Jordan Thompson Ready To Remind Boxing World Who He Is Against Lenier Pero
It’s easy to forget about anything when it has been out of the limelight for over two years.
After 25 months outside of the ring, Jordan Thompson plans to remind the boxing world exactly who he is on Saturday.
Thompson will return to the ring to make his heavyweight debut against undefeated Cuban heavyweight Lenier Pero in the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN at the Caribe Royale in Orlando. While the road back to the ring was a tumultuous one, Thompson is feeling as good as ever before his debut in boxing's true glamour division.
“Excited is an understatement,” Thompson told The Ring. “Above all, I’m just grateful. It's been a long two years out of the ring. I’m just grateful to get back in there, and gratitude is a hell of a thing. We're gonna go out there and put on a show.”
“I’m more confident than ever,” he added. “I think the time has been a blessing in disguise. It's been a time to self-reflect and look back. Boxing is a sport where it moves on and forgets you very quickly and unforgivingly. I think in that time where boxing may have moved on and forgotten me a little bit, I've really remembered myself and who I am. I think that's why it's gonna be ever so special come Saturday night.”
Thompson (15-1, 12 KOs) last stepped into the ring on Sept. 30, 2023, and suffered the lone defeat of his career, a fourth-round stoppage loss to IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. He had contemplated the move to heavyweight before facing Opetaia (28-0, 22 KOs), but a shot at a world title was too good to pass up, no matter how difficult it was for the 6-foot-6 Thompson to boil down to the 200-pound limit. He also had to deal with the IBF’s 10-pound rehydration clause on the morning of the fight.
“Heavyweight was discussed the fight before Jai,” Thompson said. “I was like, ‘Yo, that killed me.’ I didn't feel good at all. So we spoke, I spoke to my team, and we said, ‘Listen, I gotta move up, man.’ So we were already in discussions for heavyweight fights way back in early 2023, and then, boom, I get a phone call saying you got a world title shot. I said, ‘Roll the dice.’ You don't get world title shots every day. I'm one punch away when you hit as hard as me.
"We came up short. It is what it is. We keep it cracking, and now, finally, I can just do me, be me, and everyone can see me."
Thompson, of Manchester, England, had a potential return delayed by an injury and surgery. Once he recovered, there were a handful of names that Thompson, 32, said he could have made his return against in his heavyweight debut.
Then, an opportunity to jump right into the deep end came in the form of Pero (12-0, 8 KOs) of Camaguey, Cuba, who is ranked No. 3 by the WBA. Pero, 32, is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Detrailous Webster on April 18, and he had stopped five straight opponents ahead of his last outing. Of his eight knockouts, five have come in the first round.
While the 2016 Rio Olympian represents a tall task, what could be on the other side if things go according to plan made it a no-brainer for Thompson.
“This was probably the hardest of the bunch that I got offered,” Thompson said. “I am a man who's calculated. No risk, no reward. When you weigh up the pros and cons of a fight, you've got that world No. 3 ranking, I'm gonna take that. That's why I'm here. I’m not here to just have fun. I'm here to take that, move on and do my thing.”
