Jackson England went to war with George Kambosos during enthralling sparring sessions, ahead of ‘The Emperor’s’ epic clash with Devin Haney.
The Aussie has reflected on training with his legendary countryman, as he continues to work his way towards a world title shot himself.
On Wednesday evening, the 27-year-old produced a sparkling performance, demolishing Sukpasried Ponphitak, inside the very first round, with a thunderous body shot, to add to his already impressive resume, which notably features former WBO super featherweight King Jamel Herring.
Now, England, who’s called out Gervonta Davis and Emanuel Navarrete, has opened up about his road to the top, crediting Kambosos for helping him hone his craft.
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Jackson England and George Kambosos have traded leather during entertaining sparring sessions
From the moment he was born, Jackson England was simply destined to fight.
His legendary grandfather, Errol McIvor, was one of the best tent fighters in Australia, frequently heading to carnivals, where he’d put up huge top tents, and exchange blows for cash with anybody who wanted it.
The icon’s warrior spirit, was passed down to his grandson, who, despite a passion for dance, followed the boxing route, and has excelled to an incredible standard.
With slick movement, heavy hands, and remarkable self-belief, the fighter is not only one of the best in Australia, but the world, with George Kambosos Jr drafting him in for sparring ahead of his undisputed title bout with Devin Haney.
And England can still remember the first time he ever went toe-to-toe with the icon.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Knockout, he reminisced: “George is a good friend of mine. To see him conquer and beat Teofimo Lopez, and be the undisputed world champion, in my eyes, he’s done one of the biggest things in Australian boxing.
“I still remember that first day, going in the gym, and the feeling of, ‘What’s gonna happen, how is the sparring going to work, is he going to spar someone else first or is he going to spar me first’?
“They had me there to mimic Devin Haney. I’m not Devin Haney; he’s a great boxer himself, but I was there to do what I could do and give George the work.
“I still remember, he came at me like a bull in a china shop. He came at me to show that he is at that top level.
“That’s what helped me prepare to get to that level, to fight people like Jamel Herring, and to be in the position I’m at now, and to go even further.
“It showed me where the top level is, and he’s definitely there.”
Jackson England slept in a storeroom, and now he’s on the cusp of becoming world champion
Having made a big splash in the sport, England is constantly surrounded by Australian greats, whether it’s Anthony Mundine, Jeff Fenech, Barry Michael, or even Danny Green, who paid him a visit in his dressing room before a big fight.
On one occasion, the super featherweight contender even ended up on a wild night out in London, UK, with Lucas Browne, after a card, which the pair were meant to compete on, was cancelled.
However, while the athlete is now a force at the pinnacle of the sport, it took copious amounts of hard work to get there, with England having previously slept in the gym, as part of his quest to be the best.
He revealed: “I still hold it against my coach for kicking me out of that storeroom; I needed that storeroom at the time. It’s part of the journey.
“I laugh about it all the time, me driving at three in the morning to go train, and I’d train three times a day up there, and then I’d drive an hour home. Sometimes, I’d catch the train and then run to the gym.
“I was in the storeroom on a tiny little mattress, with cobwebs and dust around me. It had old gym equipment in it.
“Maybe, it was two weeks out from a fight, and he comes in and goes, ‘You need to move your mattress, you need to get out’.
“I said, ‘I’m teaching classes here, while training’. I said, ‘Where do I go’? He just laughed and said, ‘I’ve gotta turn this into an office now’.
“I remember, my mum and I, we had to come and pick the mattress up and put it on top of the car. It was a big mission. But, I still trained that night, and I fought four days later, so it was all fun.
“It’s fun to think how dedicated I am to this sport. No matter how much I love boxing, it will never love me back, but that’s the game we play.”
England’s story is one of a man who’s simply refused to give up on his goals. He’s battled through defeat, a severe health issue with his appendix, which almost burst, and of course, living in a storeroom, all while maintaining faith that he could scale the combat sports mountain.
Now, he’s proving all his hard work was worthwhile, with the world finally beginning to take note of his talent.
However, his story is still far from done, with his ultimate ambition of becoming a world champion, still a target he’s going to do everything in his power to achieve.