Jack Massey was cruiserweight champion of the world when an Instagram post brought it all crashing down.
The 29-year-old boxer, from Stockport, held the IBO title until 2022 when he found out another boxer was competing for the crown on social media.
Troubles with promotion meant Jack missed out on the fight, leading to him losing the title he had worked so hard to secure.
The bad news didn’t stop there – with Jack and his partner tragically suffering two pregnancy losses in the same year. Despite being a professional boxer for six years, with no bookings coming in, Jack was forced to pick up some tools and work on his brother’s scaffolding site just to get by.
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“I was gutted, it was a tough one,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “Because of all the other stuff that was going on at the time, it was like something was telling me to quit.
“I was like, ‘This game must not have been for me,’ but there wasn't much else I could do because I don’t know anything else. I don’t really have a plan B.”
Things finally started to look up when Jack received a phone call from his manager offering him a fight against former WBO Heavyweight Champion of the World Joseph Parker at the AO Arena in Manchester this Saturday (January 21).
The fight, which will be shown on Sky Sports Box Office, has Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith as the main event.
Jack says he was at the top of some scaffolding when he got the news. “I was doing some work with my brother at the time, he's got a scaffolding company,” he said. “It was a few weeks before Christmas, I was out labouring, getting some cash in for Christmas because it's been a tough year financially.
“It was early morning, my manager Kevin Marree called me with the fight and I said yes literally straight away - 'yes, let's have it!' It was a massive relief.
“It was a bit bizarre. You know, getting the work in. I've been a full-time pro for six years now so having to scrimp and scrape and get some manual work in before Christmas was a bit strange. I'm supposed to be a world champion.”
Jack started boxing when he was just 11-years-old and has had 54 amateur fights over his career.
He won the Junior National Championships before moving up to senior levels and began competing for national titles.
He has boxed in the Youth Commonwealth Games where he won gold and has had trials for the Olympics.
When he didn’t get chosen to compete, he decided to turn to professional fighting. Jack had his first fight in 2013 nearly 10 years ago in Bolton and managed to get some sponsors behind him. Four years later, he left his job as a stonemason to box full time.
Speaking ahead of the fight this weekend, Jack described the event as a dream come true. "I’ll be absolutely buzzing,” he added. “It's one of my dreams to walk out in Manchester in front of all those fans from my home city. I used to go there and watch Ricky Hatton, Anthony Crolla walk out in front of all those roaring people and that's what dreams are made of. Can't wait."
Parker will be the biggest name he has fought in his career so far, with previous fights at the Manchester Arena coming against much smaller names.
And with a baby girl on the way, he will return to the ring with a renewed sense of optimism about the future.
“Me and my partner unfortunately had two pregnancy losses,” he added. “But it goes to show life is a rollercoaster. Last year was the worst year of my life and this year could be the best year of my life - we’ve got a little girl due June 12 and I've got this massive fight with Joseph Parker.”
Jack Massey fights Joseph Parker at BOXXER: Unleashed ahead of Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith, live on Sky Sports Box Office at Manchester’s AO Arena on January 21.
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