WHILE many of the nation was seemingly sat of their heat workplaces or at house cursing the stupefying price of central heating, Peak District-born and bred cruiserweight Jack Massey was battling scaffolding on a freezing constructing web site. Serving to his brother out on a job by doing a little labouring, he braved the biting minus 5, pre-Christmas temperatures, and pinched those self same arms that by night time are usually encased in bandages and leather-based.
Massey will probably be 30 in April, and only a few months after that milestone his companion will probably be giving delivery to their first baby. Cash is tight and wishes should; regardless of him being one of many nation’s main cruiserweights, he has to look elsewhere for a payday. Such is the lifetime of a fighter struggling for a combat. This oxymoron is one thing that Massey, 20-1 (11), has needed to wrestle with all too commonly of late, as he continues to be roundly ignored by the division’s largest home names. On the uncommon events when the door has been held grudgingly ajar for him, officialdom has squarely slammed it in his face.
Again in 2019, he fought Richard Riakporhe for the vacant British title at York Corridor. It was a combat that many, albeit not the all-important the judges at ringside, thought Massey had received. Regardless of being dropped as soon as, he outworked Riakporhe for lengthy durations and compelled him to hug and maintain within the later levels of their contest. His opponent exited with a Lonsdale Belt and is at present on the hunt for world title alternative. Conversely, Massey was left with nothing however disappointment and a year-long look forward to the telephone to ring once more.
Since then, he has received a belt, however hardly anybody appeared to note. The IBO bauble isn’t the shiniest on boxing’s garish Christmas tree, however nonetheless, in a powerful efficiency, he overcame opponent Bilal Laggoune in three one-sided rounds. This could have offered Massey with a much-needed platform, however a cathartic rematch with Riakporhe or the more and more high-profile Chris Billam-Smith continues to be elusive. A lowkey knockout of journeyman Vaclav Pejsar in Bolton marked his solely ring look of 2022. Much more frustratingly, his IBO title has since been spirited away by no fault of his personal. A lot for it being a launchpad to greater and higher issues.
“I simply couldn’t get a defence for it, in order that they stripped me of it again in November. I suppose the sanctioning our bodies have gotten to do what they’ve obtained to do if the promoters can’t make a combat,” Massey tells Boxing Information. “However, yeah, it was a reasonably crap yr boxing-wise.”
That’s till these chilly fingers wrapped themselves round a vibrating cell phone as he battled the weather on that aforementioned constructing web site. “It was my supervisor [Kevin Maree] calling me,” recollects Massey. “Kevin informed me we’ve obtained a suggestion to combat Joseph Parker. I by no means anticipated that in 1,000,000 years! However discovering fights has been powerful and I’ve not been out since April. We’re simply not getting any affords at cruiserweight, so I’ve obtained to maneuver up. I by no means flip a combat down. However, you already know, this combat has utterly modified every part. It’s turned a garbage yr into a superb one. Let’s have it!”
Jack Massey assaults Martyn Grainger on July 18, 2015 in Manchester, England (Dave Thompson/Getty Photos)
Massey will meet Parker, a bout as leftfield as any current reminiscence, on the Chris Eubank Jnr-Liam Smith undercard at Manchester Enviornment on Saturday night time. Whereas nobody would evaluate ex-WBO belt-holder Parker to Apollo Creed, this does really feel like an actual Rocky Balboa second for the smiling and down to earth Massey. Who is aware of how Parker and his group got here up with Massey’s title as an opponent, one which shocked media and followers alike when it was introduced, however you must surprise in the event that they reeled off some opponents like Creed did within the seminal Sylvester Stallone masterpiece first. Who is aware of, maybe someplace from a leatherbound workplace chair, Parker exclaimed excitedly, “That is what I’m searching for… get me, Jack Massey!”
The truth owes much less to Hollywood and extra to chilly pragmatism. Parker went by a warfare final trip in opposition to the towering Joe Joyce earlier than the heavy-handed “Juggernaut” ended his night time emphatically within the eleventh spherical. And with no current wins in opposition to actually top-tier heavyweights since surrendering his title to Anthony Joshua, it’s simple to see why a fighter of Massey’s much less intimidating proportions appeals to him. In the meantime, the person nicknamed “One-Smack” has his personal equally pragmatic interpretation: “I believe they wished somebody who may promote tickets in Manchester. I’m clearly native and I often do fairly effectively with ticket gross sales,” he says. “However, yeah, they clearly wish to get Parker a win off the again of the Joyce combat. He doesn’t actually have anyplace to go if he loses the following one.”
Top-wise, each males see eye-to-eye, however on the scales, there may be an unbridgeable chasm. For the Joyce combat, the New Zealander weighed in at 50lbs over Massey’s acquainted cruiserweight restrict. However Massey is forgoing the temptation so as to add on further poundage for what would be the largest combat and purse of his profession. “I’m simply not going to make the standard weight lower. I often have to chop simply over a stone to get all the way down to cruiser,” he explains. “I wish to keep away from coming in too heavy in case it makes me sluggish, and I fuel out. I’ll be greatest at simply over 15 stone (200lbs). Clearly, he’s the larger man and so I received’t be trying to have a combat with him. I’ll must be out and in; simply letting my photographs go and getting out of the best way of his.”
To arrange for the prolonged dimensions of his opponent, 29-year-old Massey and group have known as on the ever-popular Dave Allen to assist put him by his paces.
“We’ve been mixing up the sparring,” Jack discloses. “We’ve been getting heavyweights in for the primary 5 rounds and cruisers in for the final 5. It’s actually been the perfect of each worlds as a result of Parker has fairly quick arms for a heavyweight, so we’ve been in a position to get the heavy’s leaning on me and roughing me up, then the cruisers placing some pace on me and dragging me to deep waters at a sooner tempo.”
Nonetheless, they’ll nonetheless be many observers that can have a look at the distinction in dimension and profile between each males and attain the conclusion that Massey has no probability. He’s accepting of that view, but additionally snug with the truth that such viewpoints place the strain firmly on the burly shoulders of his opponent. “He’ll have all of the strain on him,” he explains earlier than disclosing, “We’ve sparred prior to now, I do know that’s very totally different to a combat, however I held my very own with him. I do know it’s a tricky ask, however no matter occurs, I’m on that vast platform. I simply must put in a superb combat, get my title on the market, after which transfer again to cruiserweight and make a few of these large fights. However actually, I wouldn’t have taken the combat if I didn’t assume I may win.”
And what if he does shock the boxing public and the bookmakers? “Effectively, there are some huge names on the market. I’ll have crushed a high 10 heavyweight. You by no means know I may very well be requested to go in in opposition to Anthony Joshua in a comeback combat or one thing. Madder issues have occurred!”
