Jamel Herring falls, but stays confident

Jamel Herring’s time on the Olympic boxing stage was quick, but it was an unforgettable experience he called “an honor” to be a part of.

The Coram native fell to Kazakhstan’s Daniyar Yeleussinov, 19-9, on Tuesday in a three-round light welterweight opening-round bout. Herring had no answers for Yeleussinov’s left hand as he faced deficits of 8-5 and 15-8 in the first and second rounds, respectively.

“He was starting first. I wasn’t starting first and when I did, I was successful with it,” said Herring. “He was constantly moving as you saw in the third round but he had the better game plan for today.”

Despite the loss, the Marine Sgt. said he won’t let it get in the way of his duties as a member of Team USA representing his country.

“I’m gonna keep my head up as team captain,” Herring said. “If I am down, then my team is down. It hurts to lose of course, but I’m glad I was able to come here, put on a USA uniform and represent my country.”

There was lot going through the mind of the two-time Armed Forces champion and 2012 national amateur champ, from the death of his two-month old daughter in 2009, to his fellow Marines.

Said Herring: “I thought about Arriyanah (Herring’s daughter who passed away), from the first moment that I stepped in the ring until the very last moment I got out of the ring. I was thinking about her, my country, my team, the Marine Corps; a lot was going through my head. Not a lot to where I was getting sidetracked, I was just going out there to fight for everyone in my heart.”

As for his future, Herring said he is going to take some time off and spend some time with his family and “go from there”.

“It’s not the end of the world; people bounce back,” said Herring, 26. A lot of great champions took losses and they came back so why can’t I?”