Australian world title challenger Luke ‘Action’ Jackson 16-1 (7) has spoken out to thank his fans and supporters after his unsuccessful bid to annex the interim WBO featherweight title from Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton 26-1 (15) at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday night.
The brave but outclassed Tasmanian struggled to win a round but never stopped trying until his trainer Billy Hussein lobbed the towel after nine increasingly one-sided rounds.
“I put it all on the line, worked my ass off and went to the lion’s den, took a shot and missed,” said the 33-year-old former Olympian on social media.
Jackson was vocal in the lead-up to the bout, stating that he believed Frampton had seen better days since his majority decision loss to Leo Santa Cruz in their rematch for the WBA featherweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in January last year.
The fight was always going to be a big ask for Jackson, whose previous best wins were against faded former world title contenders Silvester Lopez and John Mark Apolinario. But he made no apology for taking the leap up in class for what he said before the fight was his destiny.
“I will never apologise for looking adversity in the face and backing myself,” said Jackson. “To all my supporters from around the world and particularly the love from back home and the people that made the trip to Belfast for the fight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. To my team and loyal circle, I love you guys.”
After the obligatory feeling out round, Frampton started landing some well-placed shots to the body in the second round. The third round saw Frampton start to put his shots together well, landing some crisp punches to the body and head.
Jackson lifted in the fourth and fifth rounds but was always a step or two behind Frampton, who controlled the range and dictated when to engage. Jackson’s best blows were to the body, but his limited power did nothing to prevent Frampton from coming forward at will and landing his punches in bunches.
The Australian challenger found a home for his left hook late in the fight but it was too little too late to dissuade the interim WBO featherweight champion from coming forward. Frampton showed versatility in attack, finding a home for his right uppercut behind a sneaky set-up with his left.
The writing was on the wall when a vicious left rip to the solar plexus dropped Jackson in the eighth. Another debilitating body shot followed by a right to the jaw in the following frame prompted Jackson’s corner to call the fight, saving the courageous but outgunned Tasmanian for taking any further punishment.
In an interview with Daniel Attias of Aus-Boxing.com ahead of the fight, Jackson revealed a little about what drives him.
“I always promised myself that I didn’t want to be that guy when I’m 60 or 70 sitting in a pub saying I would have, could have or should have,” he said. “If I do it (win a world title), it’s because I’m good enough and if I don’t, it’s because I just wasn’t good enough.
“I’ll only get one shot at this. I never want to be that guy that says I could have done that if I would have done this.”
 has spoken out to thank his fans and supporters after his unsuccessful bid to annex the interim WBO featherweight title from Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton 26-1 (15) at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Saturday night.){kind=link}