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While most of the country sat in warm offices and homes, cursing the exorbitant costs of central heating, Peak District-born cruiserweight Jack Massey was battling scaffolding on freezing construction sites. While helping my brother with his work, I braved the harsh pre-Christmas temperatures of -5 degrees and clasped the same hands covered in bandages and leather at night.
Massey turns 30 in April, and a few months later his partner gives birth to their first child. Money is tight and must be needed. Even though he is one of the leading cruiserweight fighters in the country, he will have to look elsewhere to get his payday. That is the life of a fighter who struggles in battle. This contradiction is something the 20-1 (11-win) Massey has had to grapple with all too regularly lately. In the rare case when the door was reluctantly left ajar for him, the official shut the door squarely in his face.
In 2019, he fought Richard Liakporue for the vacant British title at York Hall. Although not a very important judge at ringside, it was a fight that many thought Massey won. Despite being dropped once, he outclassed Liacpolge for a long time and was forced to hug or hug him in the second half of the contest, while his opponent Lonsdale finished with his belt and is now , looking for a world title opportunity. Massey, on the other hand, was left with nothing but disappointment and a year of waiting for the phone to ring again.
Since then he’s won the belt, though almost no one seemed to notice.IBO Bauble may not be the brightest on boxing’s glamorous Christmas tree, but in an impressive performance, he won three Defeated opponent Bilal Laggoune in a one-sided round. This should have provided Massey with the much-needed platform, but a cathartic rematch with Liakporue and the increasingly high-profile Chris Bilam-Smith remains elusive. A low profile knockout of journeyman Vaclav Paysar at Bolton made him his only appearance in the ring in 2022. It’s just that it’s the starting point for something bigger and better.
“I couldn’t get a defense against it, so they stripped it from me in November. I think you have to,” Massey says. boxing news“But yeah, it’s been a pretty terrible year for boxing.”
That was until cold fingers wrapped around a vibrating cell phone as he battled the aforementioned building site elements. “It was my manager [Kevin Maree] calling me,” recalls Massey. “Kevin said he had an offer to fight Joseph Parker. I didn’t expect that in a million years! No offers coming at cruiserweight so we need to move up.I will never turn down a fight.But as you know this fight completely changed everything.Worst year is good It’s been a year. Let’s have it!”
Jack Massey attacks Martin Grainger on July 18, 2015 in Manchester, England (Dave Thompson/Getty Images)
Massey will take on left fielder Parker in recent memory on the undercard for Chris Eubank Jr.-Liam Smith at Manchester Arena on Saturday night. No one compares former WBO belt-holder Parker to Apollo Creed, but this feels like a true Rocky Balboa moment for the smiling, chill Massie. No one knows for sure how . One has to wonder if they’ve pulled off some opponents like they did the first time.
Reality isn’t Hollywood’s fault, it’s thanks to cold realism. Parker last time had a war with the towering Joe Joyce before a heavy-handed “Juggernaut” ended his night with a bang in the 11th round. And since he hasn’t recently won a truly top-tier heavyweight since surrendering the title to Anthony Joshua, it’s easy to see why a fighter with less intimidating proportions than Massey would appeal to him. can. Meanwhile, the man nicknamed “One-Smack” has an equally pragmatic interpretation of his own. I obviously live locally and usually do pretty well with ticket sales,” he says. “But yeah, they obviously want to give Parker a win behind Joyce. If he loses the next game, he really has nowhere to go.”
Both men meet eye to eye when it comes to height, but there’s a rift in the scale that can’t be bridged. Weighed over a pound. But Massey refrains from the temptation to add extra pounds for what will be the biggest fight of his career and his wallet. should usually be cut just above the stone,” he explains. “I don’t want to go too heavy because I might get sluggish and run out of gas. I’m peaking at just over 200 pounds. Obviously he’s bigger. So I’m not going to fight him, I have to go in and out, just let go of my shots and get out of his way.
To prepare for the expanded dimensions of their opponents, Massey, 29, and the team called on the ever-popular Dave Allen to adjust his pace.
“We’ve had sparring mixed up,” Jack reveals. “You get the heavyweights the first five rounds and the cruisers the last five rounds. Parker has a very fast hand for a heavyweight, so it was the best of both worlds. , a heavyweight leaned over me and trolled, then a cruiser could pick up speed and drag me into deep water, at a faster tempo.”
However, they are still many observers, seeing the size and profile differences between both men, and come to the conclusion that Massey has no chance. I’m also happy with the fact that I’m putting firm pressure on my opponent’s burly shoulders. I know it’s a tough question, but no matter what happens, I’m on that huge platform. But honestly, I wouldn’t have gotten into the fight if I didn’t think I could win. ”
And what if he shocked the boxing world and bookmakers? “Well, there are some huge names out there. You never know you might be asked to play against them in a come-from-behind battle or something. Worse things have happened!
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