Badou Jack
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Badou Johannes Gabriel Jack (born 31 October 1983) is a Swedish
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 contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
. He is a former world champion in two
weight classes Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports, especially combat sports (such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling). Altern ...
, having held the WBC
super-middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...
title from 2014 to 2017 and the WBA light-heavyweight title in 2017. As an
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
he represented
The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
at the 2008 Olympics, reaching the first round of the
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
bracket.


Amateur career

Jack began his
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
boxing career in 2001 at the age of 18. He held a record of 150 wins and 25 losses. He won Sweden's national championship five years in a row, 2004–2008, 4 times at middleweight and once at light heavyweight. In 2007, Jack was named the boxer of the year by the Swedish Boxing Federation. In his last national championship in 2008 he defeated fellow rising star Erik Skoglund in the finals. He represented Sweden at light-heavyweight before changing to Gambia, where he qualified for the 2008 Games. At the 2nd AIBA African 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament he breezed through the competition to win; the final was a shutout win over DR Congo's
Herry Saliku Biembe Herry Saliku Biembe (born 14 May 1981) is a boxer from Democratic Republic of the Congo who qualified for the 2008 Olympics at middleweight. At the 2nd AIBA African 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament the previously unknown Biembe won second plac ...
. Jack qualified for the 2008 Olympics for Gambia in the
middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
division, and was the nation's flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies. He lost in the first round to India's
Vijender Singh Vijender Singh Beniwal (born 29 October 1985) is an Indian professional boxer and politician. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. He also won bronze medal ...
.


Professional career


Early career

Jack started his professional career in his native Sweden where he won his debut fight by unanimous decision on 6 June 2009. His next four fights were contested in Sweden and Finland, with Jack winning each by KO/TKO, two in the first round.


Fighting in the United States

After meeting former
heavyweight champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, thou ...
Shannon Briggs Shannon Briggs (born December 4, 1971) is an American former professional boxer. He is a two-time heavyweight champion, having held the lineal heavyweight championship from 1997 to 1998, and the WBO title from 2006 to 2007. Briggs is known for h ...
at a Swedish boxing event, held in honor of the Swedish boxing legend Ingemar Johansson in 2009, where Jack was fighting and Briggs was brought in as a guest, Jack would move to the United States in 2010 to train with Briggs and eventually sign with
Lou DiBella Louis John DiBella Jr. (born May 17, 1960) is an American boxing promoter and television/film producer. Education DiBella is a graduate of Regis High School (New York City). He then continued his education at Tufts University before pursuing ...
and the Warrior Boxing Promotions in 2011, bringing his 5–0 record over to the states. In 2011 and 2012 Jack would fight and win 6 times. 4 by TKO and 2 by decision. Including defeating Adam Collins by TKO on 16 December 2011 and a unanimous decision over 6 rounds (60–54, 59–55 and 58–56) over Grover Young on 7 March 2012. The biggest win came against fellow undefeated, 17–0, prospect
Alexander Brand Alexander Brand (born January 31, 1977) is a male boxer from Colombia, who participated in the 2003 Pan American Games for his native country, where he reached the semi-finals, and in 2015, Brand defeated Bernard Donfack in dominant fashion to w ...
on 11 May 2012 by and eight-round split decision 77–75, 77–75, and 75–77.


Mayweather Promotions

Following his success extending his record to 11–0, Jack was spotted by
Floyd Mayweather Floyd may refer to: As a name * Floyd (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Floyd (surname), a list of people and fictional characters Places in the United States * Floyd, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Floyd, I ...
in a sparring session opposite
Andre Dirrell Andre Dirrell (born September 7, 1983) is an American professional boxer who held the IBF interim super middleweight title from 2017 to 2018. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 2004 Olympics. His young ...
. Mayweather was impressed and quickly signed Jack to
Mayweather Promotions Mayweather Promotions, LLC is a boxing promotional firm founded in 2007 by Floyd Mayweather Jr., after exercising a provision in his contract with Bob Arum and Top Rank that allowed him to become a free agent for the price of $750,000. Al Haymon h ...
and to his team. On 2 February 2013 he defeated Jonel Tapia by knockout in the first round. Three weeks later he fought Don Mouton 23 February 2013 and won by unanimous decision (78–74 on all scorecards). On 4 May 2013 Jack took on Michael Gbenga and won by TKO from a body shot in round 3. Jack fought Farah Ennis on 19 July 2013. Jack won the fight by unanimous decision 100–90, 98–92, and 98–92. In his first title fight, Jack challenged
Marco Antonio Periban Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish c ...
for the NABF super middleweight championship on 12 September 2013. After 10 rounds the fight was scored as a majority draw. In his next fight he took on
Rogelio Medina Rogelio Medina (born September 16, 1988) is a Mexican professional boxer who challenged for the IBF super middleweight title in 2016. Early life and amateur career Medina started practicing boxing as a kid. Medina would sneak out of his parent ...
on 6 December 2013. He won the fight by TKO after scoring 3 knockdowns in round 6. On 28 February 2014 Jack fought Derek Edwards and lost for the first time after being stopped by TKO in the first round. Edwards knocked down Jack twice in first round after catching him with an overhand right counter. Prior to the loss, Jack had been in line for an elimination bout against
James DeGale James Frederick DeGale (born 3 February 1986) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2019. He held the IBF super-middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2018, and regionally the European and British super-middlew ...
. The upset result was also a candidate for Upset of the Year in 2014. Jack got back into the win column on 30 August 2014 when he fought Jason Escalera at the Palms Casino and Resort, Pearl Theater in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, and won by unanimous decision 100–90, 100–90, and 99–91. Jack's next fight was due to take place on 12 December 2014 against Mexican boxer Francisco Sierra at the
Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 mil ...
in
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
on the undercard of
Erislandy Lara Erislandy Lara Santoya (born 11 April 1983) is a Cuban-American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the WBA (Regular) middleweight title since 2021. Previously he held various versions ...
vs.
Ishe Smith Ishé Oluwa Kamau Ali Smith ( ; born July 22, 1978) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2019. He held the IBF junior middleweight title in 2013, and is the first boxer from Las Vegas to become a professional world ...
. Sierra gained 20 pounds between the weigh in and the opening bell, coming into the ring at 192 pounds. Jack dominated the fight from the start. The end came in round 6. Jack landed some combinations, which went unanswered by Sierra. The referee stopped the fight at 1:58 giving Jack the TKO win.


WBC super middleweight champion


Jack vs. Dirrell

On 17 February 2015 it was announced that Jack would be challenging undefeated
Anthony Dirrell Anthony Dirrell (born October 14, 1984) is an American professional boxer. He was a two-time WBC super middleweight champion, having held the title in 2019 and previously from 2014 to 2015. He is the younger brother of 2004 Olympic bronze medal ...
(27–0–1, 22 KOs) for his WBC super middleweight championship. As a voluntary defence, Jack was given little chance, most thinking that he would be knocked out. Prior to the fight, Dirrell spoke to PBC about Jack being his next opponent, " ack isnothing spectacular. He’s just a fighter. I’m going to go in there and stick to my game plan, not rush anything and take it however it comes." The fight took place on 24 April at the
UIC Pavilion Credit Union 1 Arena (previously known as UIC Pavilion) is a multi-purpose arena located at 525 S. Racine Avenue on the Near West Side in Chicago, Illinois, which opened in 1982. Description and history Credit Union 1 Arena is located on the cam ...
in
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. Jack upset the boxing world by defeating Dirrell via
majority decision A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on whi ...
116–112, 115–113, and 114–114, taking more and more control of the fight as it went on and exposing the champions inability to fight on the inside. After the fight, Jack said, "I was in great shape and I believed in myself. All that talk don't matter. I knew they couldn't rob me. I thought I clearly won. It was a tough start to my career, but now, I'm a world champ."


Jack vs. Groves

On 17 June 2015 it was announced that Jack would make his first defence against
mandatory challenger In professional boxing and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight or be forced to vacate their title as champion. A mandatory defence is the opposite of a voluntary defence, where the champi ...
George Groves (21–2, 16 KOs) on 22 August in Las Vegas. A venue hadn't been confirmed. This fight was Groves' third world title challenge, having lost back to back challenges against then world champion
Carl Froch Carl Martin Froch, (born 2 July 1977) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2002 to 2014, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the W ...
in 2013 and 2014 respectively. On 21 July, the fight was pushed back to instead take place on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Andre Berto on 12 September at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
. There was no injuries as Showtime gave no reason as to why the fight was postponed. Jack was once again the underdog. Jack upset the odds again, defeating Groves. He dropped Groves in the first round and remained in control of the fight as it went on, making effective use of his body punches especially. He was victorious via
split decision A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor. A split dec ...
115–112, 116–111, and 113–114. Groves felt as though he did enough to win and said, "Losing a world title fight is the worst feeling in the world." In October 2016, Jack admitted that Groves was the toughest opponent he had faced in his career so far.


Jack vs. Bute

Jack was set to defend his title next against
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: *Julio (given name) *Julio (surname) *Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation albu ...
on 30 April 2016. However, Chavez Jr. would later withdraw from the bout due to an injury. He was replaced by
Lucian Bute Lucian Bute (born February 28, 1980) is a Romanian-Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2017. He held the IBF super-middleweight title from 2007 to 2012, successfully making nine consecutive defenses and reaching a peak r ...
. Where the winner would go on to fight the winner of DeGale & Medina in the fall in a super middleweight unification bout. The fight was declared a
majority draw A majority draw is an outcome in several full-contact combat sports, including boxing, mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referre ...
117–111, 114–114, and 114–114 and, as such, Jack retained the title. The draw was controversial since it appeared as Jack had done enough to be handed the victory by all of the judges. Most of the media scorecards also had Jack as the winner by 3-4 rounds. However, on 26 May 2016 it was revealed that Bute had tested positive for a banned substance in the post-fight drug test. The substance found in Bute's test was
ostarine Enobosarm, also known as ostarine or MK-2866, is an investigational selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) developed by GTx, Inc. for the treatment of conditions such as muscle wasting and osteoporosis, formerly under development by Merc ...
(also called
enobosarm Enobosarm, also known as ostarine or MK-2866, is an investigational selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) developed by GTx, Inc. for the treatment of conditions such as muscle wasting and osteoporosis, formerly under development by Merc ...
), which is a
performance-enhancing drug Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...
, not an
anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone (medication), testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related ...
but is still said to increase stamina and recovery ability and produce similar results that steroids would. It has been on the
World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...
banned list since 2008.Bute tested positive for banned drugs after draw with Jack
ESPN , Retrieved 27 May 2016
On 24 April 2017, the DC commission changed the outcome of the fight to a DQ win in favor of Jack.


Jack vs. DeGale

Showtime Boxing confirmed that a unification fight between Jack and IBF world champion James DeGale (23–1, 14 KOs) was set for 14 January 2017. The fight was supposed to be announced for the fall of 2016, however it had taken a little longer for the negotiations to complete. The vacant ''
Ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
'' magazine title would also be at stake as well as the WBC and IBF titles. On 15 November, it was officially confirmed that the fight will take place at the Barclays Center in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York. The first time both fighters would be fighting at the arena. Jack retained his title after his fight was declared a majority draw when judge Glenn Feldman scored it 114–112 for DeGale and judges Julie Lederman and Steve Weisfeld both scored it 113–113 draw. Both fighters were knocked down during the bout, Jack hitting the canvas in the first round while DeGale was dropped in the twelfth, post-fight Jack's promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr, complained about the result saying his fighter had done enough to win and calling the decision "bad for boxing." When DeGale said he wanted a rematch possibly in London, Jack stated he would do it light heavyweight, with Mayweather also saying Jack had become too big for super-middleweight. Jack's purse for the fight was $700,000, while DeGale made $750,000. According to CompuBox, Jack landed 231 of 745 punches thrown, a connect rate of 31%, more than DeGale, who landed 172 of 617, connect rate of 28%.


Light heavyweight

On 16 January 2017, the WBC ordered negotiations to begin for Jack to make a mandatory defence against British boxer
Callum Smith Callum John Smith (born 23 April 1990) is an English professional boxer. He held the WBA (Super) and '' Ring'' magazine super-middleweight titles from 2018 to 2020, and at regional level the British and European super-middleweight titles bet ...
(22–0, 17 KOs). The deadline was set for 17 February, or it would go to purse bid. On 18 January, Jack officially vacated his WBC belt in order to move up to light heavyweight.


Jack vs. Cleverly

On 19 June, Jack revealed that his team were working towards a deal for him to fight
WBA (Regular) The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...
champion
Nathan Cleverly Nathan Cleverly (born 17 February 1987) is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2017. He is a two-time light-heavyweight world champion, having held the WBO title from 2011 to 2013, and the WBA (Regular) title from 2016 t ...
. He expected when the fight gets announced, it would be on the undercard of
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor, billed as ''The Money Fight'' and ''The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History'', was a professional boxing match between undefeated eleven-time five-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. ...
in Las Vegas on 26 August 2017. Jack's light heavyweight goal was to challenge WBC champion
Adonis Stevenson Stevenson Adonis (born 22 September 1977), best known as Adonis Stevenson, is a Haitian Canadian former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2018. He won the WBC, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light-heavyweight titles in 2013 by defeati ...
, after Cleverly. On 19 July, according to sources, a deal was being close to being agreed from sides. On 27 July, the WBA ordered Cleverly to fight undefeated WBA interim champion
Dmitry Bivol Dmitry Yuryevich Bivol (russian: Дмитрий Юрьевич Бивол; born 18 December 1990) is a Russian professional boxer who has held the WBA light heavyweight title since 2017. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the 2013 World C ...
(11–0, 9 KOs), which would eventually establish a mandatory challenger for WBA (Super) champion
Andre Ward Andre Michael Ward (born February 23, 1984) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world titles in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super), ...
. On 9 August, however,
Eddie Hearn Edward John Hearn (born 8 June 1979) is a British sports promoter who is chairman of Matchroom Sport and Professional Darts Corporation. Hearn is the son of promoter Barry Hearn, the founder of Matchroom Sport. Education Hearn was a student a ...
confirmed that terms had been agreed for a fight between Jack and Cleverly. It was also reported that whether the WBA (Regular) title would be at state at this point was uncertain, as mandatory challenger Bivol was yet to agree a step aside fee. On 12 August, the WBA's Championships Committee granted special permission for the fight to be contested for their light heavyweight title. They also made it clear that the winner would need to negotiate a deal to fight Bivol by 11 September 2017. Jack won the WBA title on his light heavyweight debut via stoppage victory in round five. Cleverly had some success in round two, throwing and landing continuously without hurting Jack. In round four, Jack piled the pressure on Cleverly, who left himself open and ended up with a bloodied nose. The end came with Cleverly against the ropes and Jack pounding him with combinations. Referee stepped in and called an end to the fight at 2 minutes and 47 seconds of round five. At the time of stoppage, Jack had landed 172 punches of 442 thrown (39%), while Cleverly, who threw 409, only landed 82 punches (20%). In the post-fight, Jack said, "I wanted to box him and feel him out while establishing my jab. Then the plan was to break him down from there. The plan was to finish him." Cleverly stated that he suffered a broken nose in the third round. Jack also told Jim Gray of Showtime, "You can’t leave it in the hands of the judges. You have to go for the kill", referring to his previous fight decisions. Jack received a base purse of $750,000 and Cleverly earned $100,000. The next day, Cleverly announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 30. Jack was set to enter a
purse bid A purse bid is an initial step in arranging a professional boxing match, involving the fight's/card's promoter(s). All interested registered promoters may bid on the amount of the purse (the total money that the fighters will be paid for the ma ...
with Bivol per the WBA agreement on 25 September, but this was cancelled when Jack instead vacated the title on 23 September.


Jack vs. Stevenson

After Jack defeated Cleverly, he began to call out WBC and lineal titleholder Adonis Stevenson, knowing that Stevenson had a mandatory challenger. Stevenson shrugged it off, claiming he was ready for anyone, "It was a good performance. He beat Cleverly now. So now he called me out and I'm ready. I'm ready to fight and I'm ready to unify the title." On 8 September 2017 promoter Yvon Michel disclosed that there was serious ongoing negotiations between Stevenson and mandatory challenger
Eleider Álvarez Eléider Álvarez Baytar (born 8 April 1984) is a Colombian professional boxer who held the WBO light-heavyweight title from 2018 to 2019. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in the light-heavyweight division. As ...
(23-0, 11 KOs) to fight before the end on 2017. He revealed the fight would take place in Quebec. In September, Michel said that he had a difficult time finalizing a date and venue for the fight, which meant the fight could get pushed to the end of January 2018. He also responded to claims of Jack wanting to fight Stevenson, saying it would only be possible if it were a unification. Michel confirmed the fight would take place on Showtime in January 2018. Michel spoke to Showtime about not going head to head locally with David Lemieux's next fight, which would take place on 16 December on HBO. On 8 November, there was rumours stating that Stevenson would once again pay Álvarez a step-aside fee, in order to fight Jack. Álvarez spoke to
TVA Sports TVA Sports is a Canadian French-language sports specialty channel owned by the Groupe TVA, a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media. The channel is a general-interest sports network, and the first major competitor to RDS, the only other ...
saying, "I do not think I'm going to fight Stevenson. I do expect to receive that (step-aside offer), and then I will analyze it with my team." On 1 December, it was reported that GYM had offered Álvarez a step-aside deal which would give him 'a multi-fight agreement with six-figure guarantee per fight', with Stevenson being part of deal as well. On 6 December, the WBC announced that they would investigate into Stevenson's title reign and lack of mandatories. A week later, the WBC stated they would allow Stevenson to avoid Álvarez once again in order to fight Jack. The WBC went on to state they would order Álvarez to fight Ukrainian boxer
Oleksandr Gvozdyk Oleksandr Serhiyovych Gvozdyk ( uk, Олександр Сергійович Гвоздик, ; also Hvozdyk; born 15 April 1987) is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 2014 to 2019. He held the WBC and lineal light-heavyweig ...
(14–0, 12 KOs) for the interim title. Álvarez withdrew from the fight before the purse bid was scheduled on 12 January 2018. On 24 January 2018 Showtime confirmed the fight would take place on 19 May in Canada. The Bell Centre in Montreal was confirmed as the venue. On 11 April, news broke out from Álvarez's manager, Stephane Lepine that a deal was yet to be reached with Álvarez to be properly compensated. Yvon Michel admitted he was working on a deal to keep Álvarez happy and this was the same reason as to why tickets had not yet gone on sale for the Stevenson-Jack fight, which was a month away. On 18 April, it was announced that a deal had been reached for Álvarez to challenge
Sergey Kovalev Sergey Alexandrovich Kovalev (russian: Сергей Александрович Ковалёв (Ko-va-LYOV); born 2 April 1983) is a Russian professional boxer. He has held multiple light-heavyweight world championships, including the WBA (Undi ...
(32–2–1, 28 KOs) for the WBO light heavyweight title on HBO. Kovalev was originally scheduled to fight contender
Marcus Browne Marcus Browne (born November 10, 1990) is an American professional boxer who fights at light heavyweight. As of December 2020, he was ranked the world's sixth best active light heavyweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, eighth by ...
in the summer of 2018, however due to having been arrested for domestic violence, Kovalev's promoter,
Kathy Duva Kathy Duva is an American boxing promoter and current CEO of Main Events, a New Jersey-based boxing promotion company. In 2019 she was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Early life Duva graduated from Montclair State College with ...
of Main Events got in contact with Álvarez's manager Lepine about a potential fight. Due to Álvarez fighting Kovalev, this meant the announcement of Stevenson vs. Jack would be imminent. On 23 April, the card was moved from Montreal and instead scheduled to take place at the
Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena ( French: ''Aréna Scotiabank)'', formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in the South Core district of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Ra ...
in
Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada. A day later, the official press conference was held to announce the fight. Stevenson and Jack fought to a majority draw in a competitive bout. One judge scored the fight 115–113 in favor of Jack, whilst the remaining two judges overruled the decision, scoring the fight 114–114. Stevenson outpointed Jack in the early rounds being more active, however from round five, it was Jack who was the busier and accurate of the two. From rounds seven through ten, Jack out landed Stevenson 114–40 in total shots landed. It was in round ten where Jack was hurt from multiple body shots from Stevenson's right hand. Stevenson carried the momentum into round eleven but it was Jack who finished the fight stronger. In round seven, Stevenson complained to referee Ian John Lewis about low blows and in round eight, Jack was warned. Jack later explained Stevenson's cup was low, hence why the shots looked like low blows. With the draw, Stevenson retained his WBC and lineal titles for the ninth time. During the post fight interviews, Stevenson told Steve Gray, "I won the fight because I hurt him in the body. I hurt him in the body and he got slowed down. I kept the pressure on him. He was moving and moving – slick, slick – but I touched him more of the time and I think I won this fight." Speaking on the third draw in his last four fights (before Bute was DQ'd for failed drug test), Jack stated, "I have no idea. It could be they’re jealous of Floyd (Mayweather). I’m one of Floyd’s top fighters. Maybe they don’t like Floyd. Maybe they’re trying to – you know, I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve gotta thank God for everything. … I can’t do anything about it. I thought I definitely won the fight, definitely won the fight. Nobody’s complaining and no judge had him winning." According to CompuBox Stats, Stevenson landed 165 of 622 punches thrown (27%), 87 of which were power shots landed to the body and Jack landed 209 of his 549 thrown (38%) The fight averaged 535,000 viewers and peaked at 611,000 viewers on Showtime. The fight aired on pay-per-view in Canada.


Jack vs. Browne

In November 2018, speaking to Swedish news agency TT, Jack revealed he would not fight again in the year and would likely return in early January 2019. Light heavyweight upcomer Marcus Browne (22–0, 16 KOs) called out Jack to fight him in what was an 'open division' as both traded words on
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
. Both boxers claimed they were available to take the fight next, A few days later, Jack stated he was open to fighting WBA champion Dmitry Bivol, after Bivol's successful defence against veteran boxer
Jean Pascal Jean-Thenistor Pascal (born 28 October 1982) is a Haitian-born Canadian professional boxer. He held the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title from 2019 to 2021, and previously the WBC, IBO, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light-heavyweight tit ...
. Jack also went on to explain that he did not turn down a fight against Bivol in 2018. According to RingTV.com on 26 November, a deal was close to being reached for Jack and Browne to fight on the
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...
vs. Adrien Broner Showtime PPV undercard on 19 January 2019. On 17 December, the fight was announced to take place on the PPV undercard, taking place at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip. Sporting events From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
in Paradise, Nevada. Although both were ranked highly with the WBC, the fight would be contested for the WBA interim light heavyweight title. Browne was ranked #1 by the WBA and WBC and #7 by the WBO, while Jack was ranked #2 by the WBA, WBC and the WBO. Browne was 'honored and a privileged' to be able to fight on a big PPV undercard. He was also excited with the opportunity of fighting his first big name on his way to becoming a household name. Browne used his youth, speed and power advantage to pound out a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision win over Jack, who suffered a horrendous cut on his forehead in round seven. The judges’ scores were 117–110, 116–111 and 119–108 in Browne's favor. Both boxers started fight off slow, but it was Browne who managed to do more to win the early rounds. In round seven, following an accidental clash of heads, a vertical cut appeared on Jack's forehead, with blood streaming down. The head clash seemed to be initiated by Jack, who according to Browne, was coming forward with his head all fight. Jack had his best round in round twelve, as he attacked Browne hard in landing some nice shots. At this point, Jack needed a knockout, but was not able to hurt Browne. He lacked the power, and had taken so much punishment. After the fight, Browne said, "He was a real tough competitor. He thought he would take me deep in the rounds and drown me but I came in shape. I used my athletic ability. I did what I do best -- box the crap out of people. I was too slick, too sharp." Jack did not stay long after the bout and was taken to a hospital. After being stitched up, Jack congratulated Browne, "I would like to thank all of the fans for your support! The cut was a nasty one, but I’m fine now, Alhamdulillah. Congrats to Marcus Browne who fought a great fight. Regardless of the cut he was the better man tonight. I am a warrior and will never quit. I dedicated this fight to the refugee children across the world who fight a much tougher fight than I did tonight. I will continue to fight for them until the end." Browne landed 145 of 515 punches thrown (28%) and Jack landed 66 of his 303 thrown (22%). Jack received $500,000 and Browne was guaranteed a $250,000 purse.


Jack vs. Pascal

Next Jack would be booked for another world title fight, set for 28 December 2019 against the champion
Jean Pascal Jean-Thenistor Pascal (born 28 October 1982) is a Haitian-born Canadian professional boxer. He held the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title from 2019 to 2021, and previously the WBC, IBO, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light-heavyweight tit ...
(34–6–1, 20 KO's) for the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title and
WBC Silver The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...
light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
titles. Pascal was ranked #3 by the WBC at light heavyweight. It was a close hard fought fight, where Pascal had the better start, winning the majority of the opening rounds and scoring a knockdown at the end of a right hook in round 4. However, Jack found his way back into the fight, using his jab and body punches to render damage to his opponent and win rounds. In the 12th and final round Jack returned the knockdown favor and dropped Pascal to the canvas with a overhand right and a flurry of right hooks. Even despite his success in the middle- and later rounds, and the big knockdown in the 12th, Jack once again found himself on the losing end of a close fight, losing by a somewhat controversial split decision (114–112, 112–114, 112–114). According to CompuBox Fight Stats, Pascal landed 155 of 556 punches thrown (28%) while Jack had a bigger output, landing 244 of 632 punches thrown (39%). Due to the controversial result, talks of an immediate rematch started right away, with both parties interested in making it happen during 2020.


Jack vs. McKernan

While a rematch between Jack and Pascal had been discussed for a while, instead Jack would be booked to fight Blake McKernan (13–0, 6 KO's) on 28 November 2020 at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. card. McKernan would be dropping down from his regular weight at cruiserweight to face Jack at
light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
. With this booking, many felt as McKernan would be a fight for Jack to just stay active while waiting on the rematch against Pascal. Jack declared that he would be donating all of his fight proceedings to charity, through the Badou Jack Foundation. Jack had a dominant performance, winning the 8-round bout by a lopsided unanimous decision (80-72 on all scorecards). As of statistics from CompuBox, Jack landed 203 of 520 punches thrown (39%) while McKernan only landed 92 of 471 punches thrown (20%).


Jack vs. Colina

Jack and
Jean Pascal Jean-Thenistor Pascal (born 28 October 1982) is a Haitian-born Canadian professional boxer. He held the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title from 2019 to 2021, and previously the WBC, IBO, '' Ring'' magazine and lineal light-heavyweight tit ...
had originally been scheduled to face each other in a rematch of their 2019 fight on the undercard of
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul, billed as "Bragging Rights", was an exhibition boxing match between former five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and YouTuber Logan Paul. It took place on June 6, 2021, at the Hard Rock Stadium ...
on 6 June 2021, but the rematch was canceled when it emerged on 28 May that Pascal had failed random Voluntary Anti-Doping Association-administered tests and had tested positive for three different banned PEDs:
drostanolone Drostanolone, or dromostanolone, is an anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) of the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) group which was never marketed. An androgen ester prodrug of drostanolone, drostanolone propionate, was formerly used in the treatment ...
, drostanolone metabolite and epitrenbolone. Pascal responded to the news, saying that he was "shocked and embarrassed". On 3 June, reports surfaced that Pascal had failed yet another drugs test, testing positive for a fourth banned substance,
erythropoietin Erythropoietin (; EPO), also known as erythropoetin, haematopoietin, or haemopoietin, is a glycoprotein cytokine secreted mainly by the kidneys in response to cellular hypoxia; it stimulates red blood cell production (erythropoiesis) in the bo ...
, also known as EPO. Jack responded to the news by labeling Pascal a "scumbag cheater". On 1 June 2021, unbeaten Dervin Colina (15-0) was announced as Jack's new short-notice opponent, replacing Jean Pascal on the card. The gulf in class was apparent very quickly, with Colina being deducted two points in the second and third round for excessive clinching. Jack dropped his opponent three times in the fourth round, forcing the referee to halt the contest, with Jack being declared the winner by fourth-round technical knockout.


Jack vs. Crossed

Jack faced Samuel Crossed in a stay-busy fight on 26 November 2021, at the Motospace Dubai Investment Park in
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
. The ten-round bout was broadcast by
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
on the American continents, and could be seen on IFL TV by the rest of the world. Jack entered the fight as an overwhelming -4000 favorite, while most odds-makers had Crossed as a +1100 underdog. Jack won the second cruiserweight fight of his career by a second-round knockout. Referee called off the fight after the Crossed was knocked down for the third time in the round.


Personal life

Jack was born to a Gambian father and a Swedish mother. He was raised in his father's religion of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
and still adheres to it to this day. Jack now resides in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. Jack is a close friend of the Swedish actor
Joel Kinnaman Charles Joel Nordström Kinnaman (; born 25 November 1979) is a Swedish-American actor and model who first gained recognition for his roles in the Swedish film '' Easy Money'' and the ''Johan Falk'' crime series. Kinnaman is known international ...
. He has helped Kinnaman physically prepare for roles in '' Robocop'' and ''
Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...
''.


Professional boxing record


References


External links

* * * *
2007 Swedish championships resultsBadou Jack - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings
a
Box.Live
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jack, Badou 1983 births Living people Middleweight boxers People with acquired Gambian citizenship Gambian male boxers Boxers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers of the Gambia Sportspeople from Stockholm Swedish people of Gambian descent Swedish male boxers World Boxing Council champions Swedish Muslims World super-middleweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions World light-heavyweight boxing champions