INDIANAPOLIS — Julian Jackson has been on a mission for much of his existence, with the 63-year-old posting a storied spell in the boxing ring.
On Saturday, “the Hawk’s” legacy was enhanced with his third Hall of Fame induction — this one in the Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame.
Jackson was one of two people from the U.S. Virgin Islands — and 13 overall — to be inducted into the Indiana boxing hall this weekend, along with veteran boxing cornerman Rudolph “Rudy” Clarke.
“It’s just something that I believe a lot of fighters may not expect but when it comes down to it all the hard work really did pay off,” Jackson, a three-time world champion, said. “I’m really grateful and glad to be a part of something that the world tends to pay attention to.”
Along with Jackson and Clarke, inducted in the Class of 2024 were Roy Jones Jr., Mural Huhammad, Jack Callahan, Tim Austin, Dave Hyatt, Gilberto Mendoz, Bud Taylor, Ken Snider, Altus Allen, Gary Guiden and Deborah King.
“It’s a pleasure, trust me, I’ve been to Indiana ever since they started the Hall of Fame program,” Clarke said. “I’ve been there just about every year. It excites me.”
Jackson — who went 55-6-0 with 49 knockouts over a 17-year pro career — now adds the Indiana HoF induction to his other boxing halls of fame. He was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame the following year.
As for Clarke, he traveled with Jackson part of his career, and also spent time as a cornerman with Austin, a former International Boxing Federation bantamweight world champion.
“Julian is a very humble person,” Clarke said. “If something bothers him you will never know. That’s what it is.
“I wasn’t in Julian’s corner as much. I was in the corner with him but not as much. The fighters I was with were Frankie Randall — bless him in his grave — Tim Austin, the bantamweight champion, Richard Hall and several other fighters.”
Jackson’s mother, Rosa George, initially pushed him out of the house to kindle an activity — that turned out to be sparring.
“It was a tough situation, especially living in the Virgin Islands, not having the opportunities people had on the mainland,” Jackson said. “All the doors that opened. Boxing was not the favorite sport in the Virgin Islands. And here it is: I’m on a quest to become world champion.”
After going 15-2 as an amateur, Jackson’s close friend and mentor Willie “Wilhelm” George took him under wing and trained the Hawk to be a pro.
From his first step in 1981 in Puerto Rico — a territory he had previously resided in — Jackson nearly gave up the sport when George passed away.
“I have a picture of him in the corner with me,” Jackson said. “He passed away. It devastated me to the point where I almost gave up, almost quit boxing because of the death of my dad — I called him my dad.”
But Jackson laced up his gloves again — and proceeded to morph into a world-class slugger. His first championship belt came in 1984 when he won the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Continental Americas super welterweight title.
Three years later, Jackson won his first world championship — the World Boxing Association’s super-welterweight title — then stepped up in class to twice win the WBC’s middleweight world championship (in 1990 and 1995).
George paved Jackson’s path for this lofty goal.
“Willie was really the force behind that,” Jackson said. “I wanted to have the chance to get a championship. He was the first man that said to me, ‘You are going to be a world champion. I’m going to make you a world champion’.
“I looked at him and I wanted to know if he was talking to me, I had a low self-esteem about myself, growing up. Willie pointed to me and said, ‘Yes, you. I’m talking to you, son. And I’m going to make you a champion.’ I entered the gym and the rest is history. It’s amazing how God put things in order and the people he connected with me [are] amazing.”
Hall of Fame manager Carl King told The Daily News that Jackson stood out for his ferociousness. “One of the hardest punchers in the history of the game,” King said. “Undeniably one of the hardest punchers pound-for-pound that you ever run across. Amazing, short shots — six inches, a bang. It was something to behold.
“I think he was not only underrated, but underappreciated.”
During his time sparring and post-career, Jackson’s faith has been a fixture in his life. He spoke with a kid-like joy discussing his career and his life, which includes no substances like alcohol or smoking. He has a non-profit organization, the Julian Jackson Foundation, that feeds the homeless. Jackson also continues to train the territory’s future boxers.
“Right now, [I’m] an Evangelist and love to minister to the young people,” Jackson said. “We feed the homeless, as well. I have been doing that for years. I wanted to do something even before [I was boxing]. I just wanted to do something that would help the people because of my opportunities I wanted to help the less fortunate.
“Every time I think about it, I know where I came from. I couldn’t look back and [not] do something about it. I just felt l had to do something to help the less fortunate, the people that suffer, because I know where I could have been if it wasn’t for God, wasn’t for [Jesus] Christ. I know where I was headed.”
By HUNTER TICKLE/V.I. Daily News