Welterweight Jose Roman secured the biggest win of his career with a split-decision victory over previously unbeaten Jalil Hackett in their 10-round bout on the Liam Paro-Richardson Hitchins undercard.
The upset took place at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as part of Matchroom Boxing’s ‘Before The Bell’ telecast on YouTube. The judges scored the fight 96-94 (Roman), 96-94 (Hackett), and 96-94 (Roman).
Hackett, 21, from Washington D.C., appeared drained at the pre-fight press conference, suggesting a tough weight cut. He started strong, using relentless bodywork to dominate the early rounds. However, Roman gained momentum by the halfway mark and, by the seventh, Hackett’s pace slowed. Roman took control in the later rounds, landing the cleaner shots, although Hackett likely banked several early frames.
Despite Hackett being signed to Matchroom Boxing, Roman benefited from fighting at home in Puerto Rico, where the crowd cheered his every move. The fan energy may have influenced the scoring of close rounds.
Roman, now 13-2 (6 KOs), extended his win streak to three fights. Hackett, who signed with Matchroom Boxing in 2024, falls to 9-1 (7 KOs). Hackett had been targeting a title fight in 2025, but this loss is likely to delay those plans. Hackett debuted under Matchroom in July with a unanimous decision win over Pete Dobson. A rematch with Roman could be the next logical step.
Bantamweight Juan Zayas, 28, of Puerto Rico, passed a tough test against 32-year-old Geraldo Valdez of the Dominican Republic, earning an eight-round unanimous decision. While Zayas controlled the fight, the judges saw it closer than expected, scoring it 78-73, 78-73, and 77-74, all for Zayas.
Zayas remains unbeaten at 11-0-1 (8 KOs), while Valdez falls to 16-3 (12 KOs).
In the opening fight, women’s welterweight Stephanie Pineiro, 34, from Puerto Rico, cruised to an eight-round unanimous decision over 38-year-old Kalindra Faria of Brazil, a late replacement opponent.
Pineiro controlled the distance, mixing attacks to the head and body. Her relentless pressure forced Faria to retreat and even turn her back during the seventh round. All three judges scored the fight 80-71.
Pineiro improves to 8-0 (2 KOs), while Faria drops to 2-3.
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