Photos by Tom Briglia/Top Rank
On the same day Floyd Mayweather announced he will fight Manny Pacquiao on May 2, undefeated middleweight prospect Jesse Hart (16-0, 13 KOs) was in the gym preparing for his own fight, which he thought would be in his hometown of Philadelphia on April 10.
Hart’s training session was interrupted by a phone call that will change his life forever. Hart answered the phone and it was his promoter Bob Arum on the line.
“Jesse, I have something to tell you. You are not fighting on April 10 anymore,” Arum told him. “You are fighting on May 2.”
Arum went on to tell his Hart that there was no other fighter Arum would rather have on the undercard of the richest prizefight in the history of the sport.
This also meant as this megafight was being put together by the biggest forces in boxing, Hart’s name was another detail which needed to be ironed out before the big announcement would finally be made.
“This is legendary,” said Hart. “When my daughter gets older she will be able to say her father was a part of history.”
Hart has been preparing for this moment his entire life. At 6 years old he remembers his father showing him the black and white boxing tapes that the great Cus D’Amato once gave him.
“There is no plan B for me. I never even tried getting a job that I can retire from. Ever since I was a kid I had a vision I was going to be a world champion and now Bob Arum is making that possible.”
Hart has a close relationship with the 84-year-old promoter and credits him for his success both in life and boxing.
“Bob always answers the phone when I call him,” Hart said. “He’s like another father to me and like a grandfather.”
Arum dispensed some fatherly advice to Hart when the 25-year-old boxer was concerned his career would make him an absentee dad.
“I want to be there for my daughter like my father was always there for me. People don’t understand what fighters go through. We are always in training camp grinding it out when we have a fight.”
Arum reminded him that he was blessed to be doing what he loved for a living and also told Hart to not take for granted the time he did have with his daughter.
“Bob told me I deserve this opportunity,” recalled Hart. “He recognized how hard I worked for this and he knows I always listen to him and will continue to do so.”
Hart recalls how Arum once told him there are boxing stars and superstars and he is positioning Hart for the latter.
“A boxing star can only make money in boxing,” Hart explains. “A superstar can make money anywhere just like Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Leonard.”
Hart already secured an endorsement deal with Nike and is confident being on the undercard of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will put him in position to be one of the sport’s brightest stars.
Hart denied rumors that he will fight Mayweather protege J’Leon Love on May 2, but is open to fight anyone.
Hart is coming off an explosive second-round TKO victory over Samuel Miller last December in Philadelphia. Hart used his laser jab to set up the powerful right hand which dropped Miller.
Besides his father Eugene, Hart also expects to have trainer Fred Jenkins in his corner on fight night. One week earlier, Jenkins will be in the corner of Bryant Jennings as he challenges Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight championship of the world in Madison Square Garden.
Hart doesn’t believe in starting out slow and feeling his opponent out like other fighters do. He recalls his father pulling him aside before his first amateur fight when he was eight years old.
“Son, I’m right here with you,” Hart recalls his father telling him. “I will never let anything ever happen to you. I love you son.”
Hart believes Arum has a plan in place that will position him for a world title shot very soon. Hart is already sizing up the best in his division such as Gennady Gololvkin.
“Golovkin has no respect for anyone, that’s why he lets them get off clean shots,” Hart said. “If he lets me hit him flush like that he will go down. You will see his knees buckle.”
Hart knows as long as he looks over to his corner and sees his father that he will always be protected.