Stevenson Favored to Retain Belt

Shakur Stevenson vs Jamel Herring headlines the boxing world this week, where Stevenson is the raging-hot favorite in Atlanta on Saturday night.

The undefeated American takes on a dangerous Herring, who has beaten quality fighters throughout his career.

It won’t be a walk in the park for the -1000 boxing betting lines favorite, but it should be a thrilling Super Featherweight contest.

Stevenson Racking Up Wins

The 16-0 Stevenson has yet to suffer a defeat, but after two unanimous decision wins, he’d love a knockout.

To his credit, knocking out fighters like Jeremia Nakathila is easier said than done, so he won’t be discouraged about his victories. However, the 24-year-old has the world at his feet.

His win over Nakathila might have come via decision, but that was a tough fight to overcome. The Virginia native is currently ranked fifth in the world in the Super Featherweight division, so his future is bright.

🥊 FIGHT WEEK 🇺🇸
Shakur Stevenson Bids to become two weight champion against fellow American Jamel Herring. #boxing #HerringStevenson. pic.twitter.com/ZgmdwcajsJ

— EverythingBoxing (@EverythingBoxi2) October 18, 2021

Regardless of how his wins come, Stevenson is showing maturity well beyond his years, but he isn’t beyond talking smack before the fight.

He has been on the offensive, but Herring has taken it on the chin.

“My thing, I want to become the undisputed champion, the true lineal champion of the division,” Herring told BoxingScene.com. “It doesn’t matter what anyone has to say about it, or say about me. All I’m focused on is who’s in my way of that goal.

“At times, I said he’s just building the fight, this is boxing chatter. At the end of the day, we both got to go in the ring and fight. I honestly think this is the biggest fight in the division, with everything going on.”

We are pretty sure Stevenson is trying to build hype for the fight. He’s the -1000 favorite who expects to win, so making it more personal could work to his advantage.

Herring is a Worthy Opponent

Herring might be 35 years old, but the southpaw is a fighter who could land a telling blow on Stevenson’s chin.

He is 23-2 with 11 knockouts, and he is riding a seven-fight winning streak. Since his loss to Ladarius Miller in 2017, he has beaten some of the biggest names in the business, including Carl Frampton earlier this year.

Frampton might be past his best, but the TKO victory made a statement. He handed the former champion just his second career defeat, so the +600 underdog shouldn’t be underrated.

He knows he’s in the twilight of his career, so he has nothing to lose. Scoring a win over Stevenson would not only shake up the boxing world, but the sportsbook would be forced to recognize that Herring as a world-class boxer.

He has had three four-star fights and won them all. Herring is a worthy contender, and it’s his belt that’s up for grabs. He’ll be keen to hang onto it and bookmakers expect this fight to go the distance.

He joined the same gym as Terrence Crawford, and despite not being the main attraction at the gym, Herring fits right in.

“As soon as I walked through those doors they know everyone can’t be a ‘Bud’ Crawford,” Herring noted. “But the main thing here is no one here is better than the other. We all are treated equally. There’s no ‘this is the guy’… everyone is treated the same.”

Over 10½ rounds has been backed into -210, so Stevenson by decision is the popular pick. That option is currently -120, so Stevenson could continue his recent method of winning.

Bettors get +135 with betting online for Stevenson by KO, TKO or DQ. It’s a fair price, but we expect Herring to hang tough and give the favorite a real test.