"I owe it to my family to quit putting them through these moments" - Jamel Herring on loss

Jamel Herring, the former WBO Junior Lightweight Champion, has implied that he will retire.

After his unanimous decision loss to Jamaine Ortiz this weekend, Herring spoke out about his career. He posted a message on Twitter signaling his retirement from professional boxing:

"I love this sport, but I owe it to my family to quit putting them through these moments. Thank you all, whether you were with or against me, you made me who I am, but it’s time. Semper Fi, salute."

Herring lost his WBO Title to up-and-coming prospect Shakur Stevenson late last year. It was his third career loss and his first in four years. He won the title in 2019 after defeating Masayuki Ito by unanimous decision. He defended it against Lamont Roach Jr. in 2019 and then against Jonathan Oquendo in 2020. In April 2021, he successfully defended the title against Carl Frampton.

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A look at Jamel Herring's career

Jamel Herring made his professional debut in 2012. He won his first fifteen consecutive bouts, including a 2015 fight with Hector Velazquez. Velazquez has been in over 90 fights, including bouts with Manny Pacquiao, Kevin Kelley, Edwin Valero, and Jorge Linares.

In 2016, Herring fought Denis Shafikov, a Bashkir boxer trained by Abel Sanchez. After a tough contest, which saw Herring touch the canvas, Shafikov stopped the American. It was Herring's first career loss. In 2017, he beat Art Hovhannisyan. He then stepped into the ring with Ladarius Miller, who claimed a unanimous decision and gave 'Semper Fi' his second career loss.

Herring returned to the ring in 2018 and stopped Juan Pablo Sanchez in the fifth. He then fought John Vincent Moralde for the USBA Super Featherweight Title, which he claimed via unanimous decision. In his next bout, he dropped Adeilson Dos Santos twice before claiming the victory.

In May 2019, the New Yorker got his first world title shot. He outboxed Masayuki Ito and seized the title. Herring successfully defended his title three times before losing it to Stevenson in 2021. His bout with Carl Frampton that year was likely the finest performance of his career. He dropped the two-weight champion twice, winning by TKO.