New York Daily Sun
Februay 21, 1958
Jackson Blasts His Way to
Ten Round Win Over Cuban
By Jerry Bowie
Former top heavyweight contender Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson slugged his way to an impressive ten round decision over Cuba's Julio Mederos last night before an active fight crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Jackson had Mederos down for a count of seven in the ninth round and was voted the winner all three of the judges' cards earning him a unanimous decision.
The scoring of the match wasn't indicative of the toughness of Jackson's opponent. Medros, who fought to a draw against Mexican slugger Alfredo Zuany in his last bout, gave Jackson a battle for the full ten rounds.
For the first four heats, fans were treated to an action-paced slugfest that had the two men standing toe-to-toe, exchanging bombs from every direction.
Jackson appeared to have a slight edge and staggered Mederos several times with solid hooks to the jaw. But the game Cuban came right back at him each time with an assualt of his own.
Both men took a breather in the fifth in an effort to get a second wind. Jackson seemed to be the fresher of the two in the later rounds, but Mederos continued to fight on.
One minute into round nine, Jackson scored a powerful hook to the temple that sent Mederos to the canvas where he remained until referee Mike Armelino tallied seven. Julio was in obvious trouble, but at this point the Hurricane was winded and just couldn't finish him off.
Although running on empty himself, Mederos made an earnest effort to take Jackson out in the final round and was able to land a few bombs before the closing bell.
While Mederos is not considered a top tier heavyweight, he's generally recognized as a tough customer, and last night's win by Jackson could represent the road back.
The Hurricane had a tough year in 1957. He was stopped by Floyd Patterson in a bid for the heavyweight crown and then suffered a terrible beating at the hand of Rocky Marciano. He closed out the year with a mediocre performance against Canada's Earl Walls.
Following the bout, Jackson told reporters that he wants a return match against Walls. It remains to be seen if Walls or any other ranked contender would be quick to face the Hurricane after last night's performance.