Jason Cook (boxer)

Last updated

Jason Cook
Born
Jason Cook

(1975-02-27) 27 February 1975 (age 49)
Maesteg, Wales
NationalityBritish (Welsh)
Other namesThe Power, Cookie
Statistics
Weight(s) Lightweight
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights37
Wins30
Wins by KO11
Losses6
Draws1
No contests0
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1994 Victoria Featherweight

Jason Cook (born 27 February 1975 in Maesteg, Wales) is a former professional boxer, who fought under the nickname "The Power". As an amateur, he won a silver medal for Wales at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. As a professional, he has fought as a lightweight, and has won both the European and IBO championships at the weight. He currently campaigns at Light-Welterweight, and fights out of Fight Academy Wales gym in Llanharan, South Wales under the guidance of professional coach Darren Wilson.

Contents

Amateur career

Cook had a total of 86 amateur contests, winning 66. He won a silver medal in the featherweight (57 kg) class at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. [1]

He won the 1993 Amateur Boxing Association British featherweight title, when boxing out of the Maesteg BC. [2]

Commonwealth Games results

Professional career

Cook's professional boxing career began in October 1996, with a second-round stoppage of Brian Robb, followed by further KO victories over Andrew Reed and David Kirk before being taken the distance on two occasions by Marc Smith. However, Cook then suffered a setback with a first-round knockout defeat at the hands of Trevor Smith. After the bout, Cook said "He clipped me with an overhand left and though I got up at six or seven, I was in no state to continue; the referee did the right thing." [3]

After a nine-month lay-off, Cook returned to the ring to defeat Darren Woodley via a fourth-round knockout. Victories over journeymen David Hinds and Peter Buckley led to Cook receiving a shot at the vacant Welsh Area light welterweight title. On 11 December 1999, Cook won the vacant title with a first-round knockout of Woody Greenaway. Victories over Harry Butler, Andrei Sinepupov, Keith Jones, Assen Vassilev, and Dariusz Snarski followed, before a prison sentence momentarily ended Cook's boxing career.

Prison sentence

In 2001, Cook was found guilty of credit card fraud whilst working as a postman and was jailed for 15 months. Throughout his sentence, Cook kept himself in good shape and continued training on a punching bag that was supplied for him. Cook served a total of six months in prison with a further two months wearing an electronic tag. [3] [4]

Comeback and European title

Cook returned to the ring on 18 March 2002, with a knockout victory over Albanian boxer Fation Kacanolli. He followed this with point's victories over Russians Andrey Devyataykin and Viktor Baranov. On 23 July 2002, following the withdrawal of Bobby Vanzie, Cook was offered the chance to fight Sandro Casamonica in Italy for the vacant European lightweight title.

Ten days later, on 2 August 2002, Cook produced an upset by defeating Casamonica via a third-round knockout. Cook had started well winning the opening two rounds but was floored in the 3rd. As Casamonica moved in to finish the fight, he was hit with a left hook that brought an end the fight. [5] After the bout a jubilant Cook said "It’s like a dream; my life has changed, it still hasn’t sunk in. That was the best punch I’ve thrown in my life, and it came when I most needed it. I’m ecstatic; I’m walking around on a cloud." [3]

Cook's first defence of the title was against Frenchman Nasser Lakrib on 26 October 2002. Lakrib was stopped in the 5th round, in a fight which was held in Cook's hometown of Maesteg. [6] Cook's next defence of the title was against Stefano Zoff, who he went on to defeat via a split point's decision. Despite the victory, Cook lost his European title before the bout when he failed to make the 135 lb lightweight limit. [7]

IBO title

On 8 November 2003, Cook fought Argentinian Ariel Olveira for the vacant IBO lightweight title. Cook defeated Olveira by a 7th-round stoppage, after the Argentine's cornerman threw in the towel. [8] Cook's first defence of the title was against reigning commonwealth champion Kevin Bennett on 1 May 2004. Cook outboxed Bennett to claim a close but unanimous points decision. [9]

On 5 November 2004, Cook was scheduled to face South African Phillip Ndou in defence of his IBO title. However, on 21 October 2004, Ndou retired suddenly after a brain scan revealed a slight abnormality. [10] Ndou had previously challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the WBC lightweight title. A disappointed Cook said of the proposed bout "It would have been a great fight, I was thinking it could have been the British version of Hagler-Hearns. I might have had to pick myself off the canvas in that one but I'd have definitely come back and eventually prevailed." [11]

The late replacement for Ndou was Argentinian Aldo Rios, who went on to stop Cook in the 3rd round. Cook had started the fight well but was floored in the 3rd by a straight right hand, and a follow-up attack from Rios forced referee Richard Davies to stop the contest. Following the bout Cook said "I took things a bit easy and got caught cold more than anything...This may have been a step too far, but I'll be back." [12] Rios had previously lost to Ricky Hatton by knockout in a challenge for the WBU light welterweight title.

Retirement

On 25 November 2005, over a year after his last fight, Cook returned to the ring to face Gary Reid. Cook won the bout via disqualification after he was hit with a low blow and could not continue. [13] In September, 2006, after pulling out of a fight with Giuseppe Lauri for the vacant European light welterweight title, Cook announced his retirement from boxing. [14]

On his decision Cook said "It's time for me to go now. I've had so much trouble with the shoulder over the years and tendonitis in an ankle which flares up when I do roadwork that I can't carry on at the top level. If I was going to fight four, or six-rounders, it might be OK, but life as a journeyman is not for me." [3]

Return with Prizefighter

On 20 October it was announced that Cook would be returning to the ring as part of Sky Sports Prizefighter series. The Competition will be held at light-welterweight. Also involved in the competition is fellow Welshman and former world champion Gavin Rees, a fighter from Enzo Calzaghe's boxing stable. Cook won his first round fight against Michael Grant, as the referee decided to stop the contest on the Doctors orders after Grant suffered a nasty cut. In the Semi-Final stage, Cook lost to Gavin Rees by a unanimous points decision, with Rees declaring that he was expecting the Final fight against Colin Lynes to be an easyer fight than his Semi-Final against Cook. The brave comeback performance by Cook earned him a shot at the British Light-Welterweight Title against Lenny Dawes

British Title Shot

Jason Cook challenged Lenny Dawes for the British Light-Welterweight Title on 12 February 2010 at York Hall, Bethnal Green in London. From the opening bell, Cook looked comfortable and slick and dominated the early rounds. Cook had Dawes visibly hurt in the 1st round, forcing Dawes to hold on to the Maesteg boxer to spare further punishment. After building up an early lead on the judges' scorecards and cutting Dawes, Cook began to tire and Dawes came back into the fight, having Cook in trouble in the 11th and 12th rounds. One judge awarded it 115–114 to Cook; one awarded it 115–114 to Dawes, with the other scoring it 114-114. The bout was declared a draw and Dawes regained his title. The gutsy performance by Cook moved him up the European and Commonwealth Light-Welterweight rankings [15]

Notable bouts

ResultOpponentTypeRd., TimeDateLocationNotes
Loss Flag of Argentina.svg Aldo RiosTKO3 (12), 1.405 November 2004 Flag of England.svg Hereford, England Lost IBO Lightweight title.
Win Flag of England.svg Kevin BennettDecision (unanimous)121 May 2004 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Bridgend, Wales Defended IBO Lightweight title.
Win Flag of Argentina.svg Ariel OlveiraTKO7 (12)8 November 2003 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Bridgend, WalesWon vacant IBO Lightweight title.
Win Flag of Italy.svg Stefano Zoff Decision (split)1225 January 2003 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Bridgend, WalesLost European Lightweight title on scales.
Win Flag of France.svg Nasser LakribTKO5 (12)26 October 2002 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Maesteg, WalesDefended European Lightweight title.
Win Flag of Italy.svg Sandro Casamonica KO3 (12)2 August 2002 Flag of Italy.svg Calabria, Italy Won European Lightweight title.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Guzmán</span> Dominican professional boxer

Joan Guzmán is a Dominican former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2014. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO super bantamweight title from 2002 to 2005, and the WBO junior lightweight title from 2006 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Mayweather</span> American boxer (1960–2020)

Roger L. Mayweather was an American professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1999 and later on a boxing trainer. He was a two-division world champion, having held the WBA and The Ring super featherweight titles from 1983 to 1984, and the WBC light welterweight title from 1987 to 1989. Additionally he held the IBO light welterweight title in 1994, and the IBO welterweight title from 1994 to 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Limond</span> Scottish boxer (1979–2024)

Willie Limond was a Scottish professional boxer and footballer. He held the EBU European Union super featherweight title in 2004, the Commonwealth lightweight title from 2006 to 2007, the Commonwealth super lightweight title from 2013 to 2014, and the British super lightweight title in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Hatton</span> British boxer (born 1981)

Matthew James "Matty" Hatton is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2013. He held the European welterweight title from 2010 to 2011, and challenged once for the WBC light-middleweight title in the latter year. He is the younger brother of former two-division world champion of boxing, Ricky Hatton, and fought on the undercard of many of Ricky's high-profile fights.

Lovemore Ray Nḓou is a South African-Australian solicitor and former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2012. He held the IBF junior-welterweight title in 2007, and the IBO welterweight title from 2009 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Thaxton</span> British former professional boxer (born 1974)

Jonathan Thaxton is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2009. He held the British lightweight title from 2006 and 2007, and the EBU European title from 2008 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Lazcano</span> Mexican-American boxer

Juan Lazcano is a Mexican-born American professional boxer currently based in Sacramento, California. He fights at light welterweight and is a former World Boxing Foundation (WBF), NABF and IBA lightweight champion, as well as having challenged for the IBO light welterweight title.

Julius Munyelele Indongo is a Namibian professional boxer. He is a former light-welterweight world champion, having held the WBA (Regular), IBF, and IBO titles between 2016 and 2017. As an amateur, Indongo represented Namibia at the 2008 Olympics, reaching the first round of the lightweight bracket.

Colin Lynes is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2017. He held the IBO super lightweight title from 2004 to 2005. At regional level, he held the British super lightweight title in 2007; the EBU European super lightweight title from 2007 to 2008; and the British welterweight title from 2011 to 2012.

Ted Bami Minsende is a former professional boxer. Nicknamed "Dangerous", Bami is a former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger. He was until recently the trainer of his nephew, British boxer Isaac Chamberlain. Bami and Chamberlain parted ways following Chamberlain's accusations of theft; however, in May 2018, the Boxing Board of Control cleared Bami of all accusations and he remained Chamberlain's Manager until 2020.

Lee "Aberdeen Assassin" McAllister is a Scottish professional boxer nicknamed the "Aberdeen Assassin". McAllister held the Commonwealth lightweight and light-welterweight titles, the IBO International light-welterweight title, and challenged once each for the European and British titles. He captured the junior-middleweight WBU World Championship on 5 October 2019 against Richmond Djarbeng by 2nd-round TKO. Lee is also a very successful promoter; Assassins Promotions boxing, which holds events in his hometown of Aberdeen, where he also runs and operates a very prestigious boxing gym called Assassin's Health & Fitness. On 22 July 2018 he fought his most high-profile fight whenever he moved up 5 weight classes and challenged British WBU #1 contender Danny Williams, who beat Mike Tyson, in eerily similar fashion; McAllister dominated Williams and KO'd him in round 10 to become the WBU Heavyweight champion of the world.

Ali Mziyanda Funeka is a South African professional boxer. He held the IBO welterweight world title from 2014 to 2015, previously challenged three times for a lightweight world title between 2009 and 2010, and held the South African super featherweight title between 2004–2006 and in 2014.

Chantelle Cameron is an English professional boxer. She is a former world champion in two weight classes, including the former undisputed light-welterweight champion, having held the WBC title between 2020 and 2023; the IBF and Ring magazine titles between 2021 and 2023 ; and the WBA and WBO titles between November 2022 and 2023. She previously held the IBO female lightweight title from 2017 to 2019 and light-welterweight title from 2022 to 2023. She has held the interim WBC female super-lightweight title since 20 July 2024.

Jason Welborn is an English professional boxer who challenged once for the unified WBA (Super), IBF and IBO light-middleweight titles in 2018. At national level, he held the British middleweight title in 2018, and challenged for the British welterweight and light middleweight titles in 2013 and 2014 respectively, and the Commonwealth light-middleweight and middleweight titles in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Crawford vs. Julius Indongo</span> Boxing competition

Terence Crawford vs. Julius Indongo was a professional boxing match contested for the undisputed light welterweight championship between undefeated WBC, WBO, and The Ring champion Terence Crawford, and undefeated WBA (Unified), and IBF champion Julius Indongo. The bout took place on August 19, 2017, at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. Crawford defeated Indongo via third-round KO.

James "JJ" Metcalf is an English professional boxer who has held the IBO super-welterweight title since May 2023. He previously held the Commonwealth super-welterweight title in 2019 and challenged for the British super-welterweight title in March 2021. He is the son of former boxer Shea Neary.

Joe Hughes is an English professional boxer who was born with Erb's palsy. He held the European light-welterweight title from 2018 to 2019 and challenged twice for the same title, along with two attempts at the British light-welterweight title between 2017 and 2019.

Bowyn Morgan is a New Zealand professional boxer. As an amateur he competed in the men's welterweight division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where he would reach the quarter-finals before losing to Scott Fitzgerald, who went on to claim the gold medal.

Boxing in the 2020s is a list of notable fights and events in boxing during the decade from the year 2020 to 2029.

References

  1. ↑ "Jason Cook Record". boxing-records.com. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  2. ↑ "Roll of Honour". England Boxing. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Jason Cook - European Lightweight Champion". johnnyowen.com. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  4. ↑ "Sports Round-up". The Telegraph. London. 25 October 2002. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  5. ↑ "FROM CONVICT TO CHAMPION". boxing-monthly.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  6. ↑ "Cook retains title with a stoppage". bbc.co.uk. 26 October 2002. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "Cook wins but loses title". bbc.co.uk. 26 January 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  8. ↑ "Cook tames 'the Panther'". bbc.co.uk. 9 November 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  9. ↑ "Cook outboxes Bennett". bbc.co.uk. 2 May 2004. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  10. ↑ "Phillip Ndou Forced to Retire from Boxing". thesweetscience.com. 20 October 2004. Archived from the original on 9 November 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  11. ↑ "Cook aims to serve up a treat". doghouseboxing.com. 5 November 2004. Archived from the original on 4 June 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  12. ↑ "Rios flattens Cook for IBO crown". bbc.co.uk. 5 November 2004. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  13. ↑ "Cook makes controversial return". bbc.co.uk. 26 November 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  14. ↑ "Cook calls time because of injury". bbc.co.uk. 17 September 2006. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  15. ↑ "Daws retains title against Cook". BBC News. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
Achievements
Preceded by
Stefano Zoff
Vacated
 European Lightweight title
2 August 2002 – 24 January 2003
Stripped		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Michael Ayers
Vacated
 IBO Lightweight title
8 November 2003 – 5 November 2004		Succeeded by
Aldo Rios
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.