March 31, 2008 — Heroes in a foreign land, John Jackson and Clayton Laurent returned to the territory last week with little fanfare but with big medals on their chests.
After boxing in the Olympic qualifiers in Trinidad and Tobago, Jackson and Laurent came home sporting silver and bronze medals, respectively. John, son of three-time world champion Julian Jackson, qualified for the Olympics after beating Brazil's Pedro Lima 19 to 10 in a semi-finals match. He lost in the finals to Cuba's Carlos Banteaux Saurez 10 to 3.
His silver medal made him the only V.I. competitor — and the only boxer from an English-speaking Caribbean country — to qualify for the summer games, held this year in Beijing, China.
"My trip to Trinidad was a beautiful experience," John said during a recent interview. "I got to qualify for the Olympics — which hasn't been done in eight years from an English-speaking Caribbean country — and I'm very proud of that."
He made it to the finals before losing against Cuba. But that hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for the Olympics.
"I plan on medaling when I get up there, because I'm training and working hard and I know I'm going there at the top of my game," John said.
While in Trinidad, John got rave reviews from spectators and competitors alike, but said it was one comment that opened up his eyes about the differences between the Virgin Islands and the rest of the region.
"After I qualified, some of the other fighters came up to me and said that I was set — that our territory's Olympic Committee was going to hook me up with houses, cars, money, just like their countries do," he said. "I was shocked. I'm not going to lie, I would love that, but I told them that's not going to happen here — that their countries treat them really well. It doesn't matter too much — I love what I do, and I know that there's going to be a change, that the government is soon going to step up and support us."
While he did not qualify for the Olympics, Laurent said he used the experience in Trinidad as a stepping stone to help him progress in his boxing career.
"It was exciting — it was my first time fighting in that standard type of tournament," Laurent said in a recent interview. "I've fought on many different islands, but it was my first time fighting on an international level against top-level boxers from all over the world."
Laurent, a senior at Charlotte Amalie High School, is the youngest member of the V.I. National Boxing Team and went to Trinidad with only nine fights under his belt.
"Everyone thought that I was a young boy, but after I won a few, they said to the other fighters, 'How could you let a 17-year-old come in and beat you?'" Laurent said. "So I showed everyone that yeah, I may be a little boy — I have a little age, a little experience, but I have a big heart, and you have got to come out here to beat me."
Laurent added that the tournament made him "more hungry" for future opportunities.
"I lost to a guy that was more experienced than me, but I knew in my heart that if I had had more experiences, I would have beat him," he said. "This tournament gave me something to move forward with — like breaking in a car. I know what to expect and I can work harder for next time."
Even though the Virgin Islands didn't have a cut-man or a team doctor — and in some fights, there was no one in the corner — what gave the territory credibility was having an icon like Julian Jackson on the sidelines.
During a recent interview, Jackson got emotional when talking about John and Laurent's accomplishments in Trinidad.
"There is nothing that can replace the feeling that I have — nothing that can really give me the satisfaction pertaining to these guys going down to Trinidad and medaling," Jackson said. "People know the hard work and the sacrifice that we've been putting out — it is not just something that you just buy or manufacture — it's something natural that we've been believing in for a long time."
John's brother Julius, along with Laurent and V.I. boxer Clarence Joseph will have another opportunity to qualify for the Olympics when the national team goes to Guatemala April 2 for the last qualifying tournament in the region.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
