Jalil Hackett made his professional debut on the Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul undercard in Miami on Sunday. The fight happened less than one month following his eighteenth birthday. Hackett had little trouble with opponent Angelo Diaz, ending the contest with a knockout just 61 seconds into the scheduled four-rounder.
Jalil Hackett signed with Mayweather promotions after an amateur career that included 140 victories in 159 fights. He developed as a boxer under the tutelage of his father, Bernard. Hackett caught the attention of Mayweather and others in the boxing world after more than holding his own in sparring against world champion Gervonta Davis. He was 16 years old when he participated in the first of several gym clashes with Davis.
Jalil Hackett also showed promise in the classroom. He finished high school a year early with a 3.5 GPA and called it an honor to fight professionally for the first time on a Floyd Mayweather undercard. “It was amazing to fight on the undercard,” Hackett explains. And “you can’t draw it up any better” than scoring the first-round knockout.
Jalil Hackett says he has always been confident in his ability as a boxer. But catching the eye of boxing legend Floyd Mayweather only adds to his confidence.
Hackett spent his childhood years in the southeast area of Washington D.C. He was introduced to boxing at eight years old and showed promise in several other sports. He decided early on that boxing was his favorite. Hackett now seems poised to enjoy a long and successful professional boxing career.
Hackett has already worked hard at chasing his dream despite his young age. He explains he missed birthdays and holidays with his family as a child because of training and boxing tournaments. He expresses gratitude that the hard work is now paying off.
Jalil Hackett says his goal was not an early stoppage in his pro debut. He insists he only wanted to show fans the talent and versatility he possesses as a boxer. But if Sunday is an indicator of things to come, boxing fans can look forward to many great nights of boxing that include Jalil Hackett.