Teacher to feature in main event of card staged at his high school

SAN RAMON, California – Jacob Macalolooy will teach at James Logan High School on Friday and compete in the main event of a professional boxing card there on Saturday.

Macalolooy will face Jaylin Strong in an eight-round welterweight bout at Emanuele Pavilion in Union City, California. 

“I think this is the first time a teacher is taking a pro fight at his own school,” said Ali Benjamin, the co-promoter of the event along with Juan Sanchez. “He will be teaching the students, and then on Saturday, he is going to knock someone out. It is pretty crazy.”

Macalolooy, 10-0 (4 KOs), is a special education teacher and wrestling coach at the school. After wrestling at Columbia University, he turned professional in 2021. The 30-year-old Macalolooy has served as a sparring partner for both Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jnr, with one of his sparring sessions with Spence going viral.

Strong, 5-5 (4 KOs), has lost three of his past four fights, including his previous two. A 30-year-old from Decatur, Alabama, Strong has proven durable, as he has been stopped only once – by Lane Hanlin in October. Strong will be entering hostile territory, given Macalolooy’s familiarity with the venue.

“His whole family is James Logan legends,” Benjamin said. “It is the first-ever professional boxing show in Union City, with their guy.” 

For Benjamin – a local boxing coach based in San Ramon, California – this will be his third time co-promoting a boxing show. He has personal ties to each card, as he gets to spotlight many of his young fighters.

In the co-feature, unbeaten lightweight Kyle Lacanlale, who trains out of his gym, will face Javier Rojas Campos. Junior middleweight Juan Hernandez will make his pro debut and has been with Benjamin since he started boxing as an amateur. The show serves as a developmental platform for up-and-coming fighters trying to stay active without a major promoter behind them.

“The goal for this show is smooth sailing,” Benjamin said. “I really want the fans to feel like it was a helluva show, with good 50-50 fights. I want fans to leave feeling like they were in Las Vegas but they were in Union City.” 

Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.