Photo by Ross Kinnaird/EMPICS via Getty Images
Time to introduce you to one of the hardest punchers in boxing history.
Julian “The Hawk” Jackson was uniquely powerful.
Born in the US Virgin Islands, Jackson was a world champion at junior middleweight (154 lbs) and middleweight (160 lbs), but the championship belts were secondary to the fact that he was a remarkably vicious puncher. He threw every shot with intent to end your night, and quite often he succeeded. Jackson notably put away the likes of Terry Norris, Dennis Milton, and Buster Drayton in violent fashion.
The most iconic KO of Jackson’s career occurred on November 24th, 1990 in Spain. He took on the very talented Brit Herol Graham for the vacant WBC middleweight belt. Graham was a high-level boxer whose only losses up to that point were against Sumbu Kalambay and Mike McCallum, both by decision.
In the early rounds, Graham’s superior boxing gave him the advantage on the scorecards. Jackson was looking thoroughly outclassed and his eye was swelling up… but none of that matters when you can uncork a life-altering right hand in an instant. With time winding down in the fourth frame, Jackson sent Graham into unconsciousness while the moronic referee stood over him and counted for some reason.
The real highlight is the totally biased British commentator outright yelling “Oh no! That’s what we were worried about!” as Graham crashed to the canvas.
You can watch the video at the top of the page.
As much as Jackson’s vaunted power was a marvel to watch, Jackson’s chin was never the greatest and thus all six of his losses were by KO or TKO, with two of them coming against Gerald McLellan. Jackson retired in 1998 with a record of 55-6 (49 KOs), and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019.