While V.I. boxers Julius Jackson and Samuel Rogers get ready to fly to Spain Wednesday for training camp with World Boxing Council champ Sergio Martinez, the territory’s third professional fighter – John Jackson – is gearing up for a bout billed as a co-main event on ESPN2’s April 19 “Friday Night Fights” card.
It appears nothing is holding back the Jackson camp anymore. Julius was tapped to be the chief sparring partner for Martinez (50-2-2 with 28 KOs) as he continues training for his April 29 fight against England’s Martin Murray (25-0-1 with 11 KOs) in Argentina, while John Jackson was recently ranked by the WBC as No. 15 in his weight class.
But 340 Boxing managers came out with even bigger news at a press conference on St. Thomas Tuesday, announcing that John had been confirmed on a “Friday Night Fights” card that features a title bout between the World Boxing Association’s featherweight champ Javier Fortuna (21-0 with 15 KOs) and Mexico’s Miguel Zamudio (25-1-1). John Jackson then will take on the undefeated Cerresso Fort (16-0-1) in a televised 10-round bout, which will be held at the Hotel Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Fort signed his contract for the fight just two days ago, drawn by the possibility of improving his own ranking if he can beat Jackson and maintain his undefeated record, 340 managers said Tuesday. And in the meantime, Fort has been fanning the flames from abroad, going public with promises of victory that Jackson said Tuesday have made him even more excited to get into the ring.
“He’s been saying that while we’re sleeping, he’s been training, things like that, like a Mayweather,” Jackson said. “So it’s going to be exciting. That just adds fuel to the fire and I’m excited, I just can’t wait. I am extremely excited just to be in the atmosphere, just to be over there and to just exchange punches.”
Another win for the Jackson camp – which comes on the heels of the first-round blow John Jackson dealt to opponent Francisco Alexis Pena on ESPN’s March 8 fight card – could further catapult John’s career and make him, as the 23-year-old himself said Wednesday, a “contender.”
340 Boxing promoter Lesley Comissiong said during Tuesday’s the press conference that the sports network averages 560,000 viewers on any given night, which adds to the prestige of the fight.
“It’s guaranteed to be explosive,” she added. “We have these two fighters, both are very decorated, and the eyes of the boxing world are going to be upon them. We can’t wait – there will be fireworks, we know that for sure.”
Comissiong said 340 Boxing is appealing to Virgin Islanders living on the East Coast for support, and said a large contingent from the mainland were ringside for Jackson’s last Atlantic City bout. The boxing company will also hold a raffle that will give one lucky resident free roundtrip airfare for two, hotel accommodations and tickets to attend the fight, she said.
Meanwhile, Julius Jackson and Samuel Rogers also prepare to advance their careers with the trip to Martinez’s training camp in Spain – an opportunity Julius said Wednesday shows that the territory has more to offer the boxing world than meets the eye.
“I think it shows that we have the best camp in the world and I think people are starting to see that what we have here in the Virgin Islands is very special,” Julius added. “To be invited to train with Sergio Martinez a second time is an honor, and we’re looking forward to developing our skills and of course learning as much as we can from him.”
Related link– https://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-sports/2013/03/26/vi-boxers-advance-careers-after-recent-wins
