By Jake Donovan

The reception he received in his last trip to Fresno was all the reminder Jamel Herring needed that he doesn’t need a sanctioning body title in order to feel like a champion.

Of course, actually owning one doesn’t hurt—and in fact will only enhance his return to California’s Central Valley region.

Herring’s first defense of his super featherweight title is set for Nov. 9 versus mandatory challenger Lamont Roach. Barring a drastic change in plans, BoxingScene.com has learned that the bout will likely land at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, Calif. with the event to stream live on ESPN+.

The timing of the bout falls in line with the preceding Veterans Day holiday (Monday, Nov. 11), honoring those who’ve served and continue to serve in the United States military.

Herring (20-2, 10KOs) carries a notable back story as a proudly decorated U.S. Marine, who has served two tours in Iraq. It’s a status he’s worn with honor, as evidenced by his title win over Japan’s Masayuki Ito this past May, with the pre-Memorial Day event coming complete with a house full of U.S. Marines on hand in Kissimmee, Fla. Their presence was literally felt upon his winning the title, joining Herring in a ring that nearly collapsed during his post-fight interview with ESPN’s Crystina Poncher.

The same amount of love was afforded the Long Island (New York)-bred southpaw when he fought on the undercard of an ESPN telecast last September at Save Mart Center in Fresno. The show was headlined by local boxing hero Jose Carlos Ramirez, who outpointed previously unbeaten Antonio Orozco to defend his 140-pound title.

Herring scored a 10-round shutout of John Vincent Moralde on the undercard. His placement on the show received a considerable amount of attention given his fight week spent visiting locally based Marines, with a line of 50 of his uniformed brothers and sisters completing his ring entrance that night.

The title fight versus Roach (19-0-1, 7KOs)—an unbeaten contender from the greater Washington D.C. area—figured to be a good fit for the Fresno area. A return to the Save Mart Center was not an option, though, as the venue has a college volleyball game scheduled on the day.

The Stockton (Calif.) Arena was also considered, having played to a crowd of more than 10,000 for an ESPN show this past May headlined by unbeaten light heavyweight titlist Artur Beterbiev. Much of the crowd was on hand to see local unbeaten favorite Gabriel Flores Jr., who could land on the Nov. 9 undercard depending on the outcome of his fight on the Sept.14 card in Las Vegas topped by unbeaten heavyweight Tyson Fury.

Ultimately, the decision was made to take it outside.

Chukchansi Park is an outdoor baseball stadium which serves as the home to the Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple-A minor league affiliate to the Washington Nationals. The upcoming show will mark the stadium’s first time hosting a boxing event.

Roach enters the fight coming off of a 10-round decision win over Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo this past May in Las Vegas—three weeks before Herring’s title-winning effort.

Herring has won four straight bouts since signing with Top Rank last May. The move came shortly after enlisting the services of noted trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, best known for his work with unbeaten pound-for-pound entrant Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford. The union was formed after Herring impressed the team after being brought in to work with Crawford.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox