Jason Rowland (born 6 August 1970) is a British former

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

who was British

light welterweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

champion between 1998 and 2000, and

WBU The World Boxing Union (WBU) was a boxing sanctioning body. The original WBU was founded in January 1995 by IBF European representative, boxing journalist, actor and former holder of the title of Britain's heaviest man Jon W. Robinson. It san ...

light welterweight World champion in 2000.

Career

Born in London and based in

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...

, Rowland made his professional debut in September 1989 with a win over Terry Smith. He won his first 19 fights, leading to a British title eliminator against

Bernard Paul Bernard Paul may refer to: * Bernard Paul (director), French film director and screenwriter * Bernard Paul (boxer) Bernard "Punching Postman" Paul (born October 22, 1965) is a Mauritian/British professional light welter/ welter/light middlewei ...

in November 1995, with the

BBBofC The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. History The British Boxing Board of Control was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff. ...

Southern Area title also at stake; Rowland was knocked out in the first round. After being out of the ring in 1996, Rowland won his two fights in 1997, and in May 1998 challenged for the British title that was then held by

Mark Winters Mark Winters (born 29 December 1971) is a former boxer from Northern Ireland. He was British light welterweight champion between 1997 and 1998. Career Born in Antrim, Winters first had success as an amateur, winning the Irish National senior ...

; Rowland won on points to become British champion. He successfully defended the title in November 1999, stopping

Jon Thaxton Jonathan Thaxton (born 10 September 1974) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2009. He held the British lightweight title from 2006 and 2007, and the EBU European title from 2008 to 2009. Professional career He h ...

on a cut in the fifth round at the

York Hall The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure complex in Bethnal Green, London, and is situated on Old Ford Road. The building opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200 and is now an inter ...

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

.Bunce, Steve (2000)
Rowland aims to be on top of the world
, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 19 October 2000. Retrieved 2 January 2016 He relinquished the title the following year to pursue a world title. He was due to fight

Zab Judah Zabdiel Judah (born October 27, 1977) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2019. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF and WBO junior welterweight titles between 2000 and 2004 ...

for the

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

world title in mid-2000 but had to pull out after one of his

pitbull terrier The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a dog breed recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) and the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA), but not the American Kennel Club (AKC). It is a medium-sized, short-haired dog, of a solid build ...

s bit off part of his left index finger. In October 2000 he beat Viktor Baranov by unanimous decision to take the vacant

light welterweight title. Rowland vacated the title, and by July 2001

Ricky Hatton Richard John Hatton (born 6 October 1978) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 1997 and 2012, and has since worked as a boxing promoter and trainer. During his boxing career he held multiple world championships at li ...

held the WBU title and faced Rowland in his first defence, knocking him out in the fourth round. It was almost two years before Rowland fought again, beating Paul Denton in April 2003 in what was his final fight. Rowland went on to be a successful trainer, working with boxers such as

Tony Conquest Tony Conquest (born 7 July 1984) is an English professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by ...

John Wayne Hibbert "John" Wayne Hibbert is an English former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2017. He held the WBC International light-welterweight title twice between 2014 and 2016, and the Commonwealth light-welterweight title from 2015 to 2016. ...

, Richard Hines, Miles Shinkwin, and Mitchell Smith, and in 2010 opened the Noble Art Gym in Rainham.Lakey, Chris (2010)
Breakthrough win for battling Scott
, ''

Norwich Evening News The ''Norwich Evening News'' is a daily local newspaper published in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It covers the city and the surrounding suburbs, and is published by Archant. It is the best-selling newspaper in Norwich. As of 28 February 2011 the ...

'', 7 December 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2016

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowland, Jason 1970 births Living people English male boxers Light-welterweight boxers Boxers from Greater London