Former WBO junior lightweight boxing champion Jamel Herring, a native of Rockville Center, N.Y., in Hempstead, Long Island, became the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) World Bantamweight champion in May by convincingly defeating Michael Larrimore 50-44 on all three of the judges’ scorecards.
On October 17, in the main event of a seven-fight card at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Herring (2-0) will make his first title defense against former mixed martial arts competitor John Dodson (4-0-1).
“It was a great honor, a great achievement, and also just another milestone, not in my career, but just in life in general, for me to go out there and set a goal and actually go out there and complete the task, so it was a great night,” the 40-year-old former Marine said to the AmNews.
With his victory against Larrimore, Herring became the second former boxing champion to win a BKFC title, joining Austin Trout, who made his indelible imprint by taking down Luis Palomino in February of 2024 to capture the organization’s welterweight title. It came in the same year Herring had his last professional fight as a boxer, retiring with a 24-5 record.
“They say in boxing, you’re not a real world champion until you defend your title, and right now, I have a real good opponent in front of me and that’s where my focus is at.”
Herring explained that his training camp for BKFC bouts differs from his regimen during his boxing days.
“In terms of sparring, sometimes we use a lot of guys… not just boxers, but MMA fighters as well, to get used to the rough tactics, especially with the BKFC, how you can hold and clinch and still be allowed to fight, which they call dirty in boxing,” he described.
“But for the most part, for me in preparation and my mentality, I still look at it as a world championship level camp; I’m just putting in more work and adding new tools to the arsenal, but overall I still go in there like I’ve done at other camps in the past.”
A BKFC championship is five two-minute rounds, unlike a professional boxing title fight, which is 12 three-minute rounds. Herring assessed how the difference between the two impacts his fight strategy.
“The pacing for starters. You always have to be aware, and you can’t block with your gloves (because there are none); and even if you try to tie (up your opponent), if the guy has a free hand, they can still let their hand go and hit you wherever they please,” he said.
“I feel like you have to be aware of your surroundings the entire matchup, whether it’s 12 rounds or five. Again, you can be up three rounds, and you could get hit by one solid punch, and that can turn the whole fight around.”
Herring shared that he has a vision for his BKFC career.
“The next goal is basically to get on their pound-for-pound list and also, after being successful at the Dodson fight, I want to continue to fight better competition,” he confidently put forth, already assuring he’ll defeat his impending challenger.
“Maybe (fight) other champions from other weight classes as well, but just to continue to push myself and move forward. Never stay stagnant.”
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