Herring Returns with a KO Win as Metcalf Decisions Yoshida
After being retired for over a year, Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring (24-4, 12KO) easily defeated an overmatched Nicholas Molina (13-1, 5KO) in the first round.
Herring had called it a career after losing back-to-back fights in 2021 and 2022. While sitting on the sidelines, the former WBO junior lightweight champion got the itch to return to the ring.
If this was a showcase fight, then it served its purpose, as there was nothing that we could have learned in such a short period of time.
Herring fought well off the front foot and busted open the young man’s nose with the jab. He kept up the pressure by landing hard shots, and after scoring two knockdowns the referee waved off the fight.
Armed with new trainer Wayne McCullough, Herring called out IBF champion Joe Cordina. He even entertained a possible fight with Tevin Farmer and a rematch with Lamont Roach Jr.. This Author thinks Semper Fi needs to test himself against a better opponent like Farmer before making a run toward a title.
SHURRETTA METCALF PICKS UP A SOLID WIN OVER MIYO YOSHIDA
In the bantamweight division, Shurretta Metcalf (13-4-1, 2KO) picked up the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title after beating Miyo Yoshida (16-4)
Metcalf came out looking to box using the height and reach advantage to control the early portion of the contest. She did a decent job of mixing up the attack and landed some good right hands.
Yoshida, a two-time WBO super flyweight champion, finally found a groove and began landing the right hand and used effective aggression to attack the body.
Down the stretch, it was an interesting fight. Yoshida couldn’t miss with the right hands and made sure to close the rounds strong.
Metcalf tried to take over the fight by building everything off the jab and landed straight right hands and uppercuts on the shorter opponent.
The judge’s scorecards went as follows, 99-91, 98-92, and 96-94 for Metcalf. 3Kings Boxing agrees with the last scorecard. The right fighter won, but those two cards were terrible. Those judges have no idea how to score a fight.
