By Per Ake Persson
Newly crowned WBC super middleweight champion of the world, Badou Jack (19-1-1), returned home to Stockholm, Sweden, last week and got a hero´s welcome and since then been seen just about everywhere.
Badou was a very good amateur, for example a 5-time Swedish champion, but when he represented his father´s home country of Gambia in the 08 Olympics and then turned pro - he kind of left the radar. The main Swedish media wasn't concerned with his career and it wasn´t until the morning after the title win over Anthony Dirrell when Badou hit the headlines back home for the first time in his career.
Jack´s career has displayed what determination and hard work (of course combined with a certain amount of talent) can do. He was first managed in Sweden by current Queensberry matchmaker Jason McClory but departed to the United States in 2010. It was tough to begin run in the States with contractual disputes derailing his career. But Badou hung in there and worked hard in the gym under trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and when he signed with Mayweather Promotions late 2012 his career took off.
Jack also give a lot of credit to co-trainer Lou Del Valle, who worked with Badou when he first came to Florida in 2010 and then joined the team in Las Vegas.
Tomorrow, Friday, the WBC has scheduled purse bids for Jack´s mandatory defense against George Groves - and Badou is positive that the fight will land in Las Vegas for a September date as a chief support to Floyd Mayweather´s farewell fight. Mayweather is targeting September 12 for his next fight.
A win there and there´s a lot of big fights out there for Badou, who´s open to fight the best at 168 before moving up to light heavyweight.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Sauerland Event has announced that a deal has been reached between both parties and the purse bid has been canceled. The fight is going to take place in the United States.