On the undercard of the Liam Paro vs Richardson Hitchins event, rising welterweight contender Jalil “Major” Hackett looks to dominate when he makes his return to the ring to face Jose Roman (13-1, 6 KOs) on Saturday night, December 7. to face, at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, live on DAZN.
Hackett has a chance to make big strides 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 with welterweight standout Jaron “Boots” Ennis considering a move up to 154, the welterweight division is starting to look like the land of opportunity.
In March 2021, then 18-year-old Washington DC native Jalil Hackett joined Mayweather Promotions. After being a part of the Mayweather Promotions roster for three years, Hackett decided to leave due to a lack of activity.
Hackett was labeled 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 engage in an uphill battle against 34-year veteran Peter Dobson.
On the night of July 13, Hackett got off to an aggressive start as he frequently connected with a stiff jab followed by a slashing right hand. Hackett was in complete control of the first half of the fight as he was able to stand in the pocket and land solid shots to the head and body of his opponent.
In the later rounds, Peter Dobson attempted to make a comeback as he increased his work rate and found success when he was able to squeeze in between the shots. At the end of the 10-round contest, the judges scored the bout 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94 in favor of Jalil Hackett.
With the win, 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 he goes into Saturday night’s bout looking to dominate against a very credible opponent.
A native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Jose Roman began his professional boxing career with eleven consecutive victories. Roman suffered defeat for the first time when he lost by unanimous decision to Cesar Francis.
Roman would bounce back as he is currently riding a two fight win streak. Now the 31-year-old is about to face a young, hungry contender that Roman sees as an obstacle he must overcome to get one step closer to achieving his career goals.
On Saturday night, when Jose Roman fights for a title belt, he’ll have the home field advantage, but that’s something that doesn’t bother Hackett. During an interview with YSM Media, Hackett spoke about his mindset going into Saturday night’s fight as the visitor.
“I like it. You know, I’m fighting a Puerto Rican in Puerto Rico, I look at it like a little hostile takeover.”
Jalil Hackett believes he will either dominate and stop his opponent early on Saturday night, or he will dominate over the course of 10 rounds. Hackett is confident he can stop Roman early if he follows the game plan and puts his punches together.
Since joining Matchroom, Jalil Hackett has liked 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 bout happening in the near future, but before he can focus on the reigning WBO world champion, Hackett has business to do on Saturday night, live on DAZN.