Welterweight Jalil Hackett might not be Sugar Ray Leonard just yet, but his ambitions suggest he is already looking for his version of Thomas Hearns.
Hackett, 21, from Washington, D.C., is eyeing a showdown with WBO welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jnr – a fight that has been teased through their spirited exchanges on social media.
First, however, Hackett must handle his business Saturday night against Jose Roman at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 10-round bout will air as part of Matchroom Boxing’s YouTube stream “Before The Bell.”
Hackett, fighting outside the US mainland for the first time, let his interest in a future Norman fight be known at Thursday’s press conference.
“I’ll be 22 next year, and I don’t really believe in beating around the bush in life,” Hackett said. “If I’m going to be one of the best, I’m trying to find out early. We’ve got world champions calling me out, and I’ve only got nine fights. Brian Norman said he wants the smoke – he’s got the WBO belt. After we get through this, we’re looking at a world title in 2025.”
Hackett’s father and trainer, Bernard Hackett, expanded on his son’s comments during an exclusive BoxingScene interview. Jalil, who originally signed with Mayweather Promotions, joined Matchroom Boxing earlier this year. He made his debut with the promotion in July, securing a unanimous decision win over Pete Dobson.
Ahead of Jalil’s fight with Puerto Rico’s 31-year-old Roman, 13-1 (6 KOs), who enters on a two-fight win streak, Bernard outlined the team’s plans.
“The narrative for us is simple – if and when we beat Jose Roman, all of our focus shifts to Brian Norman,” Bernard told BoxingScene. “If we have to take a fight or two before him, fine. I think this is step one. We do our part Saturday, and Brian does his in February or March, then nothing stops this fight – unless he gets a unification with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.”
Despite Hackett’s modest 9-0 (7 KOs) record, he’s already ranked No. 14 by the WBA, and his father believes he has what it takes to bring excitement back into the welterweight division. Meanwhile, Norman, 24, from Conyers, Georgia, has already made a name for himself. Norman captured the interim WBO title in May with a commanding knockout of Giovani Santillan, improving his record to an impressive 26-0 (20 KOs).
Norman was set to face Derrieck Cuevas in November, but an injury forced him to withdraw. While his return is anticipated early next year, an exact date has yet to be confirmed.
“Right now, the welterweight division feels stagnant since Bud [Terence Crawford] and Errol Spence moved up,” Bernard said. “I think to get that star power back, you need a fight between two young fighters that the general public would look at as a very good 50-50, pick-’em fight.”
Bernard even invoked comparisons to the legendary Leonard-Hearns rivalry. While Hackett and Norman have yet to reach those heights, Bernard sees the potential for something similar given their ages and willingness to fight.
“If they fought next summer, they’d be 22 and 24 – the same age I believe Leonard and Hearns were in their first fight,” he said. “I think the problem in boxing is that there's no great rivalries in the sport, and this has the potential to be a great rivalry.
“Then there’s no young fighters who are in the situation of Jalil and Brian are in that are willing to put it all on the line at this age. They'll talk about, let the fight grow, let the fight mature. These guys want to fight each other now.”
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.