Exclusive:Boxing prodigy and Hull City fan Ted Jackson looking to ride wave of hometown momentum after magic May
Hull boxing prodigy Ted Jackson speaks to The Yorkshire Post after a magical May for the 24-year-old
May was quite the month for Hull boxer Ted Jackson.
The middleweight prospect moved to 7-0 with a ruthless dispatching of journeyman Mike Byles, opening up a card at the home of Doncaster Rovers Football Club topped by Dave Allen and Filip Hrgovic.
It was a fast and furious performance, one that evidenced why hype around the 24-year-old is building quickly.
He paraded a Hull City flag in the ring post-fight and later in the month, watched his beloved Tigers seal promotion to the Premier League.
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Ted Jackson’s magic month
“It was probably the best month of my life to be honest,” he told The Yorkshire Post. “It couldn’t have gone any better I don’t think.
“It was my first, if you like, big show, and I got a first-round stoppage, so it couldn't have really gone any better for me. I was buzzing with it.
“I was a bit down at the weekend when we got promoted, because I don't think anything can top that - but no, it's been good.
“Obviously, I'm a big Hull City supporter. I've had a season ticket for I don't know how many years. We've had some bad times going to watch - midweek games, going and getting beat 1-0 and this and that in the freezing cold - but it's good to see us doing well now.
“I think the momentum going into the Premier League, people will write us off again, but I think we've got that momentum and we've got a good little group of lads that will push forward for us and keep us there, I think.”
Riding the wave of momentum
Sporting victories can lift a city and Jackson is determined to ride the wave of momentum being generated in his hometown.
When asked how keen he is to be part of a sporting resurgence in Hull, he responded. “Massively.”
Jackson wants to get back out for at least two more fights before the curtain comes down on the calendar year, keen to remain on an upward trajectory.
“There's no particular [timescale],” he said. “It just depends what my team think.
“I've got a good team around me. I've got my coach and my manager, so I trust in what they think about how fast I need to move. It's just down to them, really. I've just got to keep fighting and keep performing and just stick at it.”
More to show
There are, oddly enough, downsides to being a fast-rising prodigy cutting through opponents like a knife through butter. Jackson breezed past Byles at the Eco-Power Stadium with such speed that he did not get to show off his full arsenal.
“I think obviously once the opposition steps up, who am I against, I think my boxing ability will come out in the light a little bit more,” he said. “Once the levels start stepping up, it's easier to show your ability against someone who can also box.
“I'd like to say I'm a good boxer, but I'm starting to sit down on my punches more now, so hopefully I'll be more of a puncher as well. I'm hoping to get some more stoppages like I did in my last fight.”