On the undercard of the Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins event, rising welterweight Jalil “Major” Hackett looks to take control when he returns to the ring against Jose Roman (13-1, 6 KOs) on Saturday night, December 7, at -Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico, live on DAZN.
Hackett has the opportunity to make significant progress in a short period of time because the welterweight division is a weight class in transition. With the departure of pound-for-pound star Terence “Bud” Crawford and welterweight standout Jaron “Boots” Ennis considering a move up to 154, the welterweight division is starting to look like a land of opportunity.
Back in March 2021, 18-year-old Washington DC native Jalil Hackett signed with Mayweather Promotions. After being a part of the Mayweather Promotions roster for three years, Hackett decided to leave it due to inactivity.
Hackett was drafted as a free agent for a month, then went on to sign a multi-fight promotional deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing. Two months later, Jalil Hackett entered the squared circle to take part in a fight against 34-year-old champion Peter Dobson.
On the night of July 13th, Hackett started aggressively as he usually does, connecting with a hard jab followed by a right hand cut. Hackett was in complete control of the first part of the fight, as he was able to stand in the pocket and shoot to the head and body of his opponent.
In recent rounds, Peter Dobson has made a comeback attempt as he has stepped up his career and found success when he can hit between shots. At the end of the 10-round contest, the judges scored it 97-93, 97-93, and 96-94 in favor of Jalil Hackett.
With the victory, 21-year-old Jalil Hackett (9-0, 7 KOs) won the WBA Continental North America welterweight title. Hackett is currently ranked 14th by the WBA, and will go into Saturday night’s bout looking to dominate against a reliable opponent.
A native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Jose Roman began his boxing career with eleven straight victories. Roman suffered his first loss when he lost to Cesar Francis by unanimous decision.
Roman will bounce back as he is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. Now, the 31-year-old is facing a young, hungry opponent who sees Roman as an obstacle he must overcome to get closer to achieving his career goals.
On Saturday night, when Jose Roman fights for the title belt, he will have the opportunity to play at home, but that does not worry Hackett. During an interview with YSM Media, Hackett spoke about his thoughts when he attended Saturday night’s fight as a guest.
“I love it. You know, fighting a Puerto Rican in Puerto Rico, I look at it as a little hostile take.”
Jalil Hackett believes that on Saturday night he will dominate and stop his opponents early, or he will dominate through 10 rounds. Hackett is confident he can stop Roman early if he follows the game plan and puts his shots together.
Since joining Matchroom, Jalil Hackett has loved the pace at which he is moving, and as he looks ahead to 2025, he has put WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr on his radar. Hackett sees that matchup happening in the near future, but before he can focus on the reigning WBO world champion, Hackett must take care of business on Saturday night, live on DAZN.
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