On the undercard of the Liam Paro vs. Richardson Hitchins event, rising welterweight contender Jalil “Major” Hackett looks to dominate when he returns to the ring to face Jose Roman (13-1, 6 KOs) on Saturday night, 7 of December at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, live on DAZN.
Hackett has an opportunity to make major progress in a short amount of time because the welterweight division is a weight class that is in transition. Due to the departure of pound-for-pound star Terence “Bud” Crawford and with welterweight standout Jaron “Boots” Ennis contemplating a move 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 signed with 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, and then proceeded 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 battle step against 34-year-old veteran Peter Dobson.
On the night of July 13th, Hackett got off to an aggressive start as he routinely 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 stay in the pocket and land solid shots to the head and body of his opponent.
In the following rounds, Peter Dobson made an attempt to mount a comeback as he increased his work rate and was successful when he was able to punch in between shots. At the conclusion of the 10-round contest, the judges scored the bout 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 North American Continental welterweight title. Hackett is currently ranked 14th by the WBA, and will go into Saturday night’s contest 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 to Cesar Francis by unanimous decision.
Roman has bounced back as he is currently on a two game winning streak. Now, the 31-year-old is about to face a hungry young candidate who sees Romano 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 worry Hackett. During an interview with YSM Media, Hackett talked about his mind going into Saturday night’s fight as the visitor.
“I like it. You know, I’m fighting a Puerto Rican in Puerto Rico, he seems a little hostile to me.”
Jalil Hackett believes that on Saturday night he will either dominate and stop his opponent early, or he will dominate throughout the course of 10-rounds. Hackett is confident he can stop Roman early if he follows the game plan and lands his shots.
Since joining Matchroom, Jalil Hackett likes the pace it’s moving, and as he looks ahead to 2025, he’s put WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr on his radar. Hackett sees the matchup happening in the near future, but before he can focus on the WBO world champion, Hackett must take care of business on Saturday night, live on DAZN.
