Marine Corps Olympic boxer Jamel Herring to fight at Save Mart Center on Sept. 14

Friday, August 17, 2018 - 1:37pm By Scott Holwell, Veterans Resources

On September 14, The Save Mart Center in Fresno will host the largest-ever televised sporting event in its history and that of the region, in front of 14,000 people, as Avenal native, Olympic and current WBC Super-lightweight Champion, Jose Ramirez defends his World Title on his home turf.

Fighting in the undercard bout will be Marine Corps veteran, Jamel Herring. He is the first and only Marine ever to become an Olympian and go on to fight at this level. Jamel served in the United States Marine Corps from 2003-2012, achieving the rank of Sergeant.

He was a Basic Field Electrician; Chemical Biological Incident Response force marine (CBIRF) and performed security detail during his 2nd deployment in Iraq, in 2007. “I’m just honored and excited to be back for this card,” Sargent Herring said. “As some may know, Jose and I were Olympic teammates, but we haven’t fought on the same night since our amateur days. It’s great to reunite with a close friend again. I’m really motivated to fight for my first title as a professional. Though it isn’t for a world title, a big win here will catapult me higher in the rankings and a step closer to a world title. I look at every fight as a title fight, and let’s not forget I’m fighting in front of my Marine Corps family, so it’s a must that I put on a great performance!”

Please come out and support a fellow veteran. The Kings County Veterans Services Office will have an undetermined amount of free ticket vouchers available for veterans to attend this historic event.

The Kings County Veterans Services Office can also complete the DMV Veteran Status Verification Form for the California Veteran Designation on your driver’s license and also issues Veteran I.D. cards to honorably discharged veterans. Contact Scott Holwell at the email address provided below, if you would like to receive periodic veteran’s information by email. There are many state and federal benefits and programs available to veterans and their dependents. To determine if you are eligible for any of these benefits, visit or call our office. We can and will assist you in completing all required application forms. You can get information on the Web from the Kings County Veterans Service Office webpage at www.countyofkings.com/vets.

Scott Holwell, retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer, is the Veterans Service Officer for Kings County. Send your questions to the Veterans Service Office, 1400 W. Lacey Blvd, Hanford, CA 93230; call (559)852-2669; or e-mail scott.holwell@co.kings.ca.us.