“There was no certain reason I started boxing – I just wanted attention. I thought if I was a fighter people would recognise me.”
People take up boxing for many different reasons. Some for self-esteem, others for self-defence, others to escape poverty or a life of crime. For Australian featherweight Luke Jackson, who only stepped into the ring at the age of 18, it was after a difficult childhood that was marked by alcohol and drug use.
Raised by a single mother in a rough part of Hobart, putting on the gloves helped Jackson fight his own mental health demons.
“I started boxing late and look it’s something I wish I started earlier, but at the same time if I did I probably would have retired now,” he tells The Sportsman.
“I had a hard childhood. I suffer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for a long time and I feel that it’s helped me to become the athlete that I am. But also its come at a price because I’ve suffered a lot. It went undiagnosed for 28, 29 years of my life.”
Now 33, boxing has been Jackson’s savour. He had a long amateur career, winning 81 and losing 32 of 113 bouts, and was crowned Australian champion five times. He won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and finished in the last 16 in India in 2012. Jackson’s final flurry came at the London Olympics in 2012.
He then hung the gloves up, but lost his focus, and decided to enter the professional ranks in 2013. It has been a steady rise for the Tasmanian after knocking out Kittikun Korpungklang in Melbourne in his debut. In 16 pro fights he is unbeaten and claimed the WBA Oceania and WBO Oriental featherweight straps.
Now he has the chance at immortality, the opportunity for greatness. On Saturday he faces Carl Frampton in Belfast for the WBO world title. Frampton is one of the best boxers in the world and is a two-weight world champion, with only one loss from 25 fights. The 31-year-old is ranked third in the world both by website BoxRec and boxing magazine The Ring, just behind Leo Santa Cruz and Gary Russell Jr.
There’s no doubt that this weekend’s showdown between Jackson and Frampton is a big mismatch. While the Irishman is ranked third on the planet by BoxRec, Jackson is 44th. Frampton is on home turf at Windsor Park and will be cheered on by 25,000 passionate locals. He has slugged it out with quality boxers like Nonito Donaire, Santa Cruz, Scott Quigg, Alejandro Gonzalez Jr and Kiko Martinez, and fought in New York and Las Vegas. The bookmakers have Jackson’s odds from as high as 20-1 to beat Frampton, while the Belfast native is as short-priced as 1/100.
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Jackson is up against it and knows this clearly: “Of course he’s the favourite and he deserves to be the favourite. But I don’t really care. It’s a fight, it’s a 50-50 fight because its two people and we’re going to go out there and try and win the fight.
“He’s very good fighter, I’ve said that from the very first press conference. I’m going to have go out and do something special to beat him. But I believe I can do that. Every fighters got weaknesses, I’ve got weaknesses and so does he. It’s my trainer’s job to point them out to me, which he has in training camp and we’ve worked on it. I’ve got a few plans we’ve got to do and I’ve just got to turn it into reality now.”
Frampton’s camp is looking ahead at world title clashes, potentially against Josh Warrington, after the Jackson bout. The Australian admits his opponent could overlook him.
“Possibly. It would be a mistake if he did. But I’m sure he’s well-prepared. It was his dream to fight at Windsor Park and he’s got that now. I’m sure he won’t want to come in underdone, which I’m sure he won’t.”
Winning a world title is the ultimate goal of every professional who steps into the ring, but one very few achieve. Only 28 of Jackson’s countrymen have ever won a world belt, and upsetting Frampton would see his name remembered for ever. He would join the likes of Lionel Rose, Jeff Fenech, Barry Michael and Daniel Geale in Australian sports history, entering illustrious company.
“It would be a dream come true. Something that I’ve worked very hard to get. It’s a real-life Rocky story isn’t it? Even to hear you say that just gives me goose bumps. I’ve just to go out and win the fight now.
“I’m ready to go. We’ve worked extremely hard and I’m ready. This camp has been 10 weeks but I’m always in the gym. It’s been a good week to recover and now its time to get ready for the weigh in and then time to shine.”
Regardless of the result on the weekend, in many ways Jackson is already a winner. He has survived his battle with drink and drugs, and boxing has helped him battle his inner demons. The sweet since has focused his mind and finally led to rare happiness.
“I had to always question what’s going on in my head and that. Now I sort of understand and I’m happy. I feel good.”
