KALAMAZOO, MI \u2014 A Google search put Evan Jackson in the boxing ring.<\/p>\n
Now he dreams of the world Googling his name. <\/p>\n
At 19, the Kalamazoo amateur boxer has already spent more than eight years training relentlessly and mastering his craft, earning a quick-twitch, punch-first reputation that has put Southwest Michigan on notice. <\/p>\n
He owns four championship belts, including the 2025 Golden Gloves crown, and is considered the state\u2019s top-ranked boxer at 154 pounds.<\/p>\n
The ring is his calling, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I\u2019ve ever wanted to do was box,\u201d said Jackson, who trains and coaches at Kzoo Boxing in Kalamazoo. \u201c(The ring) feels like you\u2019re in an empty room and there\u2019s no one here anymore. I feel very dialed in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really like a focus realm, and I don\u2019t hear anything else until that bell goes off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Jackson found Kzoo Boxing with a quick Google search five years ago, his love for the sport has only grown. <\/p>\n
His trainer, Jermont Reece, has steered Jackson on a path towards the bright lights — Jackson now competes as an Open Boxer, which is step above novice level as an amateur fighter.<\/p>\n
Jackson won his first five fights as an amateur and flexed a nine-fight win streak in 2025.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next? His biggest stage yet. <\/p>\n
Next week, Jackson brings a 29-11 record into the 2026 USA Boxing International Open \u2014 a high-level amateur tournament in Pueblo, Colorado, expected to draw hundreds of rising talents from around the world. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had a really good run in 2025, and I\u2019ve been very prepared for this moment,\u201d said Jackson, a two-time King of the Jungle champ. \u201cI\u2019m ready for it \u2014 it\u2019s my time.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Kzoo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/EFL4U2QV25HEHPLTASQPB762CU.JPG\")
Evan Jackson, 19, of Kalamazoo, trains for the USA Boxing International Open at Kzoo Boxing on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. , The Open, which is expected to draw elite amateur talent and emerging future stars to Colorado, is Jackson\u2019s biggest challenge yet.(Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com)<\/p>\n
\u2018Designed to fight\u2019 <\/p>\n
From the time he was a youngster, Jackson knew he was made to spar. <\/p>\n
His older brother would frequently be a pest, not to Jackson\u2019s liking. It led to Jackson standing his ground \u2014 and eventually, bringing the heat. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of times he would pick on me and I hated that,\u201d said Jackson, a 2024 South Haven High School grad. He now lives in Kalamazoo with family. \u201cI feel like when someone\u2019s in there trying to bully me, outwork me, I\u2019m not going to let that slide. He\u2019s helped me be able to get that intense action-packed style. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here not to play.\u201d <\/p>\n
That\u2019s led to Jackson becoming an aggressive, punch-first brawler in the ring \u2014 frequently beating his opponents to the punch. If a punch is there, look out. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe is hunting his a– off,\u201d Reece said. \u201cHe\u2019s a very a technical puncher and he\u2019s extremely fast and big. He\u2019s an aggressive punching machine. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s designed to fight.\u201d <\/p>\n
At 6 feet and 154 pounds, Jackson said he brings nonstop action to the ring. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like an action-packed masterclass,\u201d he said. \u201cI gotta make sure I start first and I\u2019m not going to let you begin. It\u2019s a lot of punches and very intense.\u201d<\/p>\n
And when he\u2019s not training himself, Jackson trains others at Kzoo Boxing. He\u2019s all in on boxing, all the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is his life,\u201d Reece said. \u201cHe can\u2019t get out of it, his mind won\u2019t let him. (Boxing) is what he\u2019s meant to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Kzoo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/5AAVAVLEDJEWPLB67XMQO2JZRY.JPG\")
Jermont Reece, 29, trains Evan Jackson, 19, of Kalamazoo,for the USA Boxing International Open at Kzoo Boxing on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. , The Open, which is expected to draw elite amateur talent and emerging future stars to Colorado, is Jackson\u2019s biggest challenge yet.(Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com)<\/p>\n
\u2018Boxing got me back on track\u2019 <\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret where Jackson gets his fighter mentality from. <\/p>\n
When Jackson was still in elementary school, his father, Carnell Jackson, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Evan saw his dad battle through adversity on the regular, a big reason why he fights with that same mentality. <\/p>\n
In February 2019, Carnell died after a five-year battle with cancer. He was 39 years old. <\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t really know who I was,\u201d Evan Jackson said. \u201cBut boxing got me back on track in actually finding myself. I feel like it helped guide me on the right path.\u201d <\/p>\n
Not long after, Jackson found Kzoo Boxing and connected with Reece. Almost instantly, Evan knew he\u2019d found a second home. <\/p>\n
\u201c(Reece\u2019s) been like a father figure to me,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWhen I found someone I could look up to, someone that could lead me the right way, he\u2019s been a perfect example for me.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Kzoo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Z5QUDD4SERGSXJPSRIYTBMGVVE.JPG\")
Jermont Reece, 29, trains Evan Jackson, 19, of Kalamazoo,for the USA Boxing International Open at Kzoo Boxing on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. , The Open, which is expected to draw elite amateur talent and emerging future stars to Colorado, is Jackson\u2019s biggest challenge yet.(Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com)<\/p>\n
Reece, 29, established Kzoo Boxing in 2018 after years coaching in the underground scene. The Kalamazoo native turned professional last July, and believes he and Jackson \u201cgrew up together\u201d over the years. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen him grow from a kid to a man,\u201d Reece said. \u201cIt\u2019s been very cool to see him mature and become a very well-polished boxer. I\u2019m really happy that I\u2019ve been able to have such a positive influence in his life.\u201d <\/p>\n
At Kzoo Boxing, there\u2019s one slogan to live by: \u201cF— around and find out.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I created this gym, the overall idea and the main purpose of it was to find people like me who are fighters and Evan\u2019s a fighter,\u201d Reece said. \u201cPeople take a lot of pride in our gym and they respect what we do. They know that it\u2019s not easy. I think we give Kalamazoo a lot of pride.\u201d <\/p>\n
From the countless hours training to the relationships built along the way, Jackson knows the impact Kzoo Boxing \u2013 and Reece — have had on his life. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s made this place a home for me,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a safe place where I can feel comfortable, somewhere I can find peace. If I\u2019m having a hard day, I walk into the gym and everything gets easier.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Kzoo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MX2WEKVH4VE4LPGUNMLVVHDVSY.JPG\")
Evan Jackson, 19, of Kalamazoo, trains for the USA Boxing International Open at Kzoo Boxing on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. , The Open, which is expected to draw elite amateur talent and emerging future stars to Colorado, is Jackson\u2019s biggest challenge yet.(Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com)<\/p>\n
\u2018I want to be the greatest\u2019 <\/p>\n
As Evan gears for another jab on the bag, doused in a layer of sweat on Tuesday, Reece offers a gentle reminder at the right time. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe dream don\u2019t stop, right Evan?\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The Kalamazoo phenom has been preparing for his shining moment for over a year, never losing an ounce of motivation. <\/p>\n
He believes it\u2019s his time. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care who\u2019s in there with me, they\u2019ve never seen me before,\u201d Jackson said of his mindset in next week\u2019s international tournament. \u201cI\u2019m with the best of the best, but I am the best of the best and that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to prove. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my time to shine.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Jackson admires boxing stars like Shakur Stevenson, Terrence Crawford, Nick Ball and Canelo Alvarez, he isn\u2019t trying to copy any of them. He\u2019s trying to be himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to be like me,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m my idol.\u201d<\/p>\n
An opportunity to put Southwest Michigan on the map is something Jackson is driven to do, but perhaps more importantly, he wants to leave behind an everlasting legacy. <\/p>\n
All at the top of the boxing world. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m taking this all the way to the top,\u201d he said. \u201cI want the legacy behind it. I want my name to be put out there — I want to be talked about as one of the greats. I want to be the greatest.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jackson and Reece will take off to Colorado this weekend, with Evan\u2019s first bout in the welterweight (154 pounds) slated for Tuesday. <\/p>\n