By Jake Donovan
Piece by piece, the lineup is coming together for the 2017 premiere of PBC on Bounce TV, which takes place at Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
The show - which has yet to be formally announced by PBC bras - features a trio of boxers from Adrien Broner's About Billions stable, headlined by local favorite Robert Easter Jr in the first defense of his title against a yet-to-be-named opponent.
One bout that appears to be set is an intriguing crossroads clash between Easter's stablemate Jamel Herring and former 130 lb. titlist Artemis Mendez. The matchup is pending official approval from Mendez - who suffered a knockout loss to Easter Jr. in their title eliminator last April - but has received the all clear from the other side.
"They weren't lying when they said Al Haymon is matching up everyone in the stable because earlier I agreed to fight Argenis Mendez Feb. 10th," Herring (15-1, 8KOs) confirmed Monday evening.
The appearance will be the first for Herring since suffering a stoppage loss to Denis Shafikov this past July. Fittingly, Shafikov is now the mandatory challenger for the lightweight title after scoring a 12-round decision win earlier this month over Richard Commey, whom Easter Jr. (18-0, 14KOs) bested to win the belt in September.
Meanwhile, Herring - a highly decorated Iraqi war veteran with the U.S. Marines and team captain of the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing squad that competed in London - looks to bounce back strong and challenge for a title of his own in 2017.
"I've accepted every fight they've offered me for this show," notes Herring, who refused to accept a soft touch for his first bout back since the aforementioned defeat. "I said yes to Ivan Redkach, to (former lightweight titlist) Miguel Vasquez...I don't turn down any fight, I'm not the problem. I'm ready for a big year."
It was a big year for his teammates Easter Jr. and Rau'Shee Warren (14-1, 4KOs), the latter whom claimed a bantamweight crown with a 12-round decision over Juan Carlos Payano in their NBC-televised rematch this past June. Their first hour headlined the inaugural installment of PBC on Bounce, an event that set network viewership records.
The diminutive boxer now returns to the series for his first title defense. The only U.S. boxer in history to compete in three Olympics (2004, 2008, 2012), Warren will likely square off versus mandatory challenger Zhanat Zhakiyanov, a streaking contender from Kazakhstan whom fights under Ricky Hatton's promotional banner.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox_v2
