Getting to know Jadier Herrera, new WBC interim lightweight champion

Jadier Herrera was crowned WBC interim lightweight champion on January 10 after defeating Ricardo “Científico” Núñez in a memorable fight.

But who is Jadier “One Billion” Herrera?

Herrera is a boxer born on September 9, 2002, in Camagüey, Cuba. Boxing runs in his blood, as he is the grandson of Cuban legend Ángel Herrera, who won Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Montreal Games and the 1980 Moscow Games in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, respectively.

He made his professional debut in July 2021 at the Round 10 Boxing Club in Dubai, the city where he currently resides. His start in the professional ranks was emphatic, winning his first five fights by knockout.

By June of the following year, with six consecutive victories, he earned his first title opportunity when he faced Pablo Robles for the WBC International super featherweight championship. Robles did not answer the bell for the seventh round, giving the Cuban the victory.

Two successful title defenses and several additional wins opened the door for Herrera’s first bout outside of Dubai. In 2024, he fought at the SSE Arena in Belfast, United Kingdom, where he earned a TKO victory over Andrés Navarrete.

At the beginning of 2026, Herrera competed in his first world title fight, contesting the WBC interim lightweight championship.

The fight started in difficult fashion for Herrera, who was dropped in the first round, but he recovered and went on to score a devastating knockout in the eighth round to claim the interim title.

Currently, Jadier Herrera maintains an undefeated record of 18 wins, 16 of them by knockout.