to Ladarius Miller on Aug. 22.
"We're happy for him," Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN. "Once everything is signed he can restart his career training under 'Bomac.' Herring is just one of a plethora of fighters who find themselves in a no-hope position. They're prizefighters. That's what they're supposed to do -- fight for a prize and, obviously, that window has been closed for many of them."
Moretti was referring to the chronic inactivity many of the Premier Boxing Champions fighters face.
Moretti said that Herring's first fight with Top Rank is not scheduled yet but that it is likely to take place in April and that "he can drop to 130 pounds or continue fighting at 135 pounds. He will fight wherever there are the best opportunities for him."