COLOURFUL COAST BOXER TO ENTERTAIN AGAIN:
Why the Flamingo is Australia’s most entertaining boxer
JACOB Ng is the all-dancing, all-punching entertainer of Australian boxing.
First glance and it’s not a stretch to think it’s just as well the Gold Coast lightweight contender knows how to throw down.
It’s impossible for him not to attract attention.
Skull to toes tattoos; a ring walkout to KC and Sunshine Band’s Get Down Tonight that is more disco dance than walk; a kit that includes a pink feather cape; and a 14-0 undefeated record in the lightweight division that in itself brings scrutiny and jealousy.
But the man called the Flamingo, thanks to his spindly bird-like legs, loves the attention, loves the jealousy and more than anything loves stepping into the ring and punching on.
But in a sport where it now seems compulsory to awkwardly trash talk each other – usually via Instagram – Ng is a refreshing change.
While the 26-year-old shoves his ink, the pink feathers and dancing in your face, you won’t hear one word of disrespect out of his mouth – not in public anyway.
He doesn’t see the point. It’s wasted energy.
If there is any sport where action does the talking it is boxing and some frenzied Insta thumb action is not going to help prepare to block a punch to the face. “A few people hate what I do,” Ng said. “The tattoos, the cape, the dancing.
“Most people are staunch as they walk out, and that’s their thing but I’ll do whatever it takes. I love fighting. I love dancing out to the ring.
“They like downgrading me and talking smack behind the scenes but I suppose if people hate on, you must be doing something right. I won’t be stopping.”
There is a colourful but also sad tale behind Ng’s extravagant ring entrances.
As a 21-year-old and quickly going off the rails, he was sent to a Muay Thai training school in northeast Thailand to grow up. It was the reckoning he needed.
“I grew up very quickly and it changed my perspectives,” Ng said.
“I was training with these kids, they were 8 to 12 years old. They’d train every morning, then they’d go to school, then they’d train again and then run 6km with us and then train for a few more hours after that.
“They were training and fighting to feed their families. They loved it. They were so happy. They never complained. They showed me how to work hard and be a better person.”
While in Thailand, Ng lived and trained with rising Scottish Muay Thai fighter Jordan Coe. They were inseparable and Ng loved the way Coe would enter the stadium dancing.
“When I first arrived in Thailand, this Scottish boy Jordan looked me up and down and said I had legs like a flamingo and it stuck so that’s where the name came from.
“He came out dancing this Esan style and I saw how the crowd loved it.
“I used to shuffle back in the day so I started shuffling to the ring and the Thai crowds went crazy.
“Unfortunately, Jordan passed away while cutting weight for a fight. So now when I dance, I dance for myself and I dance for Jordan. I want to put a show on like he did every fight.”
The time in Thailand wasn’t wasted.
Jordan’s death was a cautionary reminder of the dangers of weight cutting as boxers often place gruelling demands on themselves to make weight.
The nine Muay Thai fights while in Thailand for eight wins and one draw also proved crucial in his development as an all-round boxer clearly with knockout power but just as comfortable fighting on the inside.
As a young boy he took up dancing and was part of the school music program. He started Brazilian jiu-jitsu when he was 10, started boxing at 16 before trying Muay Thai.
The early years spent dancing and grappling have put him in good stead.
At more than 180cm tall, Ng is one of the planet’s tallest professional lightweight boxers. Tall, skinny and rangy with a long reach, opponents often make the mistake thinking they will find a weakness on the inside. They’re also surprised at the power he packs into his wiry arms.
At the start of fight week Ng often sits around 65-66kg and follows a strict diet and waterloading program to comfortably shed the remaining kilograms to make the lightweight 61kg limit.
In the time between weighin and the fight it’s common for Ng to add another five to six kilograms and once piled on 11kg by the time he stepped into the ring.
“On the inside, people think I’m not strong because I’m so tall and skinny but out of 14 pro fights I’ve had 11 KOs or TKOs so I’m stopping almost all my opponents,” Ng said.
“They underestimate me and my inside game and my power.
“They want to get in there and I start bullying them on the inside. They are not sure what’s going on as they are shorter fighters and feel like they should have the edge.”
One part of his game Ng does want to fix is a suspect chin.
His aggressive style of fighting does put the proverbial bums on seats but it’s a highrisk approach that exposes him.
He has been sent to the canvas on several occasions but each time has survived to the bell on wobbly legs and instinct and then responded by ending the fight early.
For boxing fans it’s great to watch but not something Ng wants to make a habit.
His last fight against Hunter Ioane in November was a knock ’em down, stack ’em up classic that was judged the Australian Fight of the Year.
It started badly for Ng. He was cartwheeled into the canvas by an Ioane right in the first round. But just like a blowup punching clown, he bounced back bolt upright with a look of complete disgust that he was knocked down.
He dropped Ioane in the second round and ended the bout in the fifth.
“Definitely a worry,” Ng said of his chin. “It’s one part of my game I need to look at as I like to punch on. I’m a fighter. I like to fight and keep punching. When I get knocked down the instincts kick in.
“But yes, I do need to tidy that area up. One day I might get another one of those shots and not get back up in time.”
One man working hard with Ng is his trainer and father, Stephen. Their personalities don’t clash but they are poles apart.
As Jacob shimmies his way to the ring, Stephen is the nononsense, all-business gent immediately behind. Jacob is Dennis Rodman. Stephen is the ATO.
He’s the one who sent Jacob to Thailand to grow up and he’s the one who puts the foot down when anyone steps out of line at Matrix Boxing Gym at Ashmore. As a former fighter, Stephen respected every man who stepped into the ring opposite him and he expects the same of his own stable of fighters.
“I have been described as more stoic,” Stephen said. “It’s not my thing and not something I did as a fighter. But that’s my personality not Jacob’s. I’m not going to stifle who he is as a person.
“It’s also not a gimmick. I know the hard work he puts in and when he’s in camp he’s working harder than anyone.
“The way he fights reinforces that and the crowd loves it. When he gets in the ring he will throw down. He’s not just the show and no go.”
Jacob wouldn’t have anyone else following him out.
“Dad, he’s a straight edge. He has a job to do,” he said.
“I’m a bit of a show pony. It’s part of my personality going out in the ring. Dad is stern and telling me how to win in the corner.
“When I was younger, I was a bit of a little shit and didn’t like him telling me what to do. Now we’re like best mates. He wants the best for me and I wouldn’t have anyone else in my corner.”
Ng is facing an interesting dilemma in Australia. He is ranked No.9 in the world by the International Boxing Federation and 10 by the World Boxing Association.
Domestic options look almost exhausted but with international borders now problematic, he has to look at other Australian options that have little upside other than keep him busy.
If he wins there is no improvement in his rankings, while for any other Australian fighters the chance to fight Ng and win comes with a hefty rankings boost.
The lightweight division is the most stacked in world boxing and Ng has to aim at the overseas names ahead of him in the rankings.
The division is dominated by the sport’s superstars including Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta Davis, Vasyl Lomachenko, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. Ng is also firmly supporting the No.1 Australian lightweight George Kambosos Jr who is scheduled to fight world champion Lopez for the title later this year. A win to Kambosos could even set up an all-Australian lightweight world title fight.
But for the moment Ng returns to the ring tonight at Eatons Hill Hotel in Brisbane against Blake Minto from Toronto, NSW, in a super-lightweight bout at 63.5kg.
Minto is an experienced fighter with a high work rate. Ng will respect him but knows a successful camp has him extremely fit and well prepared.
He’s confident of a win and confident of next week visiting artist Sean Holdinghausen at Loco Tattoo to add to the evolving art on his calf. It currently has 14 skulls towered over by a flamingo. Next week Ng wants to add a 15th skull.