Just two weeks ago, V.I. boxing champ Julius Jackson was getting ready with his brother and cousin to fight on a televised card out of Atlantic City, but a last minute switch up had him in Panama this weekend taking on Columbia’s Jhonatan Ricar at the Hard Rock Hotel’s Megapolis Convention Center.
Jackson made up for the lost time, taking care of business with a quick knockout of Ricar 2:14 into the second round. Just as quickly, the Internet lit up with Facebook and Twitter posts, announcing that "The Chef" would be coming home from Panama undefeated, advancing his record to 15-0 with 11 KOs.
Ricar’s record fell to 9-6 with 7 KOs.
"I feel great," Jackson said after the flight. "I felt strong going into the ring. I might have started a bit slow, it was a little cold so my opponent was a bit busier than me in the first round. But by the second round, I was warm, I put my punches together a little better and was able to stop him with a right hook to the body."
The Panama card featured a title bout between the International Boxing Federation’s junior flyweight champion, John Riel Casimero, 18-2 with 10 KOs, and Luis Alberto "Pan Blanco" Rios, 18-2 with 14 KOs, while the co-main event featured John Mark "Iceman" Apolinario, 17-2-3, and Roberto Vasques, 32-5-2, in a rematch for the World Boxing Association’s interim bantamweight title. The latter fight ended in a draw after going the full 12 rounds.
Jackson’s fight caps an impressive two weeks for the territory’s professional boxers, whose managers have been hinting at some other upcoming – and possibly televised – bouts on the mainland.
On March 8, Julius’s brother, John Jackson, and cousin Samuel Rogers, were booked on ESPN2’s popular "Friday Night Fights" card. Like his brother, John scored a quick knockout, taking down opponent Francisco Alexis Pena just short of a minute into the first round, while Rogers, 13-0 with 7 KOs, won by unanimous decision over opponent Ivan Ziglar, 7-3-1.