- Undefeated Welterweight Jalil Hackett recently signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing
- 21-year-old Hackett has been a sparring partner of Gervonta Davis since he was 16 years old
- Hackett was signed to Mayweather Promotions on the advice of Tank but recently left the company
Blue-chip prospect Jalil Hackett has recently signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, the company confirmed last Friday.
21-year-old Hackett (8-0, 7 KOs) has been sparring with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis since he was 16 years old.
“The first time my son ever sparred with him was so funny”, Hackett’s father told Hardcoreboxingnews, “Jalil was like 16 and Tank came to the gym and said ‘I heard you think you’re ready to be a pro, we’re gonna find out today’.
“(Tank) was like ‘I’m gonna beat you up till you quit’, and (Jalil) was like ‘Well you’re gonna beat me up forever’.”
“When they called us up for the fight with Barrios…That night they sparred 15 rounds they were only supposed to spar 8. Calvin was like ‘Get out of the ring’ (after 8 rounds), Tank said ‘Yeah little boy get out of the ring, you heard him tell you’, and Jalil wouldn’t get out of the ring.”
Gervonta Davis Recommended Floyd Mayweather Sign Hackett
Davis was so impressed by Hackett that he advised Floyd Mayweather and Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, to sign him.
Mayweather and Ellerbe did just that and Hackett made his pro debut with Mayweather Promotions as an 18-year-old on the Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul undercard.
He fought for them 4x in under a year but after that, Mayweather Promotions were not getting him any more fights and Hackett was made to secure his own fight dates – he told Zeb Brooks Multimedia.
The few dates Mayweather Promotions offered him didn’t come to fruition and eventually, he was forced to explore other promotional companies earlier this year.
Hackett, who has impressed in the pro ranks with 7 knockouts and a WBC Youth belt in his 8 fights, told FightHype that he wanted to sign with Matchroom Boxing and just a few weeks later a multi-fight deal was cemented.
The Washington DC native is expected to make his Matchroom debut on the July 13 Jaron Ennis vs Cody Crowley undercard at the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia against former Conor Benn opponent Peter Dobson – although this is yet to be confirmed.
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