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Real-Life Rocky Luke Jackson confident of ending Carl Frampton’s career


Writing his own story, Luke Jackson [16(7)-0] intends to halt Carl Frampton’s resurgance and send ‘The Jackal’ into retirement with a famous, life-changing win at Windsor Park tomorrow night.

A massive underdog, Jackson describes himself as a ‘Real-Life Rocky’ and he is confident he can pull off the biggest shock in Irish boxing history and force two-weight world champion Frampton into an embarrassing early retirement.

Frampton ticks a major item off the bucket list with a headline slot at the football stadium but the fight is seen as little more than a keep busy ahead of a big world title fight in December versus IBF champion Josh Warrington.

This isn’t in Jackson’s script, however.

The Australian featherweight had previously stated his belief that he was being overlooked by Frampton [25(14)-1(0)] but, having taken in a Belfast fight week, he has realised the massive attention garner and pressure placed on the home favourite.

Jackson explained how “at the start, I thought Carl was overlooking me a bit but I think he understands what’s at stake and if he loses to me his career is pretty much over. ”

The 33-year-old Olympian will have to raise his game countless levels to trouble Frampton, never mind send him into retirement, and he is promising to do so following the best camp of his career.

The Tasmanian outlined how “we’ve trained extremely hard and smart this camp and I’ve spent a lot more time with Billy Hussein than what I normally do. I’ve got to fight the perfect fight and I believe I can do that.”

“A world title for me would be a real life Rocky story. I’ve come from nothing and there’s a lot I’ve had to deal with in my life to get to this position.”

“I’m very proud of myself to be here. My father is 67 years old and he’s never left the country of Australia and for me to give my father a reason to fly halfway across the world fills me with pride.”

The Down Under scrapper has had a tough life and, as such, holds no fear going into a fight with one of the top featherweights in the world in front of 25,000 people baying for his blood.

Jackson, like so many fighters, knows all too well about intense environments and having scrapped his way from dark days to the London Olympics and through the pro ranks and he believes he is ready to overcome one more major obstacle tomorrow night, live on BT Sport.

“I’ve been an underdog my whole life,” he said. “I’m not supposed to be here. My friends are either in jail or they’re dead and that’s where I’m supposed to be.”

“A lot of my family are on drugs and are doing the wrong thing and I dropped out of school in grade eight and I wasn’t supposed to amount to nothing, that’s what everyone said to me, but I have because I’ve been dedicated to the sport of boxing.”

“I’ve trained hard and I’ve made all this happen myself; I’ve had no hand-outs no freebies, no rich parents, nothing like that and I’ve worked hard and I’m proud of myself,” Jackson continued, further detailing his tough backstory.

“My life has been very difficult. I didn’t just arrive here, I spent a lot of time as a young kid doing the wrong thing, on drugs and I dropped out of school and I was just going nowhere.”

“I’ve got severe OCD [Obsessive Compulsive Disorder], that I take medication for every day, and it’s been a battle to get here.

Coming through all of this has Jackson feeling unbeatable. The constellations are different in the Southern Hemisphere and ‘Action’ believes a life-changing win for him is written in the stars.

“It hasn’t come easy and I’ve worked hard and I deserve to be here. I’m ready to shock the world and cause a major upset and I feel this is my destiny.

“I’m just appreciating every day and not taking it for granted because I know it will be over one day and this is a big moment for me and my family and I’m looking to win and change our lives.”

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