It’s been almost a month since their last fight, the Boxing in Paradise event on St. Thomas, and the territory’s professional boxers are still benefitting from the recent wins: Julius and John Jackson announced Thursday that their rankings with the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council had improved to 15 and 10, respectively.
Before the Boxing in Paradise VI fight, held Aug. 17 at Antilles School’s Mark C. Marin Center, John Jackson was 15 for the WBC. In the latest rankings, he has climbed to 10 in the superwelterweight/Jr. middleweight category, headed at the top of the list by champ Floyd Mayweather (45-0.)
When the Boxing in Paradise fights were announced months ago, John Jackson (17-1 with 14 KOs) was the only 340 boxer without an opponent, but he appeared as the main event against journeyman Tony Hirsch – sparring partner for WBC boxing champion Andre Ward. Jackson had a medical issue that couldn’t be taken care of before the fight, but his coaches said afterward that he was able to push through successfully.
340 Boxing trainer David Rogers recently explained that John Jackson had an issue with one of his back teeth, which could not be removed so close to fight time, but stuck it out during the fight and relied on his training to get him through.
The bout went the full eight rounds, but when the dust cleared, John Jackson was declared the winner by unanimous decision: 79-73, 77-75, 78-74.
His older brother, Julius "The Chef," was also recently named the WBA’s 15-ranked super middleweight fighter.
Julius Jackson (16-0 with 12 KOs) said his performance at the Paradise VI fights, and his jump in the ranks, is a testament to the training the territory’s boxers receive at their home gym in Paul M. Pearson Gardens.
For Julius (16-0 with 12 KOs,) last month’s fight was also more about showing the home crowd how much he has grown as a fighter over the past few months, both in strength and strategy.
During his bout against Julius Fogle, Jackson landed some early shots and late in the first round, Jackson’s head accidentally connected with his opponent’s mouth, leaving Fogle bloodied. Fogle continued, but Jackson knocked his opponent to the knees right before the end of the first round.
Working the ring, world renowned American boxing referee Steve Smoger – who made the trip to the territory to call and judge the professional fights – called the bout shortly after Fogle said he couldn’t push through, leaving Jackson the winner by way of knockout.
