NABF, USBA belts up grabs Saturday as unbeaten Ortiz faces ex-Olympian Herring live on ESPN

Las Vegas May 19, 2022) – The stage is set for Saturday night’s 10-round NABF and USBA lightweight championship showdown between undefeated CES Boxing and Worcester, MA, prospect Jamaine Ortiz and former U.S. Olympian, former junior world champion, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jamel Herring live on ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes from Resorts World Event Center in Las Vegas.

The event, promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions in association with CES, also features a 12-round WBO Interim middleweight world title showdown between Janibek “Qazaq Style” Alimkhanuly and undefeated Englishman Danny Dignum. The Ortiz-Herring showdown kicks off the live broadcast at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Jamaine Ortiz | @jamaineortiz
Nickname: The Technician
Record: 15-0-1, 8 KOs
Age: 26
Height: 5’8″
Hometown: Worcester, MA

Career highlights:
• Compiled a record of 100-14 as an amateur
• Competed in 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in Reno, NV
• Stopped Josh Parker at the 3:00 mark of the opening round in his professional debut in 2016
• In February of 2019, defeated previously unbeaten Ricardo Quiroz of California to capture the vacant WBC World Youth Lightweight Title
• Headlined first fight in his hometown of Worcester in 2020 with a first-round knockout win over 22-win veteran Luis Castillo
• Became the first fighter to stop challenger Sulaiman Segawa, finishing his opponent in the seventh round of a scheduled eight-round bout on the undercard of the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones pay-per-view event in California in November of 2020
• In his first appearance on ESPN, fought to a draw against fellow unbeaten lightweight Joseph Adorno in 2021, surviving two knockdowns to keep his unbeaten record intact
• Headlined telecast of Showtime’s ShoBox: The New Generation in February and dominated challenger Nahir Albright to capture the NABF title

On facing Herring: “Jamel Herring is a tremendous fighter with an impeccable resume, and I have all the respect in the world for what he’s accomplished, but on May 21, he’s stepping into my ring in my weight class, and I will show him – and the entire world – why I’m the future at 135 pounds. What you saw in February against Nahir Albright is simply a preview of what’s to come. We’ve only scratched the surface. I’m looking forward to adding more titles to my own resume as I climb the ladder in 2022.”


Jamel Herring | @jamelherring
Nickname: Semper Fi
Record: 23-3, 11 KOs
Age: 36
Height: 5’10”
Hometown: Long Island, NY

Career highlights:
• U.S. Marine Corps veteran
• Deployed to Iraq in 2005
• Held the WBO junior lightweight title from 2019 to 2021 and is ranked as the world’s fourth best active junior lightweight by The Ring
• Won a gold medal at the 2011 and 2012 Armed Forces Championships
• Qualified for the 2012 Olympics in London and was the only Marine to compete and the first active duty Marine to qualify for the U.S. boxing team since 1992
• Defeated Masayuki Ito to win the WBO junior lightweight title in 2019
• In his first title defense, defeated Lamont Roach Jr. via unanimous decision, 117-111 twice and 115-113
• Defeated former two-division champion Carl Frampton in Dubai in 2021 via sixth-round technical knockout to retain his WBO title

On facing Ortiz: “I’m happy to be back, starting the new year with a fresh start. A lot has changed since I was last in the ring. I am working with a new trainer, Manny Robles, and returning to the lightweight division for this upcoming fight. I’m optimistic that a victory here will place me back in the title picture at either lightweight or junior lightweight.”