WHILE many of the nation was doubtless sat of their heat places of work or at residence cursing the stupefying price of central heating, Peak District-born and bred cruiserweight Jack Massey was battling scaffolding on a freezing constructing website. Serving to his brother out on a job by performing some labouring, he braved the biting minus 5, pre-Christmas temperatures, and pinched those self same palms that by night time are usually encased in bandages and leather-based.
Massey shall be 30 in April, and just some months after that milestone his accomplice shall be giving beginning to their first little one. 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 battle. This oxymoron is one thing that Massey, 20-1 (11), has needed to wrestle with all too recurrently of late, as he continues to be roundly ignored by the division’s greatest 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 battle 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 presently 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 shouldn’t be 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 larger 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 bought to do if the promoters can’t make a battle,” Massey tells Boxing Information. “However, yeah, it was a fairly 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 website. “It was my supervisor [Kevin Maree] calling me,” recollects Massey. “Kevin informed me we’ve bought a suggestion to battle Joseph Parker. I by no means anticipated that in one million years! However discovering fights has been robust and I’ve not been out since April. We’re simply not getting any affords at cruiserweight, so I’ve bought to maneuver up. I by no means flip a battle down. However, you already know, this battle has fully modified all the things. It’s turned a garbage yr into 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 crew got here up with Massey’s identify as an opponent, one which stunned media and followers alike when it was introduced, however it’s a must to marvel 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 in search of… get me, Jack Massey!”
The fact owes much less to Hollywood and extra to chilly pragmatism. Parker went by a struggle final day trip towards the towering Joe Joyce earlier than the heavy-handed “Juggernaut” ended his night time emphatically within the eleventh spherical. And with no current wins towards really top-tier heavyweights since surrendering his title to Anthony Joshua, it’s straightforward 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 feel they wished somebody who may promote tickets in Manchester. I’m clearly native and I normally 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 battle. 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 battle, 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 greatest battle and purse of his profession. “I’m simply not going to make the same old weight reduce. I normally 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 finest at simply over 15 stone (200lbs). Clearly, he’s the larger man and so I received’t be seeking to have a battle with him. I’ll have to be out and in; simply letting my pictures go and getting out of the way in which of his.”
To organize for the prolonged dimensions of his opponent, 29-year-old Massey and crew 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 palms for a heavyweight, so we’ve been capable of get the heavy’s leaning on me and roughing me up, then the cruisers placing some velocity on me and dragging me to deep waters at a sooner tempo.”
Nonetheless, they’ll nonetheless be many observers that may take 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 comfy 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 up to now, I do know that’s very completely different to a battle, however I held my very own with him. I do know it’s a troublesome ask, however no matter occurs, I’m on that vast platform. I simply have to put in battle, get my identify on the market, after which transfer again to cruiserweight and make a few of these massive fights. However actually, I wouldn’t have taken the battle if I didn’t suppose 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 overwhelmed a prime 10 heavyweight. You by no means know I may very well be requested to go in towards Anthony Joshua in a comeback battle or one thing. Madder issues have occurred!”
