Jalil Hackett believes he can become a World champion in 2025 – and can take a big step towards achieving that goal with a big win over Jose Roman Vazquez tomorrow night at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico, live worldwide on DAZN.
Hackett (9-0 7 KOs) passed his first big step up with flying colors in Philadelphia in July, outpointing Peter Dobson over ten rounds.
Tomorrow night, the 21 year old boxes over the ten round distance for the second time against Vazquez (13-1 6 KOs), the Puerto Rican who will hope a vociferous home crowd can roar him to victory.
But for Hackett, victory in hostile territory is just another box to tick as he targets World title action so early in his career, and even called the name of WBO champion Brian Norman as a man he wants to take the title from.
“World Title contention is the aim for the next 12 months,” said Hackett. A lot of guys talk it, but I believe in it. I have to keep moving up in the rankings in the next few fights.
“Brian Norman said my name, he’s a World Champion and that’s my goal. He said I’m on his hit list well guess what, he’s on my hit list too. I believe I can beat him now, but we have work to do this Saturday first.
“I feel like I’m made for this. I don’t need to wait until I’ve had 20 or 30 fights to see if I’m good enough. It’s all about the challenge, I set myself high personal goals – The main goal is to become World Champion as quick as possible.
“I’ve studied Vazquez. Based on what I’ve seen, he’ll come out swinging which suits me. It’ll be an action-packed night on Saturday, it can go early. I need to make a statement in every fight.”
Hackett’s clash with Vazquez is part of a big night of action in Puerto Rico, where Liam Paro defends his IBF World Junior Welterweight title against Richardson Hitchins.
The co-feature is an all-Puerto Rican clash between Henry Lebron (19-0 10 KOs) and Christopher Diaz (29-5 19 KOs) as Lebron returns to his homeland for the first time in five years and does so in the biggest night of his career, as the #4 in the IBF looks to press his claims for World title action in 2025 with a big win over a domestic rival and pick up the vacant IBF Latino and WBO NABO titles in the process. Diaz sits pretty at #7 in the WBA, has already tasted World title action and is hungry to do so again, and ‘Pitufo’ puts his WBA Continental Latin America title on the line in a pivotal clash for the immediate futures of both.
Puerto Rican Olympian Yankiel Rivera will take on Angel Gonzalez for the vacant WBC Silver, WBA Continental Americas and WBO Intercontinental Flyweight titles.
Rivera (6-0 2 KOs) is handily placed in the rankings at #3 with the WBA, #9 with the WBC and #11 with the WBO, and fights at home for the second time in 2024 having seen off the experienced Victor Sandoval over ten rounds in June in Manati, defending the WBA strap and adding the WBO belt.
The 27 year old will be looking to rubber stamp his World title credentials for a shot in 2025, but Gonzalez (14-0 7 KOs) will be out to spoil those plans in the biggest fight of his career. The 31 year old with Puerto Rican roots landed the NABF title at 112lbs in June in Connecticut, and can catapult himself into the World title mix with victory in December.
Marc Castro and Stephanie Pineiro have confirmed opponents for the night, with Castro (13-0 8 KOs) tackling Agustin Quintana (20-1-2 13 KOs) over ten rounds at Lightweight, and Pineiro (7-0 2 KOs) meeting Ogleidis Suarez (30-5-1 14 KOs) over eight rounds Welterweight.
Puerto Rico’s Juan Zayas (10-0-1 8 KOs) takes on Dominican Geraldo Valdez (16-2 11 KOs) over eight rounds at Bantamweight and Matchroom’s Puerto Rican talent William Ortiz (6-0 4 KOs) faces fellow unbeaten Puerto Rican Lionell Colon (6-0 3 KOs) over eight rounds at Super-Lightweight.