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Julian "The Hawk" Jackson
World light-middleweight & middleweight champion ​

Born: 12/9/1960 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Record: 55(49)-6-0-2

Julian Jackson is a 3 time world champion at light-middle & middleweight & is widely considered one of the greatest punchers of all time. A once-in-a-generation talent blessed with freakish power in both hands he has perhaps the most explosive highlight reel of knockouts of any modern boxer.

Born in the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Jackson turned pro at 20 in 1981 & fought in Puerto Rico (where he lived for a short while) early in his career. His first opponent of note was Ron Warrior in 1984 for the WBC 154lbs continental title. Julian disposed of him within 3 rounds to improve his record to 19(17)-0.

Jackson's streak continued, winning his next 10 fights by knockout & he earned his first world title shot in 1986 against the fearsome WBA light-middleweight champion Mike "The Bodysnatcher" McCallum, 26(24)-0. In an exciting 1st round Jackson hurt McCallum with a left hook & then again with a right hand but in the 2nd Jackson was dropped early whilst off balance. McCallum stepped up the assault & after landing several good flurries without reply the ref stopped the fight with a minute left in the 2nd to Jackson's obvious displeasure. This was the first fight to highlight the disparity between his ability to land a punch & take a punch though there was no disgrace in losing to McCallum, one of the best ever LMWs & most underrated fighters of the last 30 years.

After losing to McCallum Jackson chalked up 2 more KO wins & had another title shot for the belt vacated by McCallum against Korean In Chul Baek (41-1). Their Vegas bout in 1987 ended via 3rd round TKO & Jackson was the new WBA light-middleweight world champion.

Now entering his physical prime Jackson put together a string of impressive performances, making his first defence against durable American contender Buster Drayton & winning an entertaining fight by TKO in the 3rd. After scoring a knockdown in the 2nd Jackson landed a huge left hook at the end of the 3rd which Drayton somehow stood up from, though he was in no fit state to continue. Following a 2nd defense against Francisco De Jesus (29-2) (KO8) came in his 3rd defense against future world champ Terry Norris. After losing the 1st round Jackson produced yet another highlight reel KO, a brutal right hand leaving Norris out on his feet was followed up quickly by a left & a right sending Norris face first onto the canvas.

After this win Jackson vacated his title & stepped up a division to 160lbs. In 1990 he faced the British hopeful Herol Graham (43-2) for the vacant WBC middleweight champion. Jackson had had corrective eye surgery & the BBBoC refused to sanction the fight in Britain so their title bout took place in Spain. The slick, talented & technically adept Graham boxed beautifully for the 1st 3 rounds, winning them all & making Jackson miss time & again. However in the 4th Jackson landed one the most famous punches in boxing, a huge right hand that Graham never saw coming. Herol was unconscious before his head hit the floor & remained so for 5 worrying minutes. 3 quick title defenses followed before Thomas Tate became the 1st man to take Jackson the full 12, though he won via clear UD.

Next up for the Hawk in 1993 was the hard-hitting American challenger & former WBO champion Gerald McClellan (27-2). Entering the fight a 2-1 favourite with a 46(43)-1 record this highly anticipated match up between 2 explosive punchers was never going to go the distance. Jackson was wobbled in the 1st minute by a right hand but the fight continued with both guys throwing bombs. McClellan was deducted a point after clash of heads in the 3rd & Jackson droppped him with 2 low blows in quick succession in the 5th. Gerald came roaring back, staggering Jackson with a good right hand & knocking him down heavily with a left hook seconds later. Jackson rose unsteadily & was knocked down again after taking some punishing blows. Julian rose again but was in no fit state to continue & ref Mills Lane stepped in & ended the contest.

On the comeback trail Julian had 2 quick 1st round KOs & a 10 round UD & in 1994 almost exactly a year later Jackson had a rematch for the WBC title with McClellan, who came out all guns blazing & after a sustained attack Jackson touched a knee down & took an 8 count inside the 1st minute. Gerald continued pounding away & dropped Jackson again moments later with a left to the body & although Julian was up at 10 the ref deemed him unable to continue & Gerald had won again, this time in the 1st round.

In 1995 Jackson won his 3rd world title, regaining the WBC middleweight title vacated by McClellan after knocking out Italian Agostino Cardamone (23-0) in 2 rounds. However in his first defense he lost against American Quincy Jones via TKO in the 6th. The signs of his decline of the previous few years were all too evident in this fight & Jackson looked a pale imitation of his former self. He fought on winning his next 4 but after losing 2 successive fights in the 9th rounds he retired in 1998.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kyi57mKkVs[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kbKe9cvEBI[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzBClliyf3Q[/ame]

 

Good work Mo, like seeing McCallum-Jackson in decent quality too :good

I like this one, WHAT POWER!!!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YIfzWl1i10[/ame]

 

Cheers Flea, Jackson is one of my favourites & the hardest puncher I've seen in my lifetime

That overhand right he throws, often without even looking where its going just ruined people. Fast, accurate & incredibly powerful

Jackson had such great technique & remained balanced whilst putting his whole body into punches & he had an ATG haircut:deal

1 thing I didnt know before doing this post was that all the belts he won were vacant, he never beat a reigning champ

 

He didn't beat a reigning champ no, but he faced some top fighters as you know.Thomas Tate gave Jackson a good fight...not many did at that time As you say, he could literally just throw it and rip peoples heads off, freakish power (have never seen so many fighters fall like they're a tree struck by lightning!!!) and had a good ring record.

:rofl True dat :deal

 

Name: Sergio Gabriel Martinez
Nickname: Maravilla
Height: 5' 10 / 178cm
Reach: 75" / 191cm

Boxing Record
Total fights 51
Wins 47
KO's 26
Losses 2(1)
Draws 2

Early life
Sergio Martinez didn't pull on a pair of Boxing gloves until he was age 20, despite having two uncles who had Boxing experience (one a pro). Before then he had targeted careers in both Cycling and Football. He was obviously a natural athlete and had trials with Argentinian first division team 'Los Andes'.
His affair with Boxing started when while training, someone suggested trying Boxing as a means of improving his fitness levels. After that he fell in love, just 1 month later he had his first amateur fight. After 18 months of being an amateur he had 41 fights, going 39-2. He was a 2-time Argentine Champion as well as 'Inter Continental Champion'. In 1997 he participated in the World Amateur Championships alonside Omar Narvaez and Javier Alvarez. It was during his amateur career that a local boxing journalest wrote that the fighter "Is a Maravilla", a Marvel in English.

Professional
In late 1997, Sergio made the decision not to wait for the 2000 Olympic games but to turn pro. In his first 17 fights, all in the Buenos Aires area, he won 16 and drew 1. Following this came his first big test. On the undercard of Morales-Barrera I, he fought the more experienced Mexican bull, Antonio Margarito. Margarito's record was not as impressive but he had boxed at a higher level than Martinez. Sergio was overwelmed by the bigger man, and just before the final bell of the 7th round, Joe Cortez stopped the bout.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6LkrhtGtJA[/ame]


Following his first defeat his financial backers and the Argentine Boxing officials abandonded him. This was probably the lowest time in his career and to make it worse he was out for 11 months after he suffered a recurrance of a hand injury. He claimed this affected the power of his left hand (more on this later). One doctor suggested he even pursued a different profession. Apparently, to today he still appears to be missing 1 knuckle. He had 8 more fights in Argentina, winning the national Welterweight title.


Spain
In search of a fresh start Martinez headed to Madrid, Spain. Unfortunately things didn't start well in Spain. Not long after arriving he had almost all of his belongings stolen by thieves. Importantly, this included all the information he had collected on Argentine boxers and trainers based in the Madrid area. He had just one number remaining. In his shoe, was the phone number of Pablo Sarmiento, brother of his now trainer Gabriel. They had previously met in Argentina where the pair had a misunderstanding and went their seperate ways. He had 4 fights in Spain, all against sub-standard opposition. He was given a second chance at a step up when he received an offer to fight Richard Williams for the IBO light middleweight title at the M.E.N. Williams was a big puncher with World title ambitions. Martinez using his speed, and boxing skills, won a clear decision despite being dropped in the 3rd round. Just 4 months later he was brought back to England to fight former WBC challenger, Adrian Stone. In an entertaining bout he stopped Stone in the 12th round. In the following April of 2004, for some reason, Martinez was brought back to the UK, Belfast this time to rematch Richard Williams. Here he put on his best performance yet, totally outclassing the Englishman and stopping him in the 9th.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnFziC9373I[/ame]


Sergio had found titles but had not yet found financial fortune. He was working whenever possible, from being a Bouncer to Modelling work, while still training and fighting. Even at this stage he was a "1000 Euro-a-fight fighter'. In March 2005 Martinez fought Albert Airapetian. Following an 11th round stoppage, in bizarre fashion, Airapetian's brother Alez who had also fought on the card attacked Martinez cutting the back of his head open causing an injury that required 10 stitches.


America
In 2007 came a clear turning point in his career. His manager made contact with the man credited with bringing Manny Pacquaio to the US, Sampson Lewkwicz. He delivered almost immediately, arranging Martinez's second fight in the US. Sergio would face Saul Roman in a WBC eliminator for their 154lb title. Martinez dominated the bout and in the 4th round he hurt Roman with a body shot. Sensing this he targeted the body again with the left hand. The Mexican went down and never looked like making the count.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeDcYHxnfEs[/ame]


Martinez had another minor bout in Spain in October 2007 before another milestone in his career. Lewkowicz targeted US-based promoters including Top Rank. They said, at 32, he was too old. Lou DiBella however couldn't believe that a fighter this talented was so unknown. He signed the Argentine on a four fight deal, with a $30,000 minimum guarantee. He was now a US-based fighter, setting up camp in Oxnard, California. His first 3 opponents were not impressive but in the fourth he faced Alex Bunema of Congo. Bonema had defeated Roman Karmazin just 9 months previous. The bout was for the 'interim' WBC 154lb title and would be Martinez's first appearance on US network HBO. In a sparkling performance, Martinez bamboozled Bunema, punishing him for 8 rounds before the ringside doctor stopped the bout. According to CompuBox numbers Martinez outlanded Bunema 212 to 31.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuH40--Nyng[/ame]


In his next fight he faced former IBF Welterweight champion in a defence of his WBC title. The bout itself was bizarre. Following a left hand by Martinez to the head of Cintron he fell to the canvas. The referee counted to 10 and the fight appeared to have finished, until minutes later the referee decided to restart the fight. In the 12th round, crucially, Martinez had a point removed for hitting Cintron behind the head. Even still it appeared that Martinez had done enough to take the decision but despite knocking Cintron out, and seemingly winning on points, the judges ruled the fight to be a draw.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQzXjMmb7w0[/ame]


Martinez was out for 10 months following the Cintron robbery until he received an offer to fight Paul Williams in a non-title fight. Williams was due to fight Kelly Pavlik but at 3-weeks notice Pavlik pulled out of the fight. Martinez went up to the middleweight limit for the first time. The fight started at a fantastic pace with both fighters scoring knockdowns in just the 1st round. In a fight of the year contender there was great back and forth action. The bout was much closer than the Cintron fight but it appeared that Martinez had done just enough to take the decision. Again, the judges did not favour Martinez. He dropped a majority decision to Williams with one judge, almost unbelievably scoring it to the American by 9 points.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsA0hreQAWI[/ame]


World Champion
Despite the disappointment of not getting the decision against Williams, Martinez put it behind him and returned to Boardwalk Hall to face the WBO and WBC champion Kelly Pavlik. Sergio started strongly clearly taking the early rounds. In characteristic fashion, Martinez appeared to slow in the middle rounds and was knocked down in the 7th. From there Martinez turned up the heat and cut Pavlik around both eyes. With the increased aggression Martinez clearly took the late rounds and with it, the titles by unanimous decision.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaFnqoEsZEY[/ame]


Pavlik chose not to exercise his rematch clause so Martinez instead signed to fight a rematch of his previous defeat to Paul Williams at a catchweight of 158lbs. Martinez again entered the fight as the betting underdog. The first round started as their first fight had finished at a franetic pace. In the second round a huge left hand landed directly on the chin of Williams. The American hit the deck face first and was out for the count. It was very same left hand which Martinez injured years previously and was told he should consider retirement as a result. Great credit must go to Martinez's trainer, Gabriel Sarmiento. After watching their first bout just days before the rematch Sarmiento couldn't sleep after a flaw he noticed in Williams. Martinez recalls the conversation: "Scrap everything we've been working on the last two months for a whole new plan of attack, two days before the fight!" Just a few inches to the left and a step backward was all Sarmiento was asking for. Martinez took fighter of the year and Sarmiento trainer of the year.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5CPaLdgpvw&feature=related[/ame]


When Martinez chose to rematch Williams, he was stripped of his WBO title and then following that win he chose to fight Serhiy Dzinziruk. In doing this he was forced to vacate the WBC title as he refused to fight their mandatory challenger Sebastien Zbik. Dzinziruk was an undefeated 154lb titleist known best for his strong jab. Just days before the fight though, Gabriel Sarmiento was arrested and extradited back to Spain for aggravated battery. Instead, Pablo Sarmiento worked the corner. This late drama did not seem to affect Martinez as he stunned the Ukrainian by coming out and outjabbing the jabber. Dzinziruk was dropped in rounds 4 and 5 and then three times in the 8th before the contest was stopped.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH_8dnIOCoQ[/ame]


Awards
The Ring Fighter of the Year 2010
The BWAA Fighter of the Year 2010
The Ring KO of the Year 2010
The BWAA KO of the Year 2010
IBO light-middleweight champion
WBC Interim light-middleweight champion
WBO middleweight champion
WBC middleweight champion
RING middleweight champion

 

nice 1 wallet, ill have a good read at that 2mo :good

 

Cheers mate. :good

You probably know about the later stuff but his journey there, I think, is fairly interesting.

 

That is sheer class Wallet, a quality addition :good

 

Magnificent work Lord Wallet

 

Has anybody done one on(or called) Emanuel Augustus?

 

:good:good

I don't think so mate.

 

Sweet, stick around Rasta's.

(Great work on Maravilla by the way Wallet)

 

Because I mentioned Narvaez

Cheers. :good

 

:yep I'll mention Martinez when I do my Narvaez one.

 

Meh, I'll do it tomorrow.

Promise.