"I'm going right back in on February 20th. I'm going right back in. They invited me back. I gotta thank Banner Promotions for it too. So I'll be back on the 20th in Verona, New York and I'm going to take things from there. I'm back in camp and my team is coming along good. We just grinding from the muscle and coming through the mud...it was a lesson learned. The shot that I took was a lesson learned, but expect to be seeing me go to work and getting busy. In 4 round fights, you gotta squeeze a lot into a little bit of time. You gonna see a lot of exciting fights out of me. I'm entertaining. I like to perform," stated welterweight Greg Jackson, who talked about his recent victory over Cornelius Whitlock and his quick return to the ring on February 20. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on your knockout win over Cornelius Whitlock a couple of weeks back on Friday Night Fights. How do you feel?
GJ: I feel great. I'm coming off of a nice, good win. It's a real good feeling.
PC: You showed a lot of resiliency. You got caught and put down early with a nice right hand. Obviously you bounced back and got the finish. Was that a flash knockdown or were you hurt?
GJ: Honestly speaking, when he hit me with the shot, I didn't even know what was going on. I didn't know why the ref was in front of me. I didn't know why the crowd was like, "Ohhh!" I didn't realize I had got dropped until it hit me and I was like, "Okay, the ref is here for a reason. He must've dropped me or something must have happened." It was a crazy shot. I was out on my feet going down, so I didn't really have my eyes open and I didn't wake up until my butt hit the ground. And I still didn't even know what was going on. Once I felt like that was it, that was probably his most powerful shot, I was like, "Oh, my feet underneath me," I was good to go. Let's get rocking.
PC: You came back and hit him with an onslaught of punches. What happened after the knockdown? Did that wake you up?
GJ: It did wake me up. It woke me up a lot. I've been down before, but I had never been hit with a shot like that. Now I know what it really feels like to get hit with a big shot. I never been hit like that before. It really woke me up and it was like, "Oh, that's it? That's all he got to offer? Okay, now we gotta fight!" It was go time then.
PC: Talk us through the knockout.
GJ: I started using my jab and I was starting to close in. And I was always told once you have a dog wounded, kill it, so I shot the overhand right the first time I seen him stumble back. I saw I had him hurt. That was in the 2nd round. When I thought I had him hurt, I went in for the kill, but I didn't realize I was that close. And then on top of that, I had my hands down rather than coming in with the jab so I wouldn't get hit with that shot. I was more aware of what was going on. Once I saw I had him hurt I launched that right hand and it was like, "Down goes Frazier!"
PC: Fans love fights like that and I'm sure that has a lot to do with ESPN bringing you right back.
GJ: I'm going right back in on February 20th. I'm going right back in. They invited me back. I gotta thank Banner Promotions for it too. So I'll be back on the 20th in Verona, New York and I'm going to take things from there. I'm back in camp and my team is coming along good. We just grinding from the muscle and coming through the mud.
PC: At this stage in your career, you're still young. I'm sure you don't mind the quick turnarounds.
GJ: Nah, I feel as though there is no time for no breaks. I'm not cut, there is no deep wound or nothing like that, and I'm physically and mentally ready to go. What is there to break for? I don't have time for no break. A lot of people take breaks and be like, "Wooo, yeah, I'm refreshed." Nah! Break for what? I want to go back out there again. I'm not a journeyman. I can box, I can fight, and I'm smart. And on top of that, I'm not fighting for money. I'm trying to reach my goal and that's that belt by any means necessary.
PC: Whenever you put on a show like your last fight, the expectation for excitement rises a little bit. Do you feel any pressure to one up your last fight or are you just going to do you and win at all cost?
GJ: I'm gonna go in there and do me. I don't fold under pressure. I like the big stage. I think how it went down and how I won made my popularity and my ratings go up even more. More and more people wanna see me fight, but it's like, don't expect me to always get hit with a big crazy shot and have to come back to win. I'm gonna be turnt on from round 1 until the fight ends. You gotta have skills, heart, and smarts.
PC: So instead of a repeat performance, that was more of a lesson learned.
GJ: Yeah, it was a lesson learned. The shot that I took was a lesson learned, but expect to be seeing me go to work and getting busy. In 4 round fights, you gotta squeeze a lot into a little bit of time. You gonna see a lot of exciting fights out of me. I'm entertaining. I like to perform.
PC: Being on ESPN in back to back fights brings great exposure for you. You gotta be excited about that?
GJ: It really don't get no better than that and I appreciate them a lot. I gotta thank ESPN for giving me a chance to expose my talents.
PC: I wish you the best on the 20th and I will definitely be tuned in. Is there anything else you want to add?
GJ: I just want to give thanks to all of my fans and all of my followers and shout out to my gym in West Philly "Fast Lane Boxing Gym." And shout out to my promotional team Team Banner and just be tuned in on February 20th and be ready for another big bang!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]