Highlights
–As expected, the 5-foot-5 Denis Shafikov pressured the 5-10 Jamel Herring from the outset, using a right hook to score a late second-round knockdown. Shafikov rocked his opponent with the same punch in the third.
–Shafikov swiveled Herring’s head and bloodied his mouth with a brutal fifth-round, 15-punch volley, and Herring bled from a cut near his right eye from a ruled clash of heads.
–Shafikov was at his best in a punishing, one-sided ninth round in which he nearly floored Herring, who bled from his nose and mouth. Although Herring survived the round, his corner threw in the towel after Shafikov landed another big punch early in the 10th.
Jamel Herring hoped to neutralize 135-pound rival Denis Shafikov with his boxing ability and five-inch height advantage. Those hopes were dashed in a big way, as the 5-foot-5 Russian brawler and two-time world title challenger proved an unstoppable juggernaut on his way to a 10th-round technical knockout.
Shafikov (37-2-1, 20 KOs) battered Herring (15-1, 8 KOs) from start to finish, flooring him with a second-round right hook, bloodying his mouth with a fifth-round, 15-punch salvo, and pummeling during a vicious, one-sided ninth.
After that brutal stanza, Herring’s corner repeatedly threatened to throw in the towel if their fighter failed to mount a final-round attack. When Shafikov connected with a pair of left crosses that forced Herring into a clinch early in Round 10, they made good on that promise, with referee Gary Rosato officially ending things at the 36-second mark.
Herring swept the first round on all three judges’ cards as he tried to establish lateral movement early and use his jab to keep the oncoming Shafikov at bay. But the fight flipped in Shafikov’s favor for good with six seconds left in Round 2, when the 31-year-old underdog landed a right hand to the nose that dropped Herring, who was held up by the ropes on the ruled knockdown.
From there, Shafikov—who was in his fifth bout under trainer Abel Sanchez, cornerman for 160-pound champion Gennady Golovkin—continued his aggressive assault while landing the cleaner, more effective punches.
Meanwhile, Herring—a 30-year-old Marine veteran and 2012 U.S. Olympian—never was able to solve his Russian counterpart, falling for the first time in his 3½-year pro career.
Denis Shafikov lands a big right hand during his dominating performance against Jamel Herring on Saturday night. Shafikov won by 10th-round TKO. (Nabeel Ahmad/Premier Boxing Champions)
