By Terence Dooley

A fourth round British title defeat to John Murray in October of last year left Jon Thaxton, 35, questioning his future in boxing.  The popular Norwich-based fighter has now made clear his decision to bow out of the sport, his career will be celebrated with a testimonial dinner in July.

Ricky Hatton, who defeated Thaxton for the vacant British 140lb title back in 2000, was quick to praise his former opponent, who pushed the Mancunian all the way, cutting him early and catching ‘The Hitman’ with some big shots before losing on points.

“My fight against Jon was my first major title,” said Hatton when speaking to EDP24.co.uk.  “It was one of my toughest as we went at it hammer and tongs for 12 rounds.  We were both cut badly and after the fight we needed treatment.  Jon showed what a tough and brave man he is.  I got the decision and won the Lonsdale belt so that fight meant a lot to me.

“After the fight we were both in the doctor's room being patched up.  We were on separate beds in different rooms, but we were shouting to each other about the fight.  We were having stitches put in our faces and I remember Jon saying what a great fight it was and we should do it again.  I won't repeat what I said to Jon, but we had a good laugh.”

Hatton continued: “The point is, though, we both gained respect for each other and after the fight we became lifelong friends.  That is what the sport of boxing does for you.  There is no other sport in the world like boxing.  Jon went on to bigger and better things after our fight and proved what a true warrior he is when he moved down to lightweight and captured the British and European titles.”

Thaxton settled at lightweight in 2004 and went onto to win the British belt with a points win over Lee Meager; he then won the European title in stunning fashion by knocking out Juan Carlos Diaz Melero in 3 rounds in 2008.  However, Jon looked faded in his next fight when losing the title to Anthony Mezaache in February of last year and a routine comeback bout against Tom Glover up at 140lb saw ‘Jono’ lose two consecutive fights for the first time in ten years. 

The loss to Murray hit Thaxton hard, he felt that he was stopped prematurely but looked to be heading for defeat, a subsequent period of reflection led Jon, who works as a public speaker, into the toughest decision of his career.

“I've been a professional boxer for more than 17 years and it's a tough game - it's [the testimonial dinner] my way of saying goodbye, and thank you.  I thank all the people for coming out and supporting me - and having someone there like Ricky Hatton is fantastic. 

“People often ask me, 'what's the best fight you've been in?' and I always say the Ricky Hatton fight.  I'm not saying that was my best performance, but it was the best fight.  I gave my all that night, I didn't have another gear to go up to,” admitted Thaxton, who retires with a 34-11 (19) record.

There are 400 tickets available for the testimonial meal, costing £75 for gold tickets and £100 for platinum, with platinum tables £900. Tickets will go on sale this week and are expected to go quickly. For details, contact Sportlink on 01603 868606 or the Norwich Holiday Inn Airport Hotel on 01603 410544.

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