By Brent Matteo Alderson
Note: In this new series, The Trainer’s Corner, BoxingScene.com will periodically speak with the sport’s top trainers as they share their insights on the game and its fighters. In this installment, John David Jackson, a former world champion and one of the game’s top strategists, talks about his career as a fighter and a trainer, Carl Davis Drumond’s fight with Ruslan Chagaev this coming Saturday, and Nate Campbell’s possible matches against Marco Antonio Barrera and Amir Khan.
BoxingScene.com: John, how do you like training fighters compared to fighting them?
John David Jackson: I love teaching, passing it on, that’s the beauty of training fighters, but I miss the competition. Once you’re a fighter it’s hard to break away. I miss it, but I’ve accepted the fact that I’m forty-five and you can’t go forever, but I’m still in the sport that I’ve always loved so that makes it easier.
BoxingScene.com: You’re in good shape. You didn’t balloon up like some of these guys.
John David Jackson: I’m kind of vein so I can’t get too big, but age is catching up with me though so I have to work harder to keep it off. This was my last year of boxing. I gave it up in terms of sparring with the guys I train so I’m leaving that part alone so it’s going to be way harder to get it to come off now.
BoxingScene.com: Could you still go six rounds with a Jermain Taylor or a Kelly Pavlik right now?
John David Jackson: As you get older in boxing, if you’re a smart fighter, you get more relaxed. I could box six rounds. I boxed with Alan Green and some other guys I train so it’s not hard to go six rounds at this stage in my life. Can I go a hard twelve rounds? I would have to pace myself, physically as well as mentally.
BoxingScene.com: It’s good that you’ve been able to pursue another avenue in the sport and become a world class trainer?
John David Jackson: I’ve been blessed in that regard. A lot of my friends in boxing are really upset with the way their careers went, how the money was spent. And a lot of guys didn’t win titles and even those that won titles are bitter. At the end of the day I was fortunate enough to walk away with all my faculties. I never made the money I should have, but I’ve been fortunate.
BoxingScene.com: What was your biggest payday?
John David Jackson: 110 thousand for the Jorge Castro fight.
BoxingScene.com: Are you proud of the fact that your fight with Castro was Ring Magazine’s 1994 fight of the year?
John David Jackson: Yah why not? It’s something that will also be in the record books so I’m not going to say I’m not happy about being part of it. It was a great fight, unfortunately it was one that I didn’t win at the end, but I think I surprised a lot of people by the fact that most people thought I was a runner. I wasn’t a runner, I never ran in any fight. I fought him at his fight and I was beating him.
BoxingScene.com: He caught you man!
John David Jackson: I can’t cry about it. It was 15 years ago. A friend of mine asked me if I would still fight him and I said I would love to fight him. I can never let that go. I don’t hate Castro.
BoxingScene.com: You fought him again didn’t you?
John David Jackson: In 98 I fought him again and beat him decisively, but I fought him in Argentina and I wasn’t going to win a decision there. When you go to another guy’s country you have to win to the point to where you have to knock him out or the ref has to stop it. To get a win in another fighter’s backyard is very hard to do.
BoxingScene.com: How’s training going with your fighters?
John David Jackson: We’re putting on the final finishes of Nate Campbell’s preparations for his fight against Ali Funeka. Things are going real good, Nates looked real sharp. We’re finishing up. I have Carl Davis Drumond in Germany right now, getting ready for Chagaev.
BoxingScene.com: Are you going to be in his corner for the fight?
John David Jackson: Yes.
BoxingScene.com: What do you think about Carl’s chances against Chagaev?
John David Jackson: Believe it or not they are very good. Most people are underestimating the kid and I think they are probably looking forward to Valuev and the Klitschkos. Carl is a very very strong fighter and he is a hard worker and is really dedicated, he’s given 110% of what we ask for. Camp was great and I just feel that Chagaev is over-looking him, under-estimating him and is going to be in for a big surprise. Most people don’t think Carl has a shot, but he’s in shape and I think if he does what I think he should do, I foresee an upset.
BoxingScene.com: What’s Carl going to weigh for that fight? What do you think?
John David Jackson: Between 235 and 240.
BoxingScene.com: I saw Carl in Costa Rica this summer and he was 220, but he was ripped, so he’s gained some weight for this fight?
John David Jackson: In the gym he hit 240 and stayed there for a while. It’s not fat because he worked hard in the gym and the weight stabilized at 240. He worked hard and tried to get it off and it didn’t come off, but he still looks good. The weight isn’t a problem. Chagaev has a problem, he’s coming off a year layoff. He’s the one who put the weight on and hasn’t been boxing in god knows how long. And he just started sparring late for the fight so he’s the person who has to worry about where his weight is. Carl is ready for this fight. Everybody is overlooking Carl, he’s a hell of a puncher. At this point he’s not fully developed, but the time that I’ve been with him, he learns quickly. I told him after this fight here and I think he should prevail, I need two months with him to work on some things and I think he would be a way better fighter. He didn’t get big money for this fight, but if he wins this fight, he’s in the driver’s seat.
BoxingScene.com: Let’s talk about Nate Campbell. I’m surprised you guys didn’t push for the Barrera fight. It’s not an easy fight, but it’s a very winnable and it’s a big payday. What happened?
John David Jackson: That fight is not mandated until September. That’s when the next WBO mandatory is due. Barrera just signed with King and Nate Campbell and King aren’t really together and King is trying to sweeten the pot for them a bit and put that bait in front of Nate. I told Nate, when the mandatory is due, that’s when you fight this kid. So now Barrera has to get past Amir Khan so Nate will have to fight the winner of that fight regardless of who wins sometime before September, probably in July.
BoxingScene.com: At this point with his fan base in Great Britain, the Khan fight is probably just as lucrative as Barrera.
John David Jackson: If he beats Barrera it puts him back on top and the fight would probably be in England which makes a lot of sense since they would both get paid a lot of money.
Notes:
Favorite Quote: In responding to all the criticism that he received regarding his weight in the early nineties Big George Foreman commented, “I see all these guys with all these muscles bulging out laying on the canvas looking for a mouthpiece. I’d rather eat and stand up.”
The series, Welcome to the Pros, which will cover an amateur’s journey into professional boxing will continue in March. The subject, Olympic alternate Malcolm Franklin, is recovering from a fractured jaw and his management team is moving forward with his career in a patient manner. Malcolm’s advisor Darryl Thompson commented via telephone, “We’re just taking our time. Malcolm is young, he’s not even twenty years old. We’re confident in his ability and feel that he showed grit in his pro-debut. Not to make excuses, but he had his wisdom teeth pulled before the fight and we think that affected his performance and he did drop the guy in the first round. We’re looking to come back in March.”
Word from Chris Arreola’s camp is that the Mexican-American slugger has been motivated of late and will be in optimal condition for his April HBO date on the Williams-Wright undercard. His trainer, Henry Ramirez stated, “It took us over thirty minutes to get to our seats at the Margarito fight and I think Chris saw how many people are rooting for him and supporting and I think that it motivated him. He’s already training for the fight. Yesterday he came to the gym in the morning and then again in the afternoon.”
I know accidents happen, but a fighter of Barrera’s caliber shouldn’t even have to go past the first round with a fighter with a reported 1-7-1 record. Even though, the Mexican great won by disqualification, that performance doesn’t bold well for him in his fight with Khan. The future hall of famer received a big retirement kind of pay day in his fight with the Pac-man after loosing to Marquez and should have stayed retired.
I would like to thank the young Akbar Muhammad, one of the game’s most knowledgeable historians, for facilitating the interview with John David Jackson.
Ingemar Johansson passed away last Friday. People don’t know this, but Rocky Marciano seriously considered a comeback against Johansson and the negotiations actually went further than the preliminary stages, but things didn’t work out and Ingemar and Patterson fought two more times in what were some of the most exciting heavyweight fights in history. Rest in piece Ingemar, your name will forever be remembered in the annals of boxing history.
Brent Matteo Alderson, a graduate of UCLA, has been part of the staff at BoxingScene.com since 2004. Alderson's published work has appeared in publications such as Ring Magazine, KO, World Boxing, Boxing 2008, and Latin Boxing Magazine. Alderson has also been featured on the ESPN Classic television program “Who’s Number One?” Please e-mail any comments to BoxingAficionado@aol.com