Fighting on July 4 weekend is special for lightweight Jamel Herring.

He represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics and was captain of the boxing team. Before that he served nine years in the U.S. Marines, including two tours of duty in Iraq (where he was a field electrician), the reason why he got such a late start to his professional career.

Jamel Herring-Denis Shafikov Where: Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania

When: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

So to be able to fight on the most patriotic of weekends is a big deal for Herring, 30, who will face the most significant opponent of his career when he meets former two-time world title challenger Denis Shafikov in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card on Saturday night (ESPN and ESPN Deportes, 9 p.m. ET) at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania.

"It's a huge honor and blessing to headline on ESPN on Fourth of July weekend," Herring said. "I want to put on a good show. It's an extra special honor on this weekend, being that I was a Marine and to headline, and I want to put on a patriotic and great performance."

Herring (15-0, 8 KOs), a 2012 U.S. amateur national champion at 141 pounds, has been brought along slowly by manager Al Haymon but is really ramping up his competition against fellow southpaw Shafikov, of Russia.

"I have a great deal of respect for Shafikov," Herring said. "Tough guy, experienced -- but he had his chance. It's my time. It's my toughest fight on paper, but I feel good. It is my time to earn my respect."

Shafikov, 31, has twice fought for a lightweight word title but came up short each time. In his last fight, in December, Shafikov (36-2-1, 19 KOs) lost a unanimous decision challenging Rances Barthelemy for a vacant 135-pound belt. In 2014, he lost a unanimous decision to then-titleholder Miguel Vazquez.

Now he hopes to win and pave the way for another opportunity.

"Everything went well in camp. We had a four-month camp," Shafikov said through a translator. "We were supposed to fight a couple of months ago, but when that fight was cancelled, I relaxed for a minute and then this opportunity came up.

"Herring has a great record and he represented the U.S. in the Olympics. He is still young, and I feel that my experience will be the determining factor. I accepted this fight because a win gets us in line for big opportunities, including another shot at a world championship."

Herring grew up in Coram, New York, but now lives in Cincinnati, where he trains with Mike Stafford and is part of the same stable as former four-division world titleholder Adrien Broner. Herring trained in Cincinnati during the early part of his camp to prepare for Shafikov and then relocated to Washington, D.C., to finish up at Barry Hunter's talent-rich gym.

"Camp was great. During my time in D.C., I sparred with [former junior welterweight titlist] Lamont Peterson," said Herring, who noted that Peterson, a right-hander, did him a favor by turning southpaw for their sparring sessions.

Former Marine and unbeaten lightweight Jamel Herring headlines Saturday's PBC on ESPN card against Denis Shafikov. Mark Zerof/Hogan Photos

Although Shafikov is vastly more experienced as a professional compared to Herring, he is also the smaller man. Herring, at 5-foot-9, will own a four-inch height advantage.

"I was 15 years old when I first started boxing," Herring said. "I had a close friend, and his father was a trainer. When I was a kid, he always asked me and nagged me to come to the gym, but I wasn't really into boxing. I was more into team sports, like basketball, football, and things like that. As a kid, when I thought of boxing, I thought of the Rocky movies -- I saw all the punishment that they would take and I thought, 'I don't know about that.'

"But after a while, he came by and told me how much fun it was, so I gave it a try one day and I stuck to it for good. I had about 92 amateur fights altogether. I think I had about 14 losses. When I joined the Marine Corps in 2003, I had to take a little break from boxing, so I didn't get back into it until 2006. Then the Marine Corps deployed me back to Iraq again in 2007. Then I came back in 2008 and started boxing again."

One of his sons, Stephen, was born while he was deployed in Iraq.

MTR: A battle of southpaws Dan Rafael previews Saturday's PBC on ESPN main event of Jamel Herring vs. Denis Shafikov. Watch

With his Olympic credentials, connections to Haymon and a strong work ethic, Herring is probably not too far away far from getting a shot at a world title, but beating Shafikov is imperative if he wants one.

"I believe a win will open the doors for a world title [fight]," said Herring, a married father of two sons, a daughter and a step-daughter. "In my mind, I am taking this fight as a world title fight. That is how important this fight is, and before the end of the year I hope to get a crack at a world title."

In the co-feature, 23-year-old Polish junior middleweight Patrick Szymanski (15-0, 9 KOs) will face former world title challenger "Silky" Wilky Campfort (21-2, 12 KOs) in a 10-round fight.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to take on an experienced opponent," Szymanski said. "I think it will be a good test for me and a chance to show off my skills.

"I've worked very hard so that I can leave an impression with my performance. These are the kind of fights that I have to win and win in style if I want to reach my goals in this sport."

Campfort, 31, born in Haiti and based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is coming off a fourth-round knockout loss challenging Jermall Charlo for his 154-pound world title in November. He is not sure what to expect from Szymanski.

"I don't know too much about my opponent, but I did see him fight once in Tampa," Campfort said. "Come Saturday night, I will see what he has. It means a lot to fight on ESPN. The first fight that I saw that involved a fellow Haitian was Daniel Edouard on ESPN and it gave me a lot of motivation to pursue my career. I am not only fighting for myself, but all of the people in Haiti and Florida that have been supporting me.

"A win will put me right back into where I was when I had my long winning streak. A win will put me back in the mix at 154 pounds."