On the undercard of the Liam Paro vs Richardson Hitchins event, rising welterweight contender Jalil “Major” Hackett wants to dominate when he makes his return to the ring to face Jose Roman (13-1, 6 KOs) on Saturday night, December 7th, at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, live on DAZN.
Hackett has a chance to make major progress in a short period of time because the welterweight division is a weight class that’s in transition. Due to the departure of pound-for-pound star Terence “Bud” Crawford and with welterweight standout Jaron “Boots” Ennis contemplating moving up to 154, the welterweight division is starting to look like the land of opportunity.
Back in March 2021, the then 18-year-old Washington D.C. native Jalil Hackett signed on with Mayweather Promotions. After being a part of the Mayweather Promotions roster for three years, Hackett decided to leave due to a lack of activity.
Hackett was labeled a free agent for a month, and then he proceeded to sign a multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing. Two months later, Jalil Hackett entered the squared circle to participate in a step up bout against the 34-year-old veteran Peter Dobson.
On the night of July 13th, Hackett got off to an aggressive start as he routinely connected with a stiff jab followed by a chopping right hand. Hackett was in complete control of the first half of the fight, as he was able to stand in the pocket and land solid shots to the head and body of his opponent.
In the later rounds, Peter Dobson made an attempt to mount a comeback as he increased his work rate and experienced success when he was able to punch in between the shots. At the conclusion of the 10-round contest, the judges scored the bout 97-93, 97-93, and 96-94 in favor of Jalil Hackett.
With the victory, the 21-year-old Jalil Hackett (9-0, 7 KOs) won the WBA Continental North America welterweight title. Hackett is currently ranked 14th by the WBA, and he is going into Saturday night’s contest looking to dominate against a very credible opponent.
A native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Jose Roman started his pro boxing career with eleven straight victories. Roman experienced defeat for the first time when he lost to Cesar Francis via unanimous decision.
Roman would bounce back as he’s currently riding a two-fight win streak. Now, the 31-year-old is on the verge of facing a young, hungry contender who views Roman as an obstacle he must surpass in order to get a step closer to achieving his career goals.
On Saturday night, when Jose Roman fights for a title belt, he will have the home-field advantage, but that’s something that doesn’t bother Hackett. During an interview with YSM Media, Hackett spoke about his mindset going into Saturday night’s fight as the visitor.
“I like it. You know, I’m fighting a Puerto Rican in Puerto Rico, I look at it like a little hostile takeover.”
Jalil Hackett believes that on Saturday night he will either dominate and stop his opponent early, or he will dominate throughout the course of 10-rounds. Hackett is confident he can stop Roman early if he follows the game plan and puts his shots together.
Since joining Matchroom, Jalil Hackett likes the pace that he’s moving at, and as he looks forward to 2025, he has placed WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr on his radar. Hackett sees that matchup happening in the near future, but before he can focus on the reigning WBO world champion, Hackett must take care of business on Saturday night, live on DAZN.
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