Written By: Ben Chamberlin
Jason Quigley suffered the first defeat of his professional career back in July against Tureano Johnson when his trainer stopped the contest at the end of the ninth round, losing his NABF middleweight title.
The Donegal-born boxer had won his opening 16 fights as a professional, quickly advancing through the levels, but the loss to Johnson will require the 28-year-old to bounce back to get his career back on track.
Quigley is set to return to the ring on December 5 when he will face Abraham Cordero, who has a professional record of 13-4-2. The pair will square off in an eight-round contest in California on a card that will be broadcast live on DAZN.
Since losing to Johnson, Quigley has been working with former world champion Andy Lee. The Irishman, who won the WBO middleweight title following a sixth-round stoppage against Matt Korobov, is using his experience to help the 28-year-old in the ring.
If he can impress once again in the ring against Cordero, Quigley will be hoping to put himself in contention for a world title shot in the near future. One of the men he will be hoping to face is WBC world middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. The American defends his title against Dennis Hogan next month where, as of the 23rd November, he is 1/12 in the boxing betting to win that contest. Canelo Alvarez, Ryota Murata, Gennady Golovkin, and Demetrius Andrade all also hold world titles in the 160lb division, so Quigley will be hoping his promoter can secure him a shot at one of those men if he puts a run of results together.
Quigley Shone as an Amateur Before Turning Pro
Quigley will be aiming to replicate the success he had in his career as an amateur in boxing in the professional ranks going forward. The Irishman reached number one in the European and world amateur rankings and has been one of the most successful Irish fighters in the last couple of decades.
He secured a place in the Ireland team for the 2016 Olympics – where he would have been fancied to win a medal at the very least, however, he opted to turn pro instead of going to the Games in Brazil.
The highlight of Quigley’s amateur career came when he won gold at the 2013 European Championship in the middleweight division. After victory over the then-world number one Evhen Khytrov, he overcame Bogdan Juratoni in the final in Minsk.
Quigley was denied the gold medal in the World Championship in 2013 as he was beaten in the final by Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, so had to settle for silver. The Irishman was knocked down in the first round and eventually lost on the scorecards 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.
Golden Boy Promotions Signings
Rather than remaining in Ireland and fighting this side of the Atlantic, Quigley opted to join Golden Boy Promotions in the United States where all but one of his 17 professional fights have taken place so far.
Being part of Golden Boy Promotions also allows Quigley to be involved in some of the big cards including world champions such as Canelo Alvarez, Jame Munguia, and Rey Vargas. He will soon be set for his first 12-round contest, which will then fully prepare him for championship boxing.
NABF Title Success
Quigley won the first title of his career in his 13th professional contest when he claimed the NABF middleweight crown following victory over Glen Tapia. The Irish boxer was given a unanimous decision by the three judges after ten rounds of boxing.
El Animal, as he is commonly nicknamed, was forced to fight with just one hand against Tapia as he injured his right in the second round, where the scorecards read 100-99, 99-91, 98-92 in favour of the Donegal boxer.
Quigley made just one successful defense of his belt against Mexico’s Freddy Hernandez in October 2018 in a points’ victory. Unfortunately for the former European amateur champion, he is now beltless following that loss to Johnson.
The card which features Quigley in December is part of the Thursday Night Fights event put on by Golden Boy Promotions, and could feature a number of upcoming stars from their stable.
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