Luke Jackson: Frampton’s not as good as he once was

Luke Jackson has a big chance on Saturday, as the Australian travels to Belfast to face Carl Frampton for the interim WBO featherweight title.

Frampton has admitted that Jackson’s talk has gotten under his skin, and, well, Jackson doesn’t care:

“Across the board he is phenomenal, but I don’t think he is as good as he once was. ... We are going to punch each other in the head. I don’t really care if what I say upsets him. I respect him as a fighter, I respect him as a man but I am coming to beat him, not coming over to be friends. I don’t know if he wants me to call him a Hall of Fame fighter or the greatest, but I don’t think he is. He is very beatable and I think I can beat him, simple as that.”

This is a big, big step up in competition for Jackson (16-0, 7 KO), a 33-year-old former Olympian who turned pro in 2013 and hasn’t really made any big waves, facing nobody even close to being considered a contender. But he’s talking a good game, at the very least, and has Frampton riled. Could that work to Jackson’s advantage? Hey, it’s worth a shot.