Boxing news: Luke Jackson reveals GRUESOME injuries after Carl Frampton defeat
LUKE JACKSON may have emerged from his clash with Carl Frampton battered and bruised but the Australian reckons things could have been a lot worse.
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Jackson, 33, only turned professional five years ago but had never lost before heading to Belfast to take on Frampton.
However, he was outclassed on the night and was dropped in the eighth round before his corner threw in the towel during the ninth round.
And his post on Twitter a few days later revealed the full extent of the damage Frampton had done evening in just over 25 minutes of boxing
“You don’t play boxing!” Jackson wrote above the photo that showed his right eye completely closed.
“Two perforated ear drums - left ear in round 3, right ear in round 6 and then the body shot in round 8.
“I wanted to finish the fight but I respect my coach and my team’s decision.
“I’ll live to fight another day.”
Frampton had vowed to secure a first stoppage since 2015 and in front of nearly 25,000 partisan fans, he sent a clear message to IBF featherweight world champion Josh Warrington, whom he will face later this year and who watched on from ringside.
A noticeable size advantage contributed to Frampton's aggression as much as the occasion, and from the point of him landing two powerful right hands in the second round, the task Jackson faced had become clear.
He landed a left hook with Jackson off-balance as the Australian's face began to swell, and then as his opponent started to focus on survival, shrugged off a cut by his right eye.
It was in the fifth when the 33-year-old showed significant signs of being broken down, and while struggling to remain on his feet after a right to the body, his impressive resilience and pride gradually became his greatest strength.
The classy Frampton consistently succeeded with his powerful jab, creating the opening for the vicious right uppercut he landed in the sixth, the point at which Jackson further slowed down and, with his left eye almost swollen shut, stopped moving his head.
Frampton sensed the stoppage and ruthlessly pursued it with the freedom that comes with so little to defend himself from - contributing to him landing the powerful left to the body that finally sent Jackson down.
The Australian returned to his feet but was barely able to stay there and amid further punishment in the ninth, with his defence gone and his head rocking from hurtful left and right hands, the towel came in and Frampton's victory was confirmed.
Leeds' Warrington, 27, joined Frampton in the ring at the fight's conclusion at which point - similarly to the earlier confirmation that Tyson Fury will challenge Deontay Wilder - their promoter Frank Warren confirmed they will fight for the IBF title before the end of the year.