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According to a report at ESPN, Top Rank is working on a deal to have Masayuki Ito defend the WBO super featherweight title against Jamel Herring on May 25, which would take place on a Top Rank on ESPN card.
Ito (25-1-1, 13 KO) overpowered Christopher Diaz last July in Florida to win the then-vacant belt, and defended it at home in Japan on Dec. 30 against Evgeny Chuprakov. With those victories, he has emerged as one of the top 130-pound fighters in the world.
Herring (19-2, 10 KO) is a former U.S. Marine and U.S. Olympian, a 33-year-old fighter from New York who has moved down in weight for his recent fights, starting his pro career as a lightweight. At 135, he lost to Denis Shafikov and Ladarius Miller in 2016 and 2017, respectively, but his ability to move down has given him some new life, and obviously, he’ll be getting the biggest chance of his career here. He’ll be the underdog, but he’s got his shot, and he did look good at the 130-pound limit when he shut out John Vincent Moralde last September.