With immense support from his team around him, Chapel boxer Jack Massey has become the new IBO World cruiserweight champion.

After a spell of cancelled fights and obstacles to hurdle over, the 28-year-old has pushed his way to victory and now joins an incredible line of boxers to have won this title.

During the third round, ‘One Smack’ Jack dropped his Belgian opponent with huge shots and finished to become IBO World Champion.

Speaking on his experience after the fight, Jack says he was shocked to see the third-round stoppage.

“It was amazing, it was nice to get an early stoppage because we thought it was going to go onto the later rounds.

“It means that all the hard work has paid off too, we’ve worked really hard for this one and this has been the toughest training camp so far,” he said.

Someone who has always believed in Jack and is proud to have stood by his side is head coach, Robert Rimmer.

They have worked together since the start of Jack’s sporting career after Robert’s father moved away and passed the reins to his son.

“We’re all still on a high now and there’s a lot of emotion there for us. I had messages from strangers and there were so many people watching at home, and it means so much.

“We all know how much Jack has been through and it was an incredibly surreal moment when he won the title.

“It couldn’t have gone better, I’m over the moon and so proud of him,” he said.

As athletes, the team prepare Jack as best as they possibly can physically to ensure that he can give his best performance when he steps into the ring, however Robert shared just how important it is to train the mind to cope too.

“This is the toughest sport in the world, and you have to take discipline and sacrifice to a whole new level.

“When you get in that ring it becomes 80% mental and only 20% physical, so we have to make sure that we push ourselves to a level where we’ve never been before.

“Jack has always been self-driven and he really is a true professional with the motivation to succeed,” he said.

When asked about future plans, Jack and Robert both agreed that they will be taking some time to enjoy the Christmas period and look forward to the exciting opportunities to follow in the new year.

Phoenix Camp is home to some incredible fighters with bright futures ahead of them. Jack’s success has paved the way for a whole generation of athletes to follow.

You can listen to our chat with Robert here: 

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