Following his victory over Quaise Khademi to have the International Boxing Organisation (IBO) flyweight belt strapped around his waist, Tembisa boxer Jackson ‘M3’ Chauke is happy to have conquered in London.
The 38-year-old Chauke outpointed Afghan-born Briton Khademi at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, in the United Kingdom on Saturday evening.
Fighting against a boxer, who’s nine years his junior, Chauke made his intentions clear as early as the first round decking Khademi with a left hook.
In the end, all the three judges nodded in agreement as Chauke snatched the belt by a unanimous decision victory. Per Kjerulf Hansen and Jerome Lades scored the fight 117-110 while Michael Alexander’s score card read 116-112.
“I feel happy, it’s long waiting for me. I’m turning 39 on 29 May this year. I’ve been long in this game. I’ve been to the Olympics, I’ve been to the Commonwealth Games, I’ve got medals, big medals. This moment is one of the best highlights of my life. This is a great moment for me,” Chauke said.
Chauke, who thanked his trainer Damien Durandt for making him a complete fighter, said about the left hook which decked Khademi: “The left hook was going to come because it’s something I was working on during camp because I was watching his fights with the other guy he fought like three times. Most of his fights he gets caught with a left hook.”
With the win, Chauke improved his record to 24 victories_ with 15 of those coming from stoppages, two defeats and two draws. On the other hand, Khademi dropped to 10 wins (four stoppages), two losses and two draws.