Sports

Long Island boxer’s bittersweet anniversary

LONDON — Light welterweight boxer Jamel Herring knows there may be tears in his eyes as he walks into the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremonies today. The anniversary will be bittersweet for the Long Island product.

His daughter, Ariyanah, died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome exactly three years ago today.

“She was born on Memorial Day,’’ said Herring, who grew up in Coram and now is a Marine stationed in North Carolina. “Of course, I wish she was here. But I believe in fate and everything happens for a reason. I didn’t realize until after I qualified and it hit me the opening ceremonies was the same day as my daughter passed away. I’ll think about her, but I also will try to celebrate and represent my country with pride.’’

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Herring, deployed in Iraq in 2005 and 2007, is a boxing aficionado who talks reverentially about Sugar Ray Leonard dancing to a welterweight gold medal in 1976.

“My trainers see glimpses of that,’’ Herring said.