Jackson one win from title assault
HOBART hero Luke Jackson missed out on his world title fight, but the boxing champ believes he is only one win away from securing a crack at an international title.
Undefeated WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez chose Britain’s Scott Quigg over Jackson for his title defence, leaving Jackson to host South American featherweight champ Alan Castillo at Wrest Point Casino on March 2.
Jackson, who boasts a 15-0 win-loss professional record, said he was gutted to miss out on the title shot, but has now moved on.
“I did get deflated to be honest, I was a little bit depressed and you start hating on the world a little bit,” Jackson said.
“But then you realise things happen for a reason and I’m a big believer in that.
“I’m supposed to be sitting here right now.
“I believe your path is already destined and you’ve just got to follow the journey.”
The Jackson-Castillo fight has been billed as “Next Level” as the Hobartian not only steps up his quality of opponent, but also the professionalism of his team and events, with Wrest Point hosing its first Jackson fight and, hopefully, the world title bout.
Jackson’s promoter, Adam Wilcox, said he had already been in discussions with the State Government about funding for a title shot, but there had been no financial commitments yet.
“You’ve got someone sat here who is ranked No. 8 in the world in a genuine world level sport in your home town,” Wilcox said.
“I said it when I went to see Events Tasmania with Luke, you get six AFL games down here a year, how many Tasmanians are involved in those games? You have the Big Bash, how many genuine Tasmanians are playing for the Hurricanes? The answer to that is not very many. But we have someone here who is born and bred Tasmanian. He lives and breathes Hobart. He’s always accessible to anyone who wants to speak to him, he’s a world-level talent and he’s yours.”
Wrest Point general manager Dominic Baker said the venue would be set up to host 1050 fans for the March 2 bout, but that it would move “heaven and earth” for a world title shot, including an outdoor bout on the Wrest Point lawns.
At 26, Castillo is seven years Jackson’s junior, but has a longer pro record with 23 fights (nine by KO) and seven defeats.