Julian Jackson (boxer)

Julian Jackson (born September 12, 1960) is a former professional boxer from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Known as "The Hawk", Jackson is regarded by many as pound for pound the hardest puncher in boxing history and was ranked #25 by The Ring magazine in a 2003 list of "100 Greatest Punchers".^[1] He is a former WBA light middleweight champion and two-time WBC middleweight champion.

In a career spanning 17 years, Jackson defeated four world champions in Eddie Gazo, Baek In-chul, Buster Drayton and Terry Norris, as well as top contenders such as Herol Graham, Dennis Milton, Thomas Tate and Agostino Cardamone.

He currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pro career

Jackson turned professional in February 1981 and had many of his early fights in Puerto Rico, where he lived for a short period of time, and gained a shot at WBA light middleweight champion Mike McCallum in August 1986. Jackson hurt the champion on a couple occasions in the first round, but McCallum came storming back with a barrage that forced the referee to stop matters in the second round.

After McCallum moved up to middleweight, Jackson got his second shot at the now-vacant WBA title in November 1987 against Korean In-Chul Baek, winning in three rounds. Baek would go on to win the WBA super-middleweight title a year later. Jackson made three defenses of his crown, against former IBF title-holder Buster Drayton (TKO 3), Francisco DeJesus (KO 8), and future three-time champion Terry Norris (TKO 2). All these defenses were won with a single knockout punch.

Jackson then vacated his crown, moved up to 160 lb (73 kg), and was matched against Herol 'Bomber' Graham for the vacant WBC middleweight title. Due to Jackon's retina damage which had required surgery, the British Boxing Board of Control didn't allow him to box in the UK, so the bout was held at Torrequebrada Hotel & Casino, Benalmadena, Andalucía, Spain on 24 November 1990.

Graham was putting on his typical savvy performance against Jackson: countering, slipping, and dancing out of the way. After being consistently beaten to the punch for three and a half rounds, Jackson unleashed one of the great right hands of boxing. Unconscious before he hit the canvas, Graham was revived only after five alarming minutes.

Defenses against Dennis Milton (KO 1), Ismael Negron (KO 1), and Ron Collins (TKO 5) ended quickly, but Thomas Tate would make Jackson work longer and harder in their August 1992 encounter - Julian had to go to the scorecards for the first time in a title bout in winning a 12-round unanimous decision, scoring a knockdown along the way. At this point Jackson was in the middle of the pound-for-pound rankings.

This would lead to his showdown in May 1993 with another big hitter, Gerald McClellan. This time the challenger prevailed, flooring Jackson twice in the fifth round. The second knockdown prompted the referee to stop the fight, after Jackson made it to his feet yet remained unsteady. Jackson had another shot at the title in May 1994 in a rematch with McClellan. Jackson was hurt and put under heavy pressure by McClellan very early into the first round, and was dropped by a left hook to the body after 65 seconds. The referee counted Jackson out as he rose to his feet.

After McClellan vacated the title to move up to super-middleweight, Jackson would have a second but brief reign as WBC middleweight champion, beating the previously undefeated European champion Agostino Cardamone in March 1995. Jackon had a shaky end to the first round, during which he was hurt and put under pressure until the bell by Cardamone, who wasn't considered a hard puncher. In round two however, Jackson again showed his punching power by suddenly dropping Cardamone heavily with a short right hand. Cardamone managed to make it to his feet but remained badly shaken, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Jackson lost the title in his first defense against Quincy Taylor in August of that year by a sixth-round stoppage in a fight where Jackson looked a shadow of his former self. Jackson would have four more low-key victories, before ending his career with losses to Verno Phillips and Anthony Jones, both in nine rounds, in 1998.

Life after boxing

Julian Jackson joined the ministry, living in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. He continued his involvement in the local boxing field as a trainer and coach. He has two sons who are also top-ranked boxers. Julius Jackson, a former Olympian, is currently professionally fighting with a record of 18–0 (14 KOs). He is ranked among the top 15 in the world by the WBO, WBA and IBF for his super middleweight class. Julius currently holds the WBC–USNBC Title and the WBA Fedebol title. John Jackson, also a former Olympian, fights professionally with a record of 18–2–0 (15 KOs), and was ranked 6th by the WBC in the super welterweight/junior middleweight division.

Professional boxing record

55 Wins (49 KOs), 6 Losses (6 KOs)[2]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, Time	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	55–6	Anthony Jones	TKO	9 (10)	1998–05–24	The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Loss	55–5	Verno Phillips	KO	9 (12) 2:01	1998–01–23	Grand Casino Tunica, Tunica Resorts, Mississippi
Win	55–4	Eduardo Gutiérrez	TKO	3 (10)	1997–10–31	Packard Music Hall, Warren, Ohio
Win	54–4	Terry Ford	TKO	2 (10) 1:01	1997–07–25	Tropicana Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada
Win	53–4	Augustine Renteria	PTS	8	1996–12–07	Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California
Win	52–4	Leonardo Aguilar	UD	10	1996–09–09	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
Loss	51–4	Quincy Taylor	TKO	6 (12) 2:33	1995–08–19	MGM Grand Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost WBC middleweight title.
Win	51–3	Agostino Cardamone	TKO	2 (12) 1:50	1995–03–17	Worcester Memorial Auditorium, Worcester, Massachusetts	Won vacant WBC middleweight title.
Win	50–3	Luis Buitron	TKO	3 (10)	1994–12–17	Coliseo General Rumiñahui, Quito, Pichincha
Loss	49–3	Gerald McClellan	KO	1 (12) 1:23	1994–05–07	MGM Grand Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada	For WBC middleweight title.
Win	49–2	Eduardo Ayala	PTS	10	1994–03–04	MGM Grand Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	48–2	Jaime Montano	TKO	1 (10) 1:50	1993–12–15	The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada
Win	47–2	Carlton Haywood	TKO	1 (10) 2:16	1993–08–06	Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón
Loss	46–2	Gerald McClellan	TKO	5 (12) 2:09	1993–05–08	Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada	Lost WBC middleweight title.
Win	46–1	Eddie Hall	TKO	4 (10)	1992–12–13	The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	45–1	Thomas Tate	UD	12	1992–08–01	Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC middleweight title.
Win	44–1	Ron Collins	TKO	5 (12) 1:27	1992–04–10	El Toreo, Mexico City	Retained WBC middleweight title.
Win	43–1	Ismael Negron	TKO	1 (12) 0:50	1992–02–15	The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC middleweight title.
Win	42–1	Dennis Milton	KO	1 (12) 2:10	1991–09–14	The Mirage, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC middleweight title.
Win	41–1	Herol Graham	KO	4 (12) 1:13	1990–11–24	Torrequebrada Hotel & Casino, Benalmádena, Andalusia	Won vacant WBC middleweight title.
Win	40–1	Wayne Powell	TKO	4 (10) 1:36	1990–06–16	Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada
Win	39–1	John McClendon	KO	2 (10)	1990–05–18	Saint Thomas
Win	38–1	Terry Norris	TKO	2 (12) 1:33	1989–07–30	Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBA light middleweight title.
Win	37–1	Derwin Richards	TKO	6 (10)	1989–05–13	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California
Win	36–1	Francisco de Jesus	KO	8 (12) 2:19	1989–02–25	Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBA light middleweight title.
Win	35–1	Buster Drayton	TKO	3 (12) 2:57	1988–07–30	Harrah's Marina Resort Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBA light middleweight title.
Win	34–1	Efren Olivo	TKO	1 (10)	1988–06–25	Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	33–1	Reggie Barnes	TKO	1 (10)	1988–04–16	Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	32–1	Baek In-Chul	TKO	3 (12) 1:17	1987–11–21	Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada	Won vacant WBA light middleweight title.
Win	31–1	Milton Leaks	TKO	10 (12) 0:38	1987–04–24	Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut	Retained WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title.
Win	30–1	Khalif Shabazz	KO	1 (10)	1986–12–19	Saint Thomas
Loss	29–1	Mike McCallum	TKO	2 (15) 2:03	1986–08–23	Miami Beach Convention Hall, Miami Beach, Florida	For WBA light middleweight title.
Win	29–0	Derrick Drane	TKO	2 (10)	1986–05–20	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Win	28–0	Francisco Del Toro	KO	2 (10) 2:05	1986–04–19	Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	27–0	Mark Allman	TKO	1 (10)	1986–03–22	Riviera Hotel and Casino, Winchester, Nevada
Win	26–0	Lopez McGee	KO	4 (12)	1986–02–28	Saint Thomas	Retained WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title.
Win	25–0	Raúl Hernandez	TKO	1 (10)	1985–11–15	Tamiami Fairgrounds Auditorium, Miami, Florida
Win	24–0	José Padilla	TKO	3 (10) 1:22	1985–08–10	Riviera Hotel and Casino, Winchester, Nevada
Win	23–0	Rafael Corona	KO	3 (12)	1985–07–12	Santa Clara, California	Retained WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title.
Win	22–0	Tim Harris	TKO	8 (12) 0:18	1984–11–21	Riviera Hotel and Casino, Winchester, Nevada	Retained WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title.
Win	21–0	Santos Solis	KO	2 (10)	1984–11–03	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan
Win	20–0	Curtis Ramsey	TKO	12	1984–08–15	Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title.
Win	19–0	Ron Lee Warrior	TKO	3 (12)	1984–06–20	Hato Rey	Won WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title.
Win	18–0	JJ Cottrell	TKO	5 (10) 2:57	1984–05–16	Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	17–0	Eddie Gazo	KO	2 (10) 0:36	1984–03–17	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan
Win	16–0	Carlton Brown	TKO	1 (10)	1983–01–20	Felt Forum, New York City, New York
Win	15–0	Jeff Nelson	TKO	3 (10) 2:31	1983–10–15	James L. Knight Convention Center, Miami, Florida
Win	14–0	David Plowden	KO	3 (10)	1983–06–25	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan
Win	13–0	Reinaldo Roque	TKO	1 (10)	1983–05–18	Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	12–0	Jake Torrance	TKO	5 (10)	1983–03–06	Harrah's Marina Resort Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	11–0	Dominic Fox	KO	2 (10)	1983–02–19	Hato Rey
Win	10–0	Mack Heimbaugh	TKO	4 (8), ?	1982–11–17	St. Joseph, Missouri
Win	9–0	Miguel Sepulveda	TKO	3 (8), 0:24	1982–08–18	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan
Win	8–0	Al Cook	KO	2 (8), 2:15	1982–06–08	Miami Beach Convention Hall, Miami Beach, Florida
Win	7–0	William Page	UD	6	1982–03–20	Playboy Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	6–0	Dario de Asa	KO	3 (8), ?	1981–09–26	Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida
Win	5–0	Edwin Rodriguez	KO	1 (6), ?	1981–08–15	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Win	4–0	Reyes Escalera	TKO	3 (6), ?	1981–05–15	Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Win	3–0	Marcelino Flores	KO	2 (4), ?	1981–05–09	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Win	2–0	Rafael Ayala	KO	1 (4), ?	1981–03–05	Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Win	1–0	Inocencio Carmona	PTS	4	1981–02–02	San Juan, Puerto Rico	Professional debut.

References

External links

• Professional boxing record for Julian Jackson from BoxRec
• Q&A: Julian Jackson!