John Thompson collides with the toughest opponent of his career John Mackey – Boxing News
John Thompson, the undefeated American middleweight, will most probably take on the toughest and most experienced opponent of his career in the form of John Mackey, in a six-round non-title bout which will be held on June 16, 2012.
Thompson and Mackey will take on each other on the undercard of the pay-per-view- organised and promoted by Kathy Duva of Main Events. The showdown will be headlined by the 12-round bout between Tomasz Adamek and Eddie Chambers with vacant IBF North American
heavyweight title up for grabs.
The event will be co-headlined by another title bout between Bryant Jennings and Steve Collins who will take on each other for the vacant USBA heavyweight title. Thompson recently shared his thoughts about the bout and above all his opponent, Mackey.
Thompson, well known as ‘The Apollo Kidd’, has been in a total eight bouts and boasts an undefeated streak. The 23-year-old has not lost even a single bout and has never taken on an opponent possessing experience equivalent to that of Mackey.
The New Jersey lad has pinned three of his opponents by knockout and is coming from an impressive second round knockout win over Jamond Bourgeois. While sharing his thoughts about Mackey, Thompson stated, “He is not much of a boxer, he is a brawler/puncher.
I am going to work hard to prove that I am the better boxer.”
Thompson is currently ranked as America’s 63rd best middleweight whereas Mackey resides at 22nd position therefore this bout is also being dubbed as a golden chance for Thompson to move up in the rankings substantially.
John knows this scenario very well and stated, “This is a fight that should open doors. He is ranked twenty-two and I am at sixty-three. This is the biggest event I have been on and I consider the Prudential Center the MGM Grand of the East Coast. It is
going to be a great experience and I will put on as great of a show as I can.”
Mackey, 38, has been in a total 23 bouts and emerged victorious in 13. The veteran has nailed six of his opponents by knockout. As far as the stats and technicalities are concerned, Mackey is not that much of a lethal opponent for Thompson.
If Thompson has strived and trained hard for the veteran he will easily nail Mackey in the very initial rounds by knockout. The only strategy most probably for Thompson will be – evade Mackey’s jabs and use his agility and speed to throw and connect as many
jabs possible.
The ring for the bout will be set up at Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, United States and the show will be televised live on NBC sports network.
Tags: