Jordan Gill’s toughness may have come as a surprise to some spectators on Sunday night when he survived a hellacious clash with Karim Guerfi.
The Chatteris fighter endured the brutality of two perforated eardrums, a knockdown, and perfectly executed DDT before finding a magical right hand to eliminate the experienced Frenchman’s threat.
For the bulk of Gill’s decorated career, a cautious approach that relied on his excellent boxing skills have seen him capture multiple honours. Barring a disastrous night against Mexico’s Mario Tinoco in 2019, a night when Gill entered the ring feeling unwell, the remainder of his fight have seen him dominate opponents. However, the steel demonstrated last weekend, is an attribute Gill knows he has always possessed.
“I’ve always been tough, but I’ve never had the fight where I’ve had to show it,” said Gill when speaking to DAZN the day after his epic clash with Guerfi that brought him European honours.
“The day of the fight, I was speaking with Dave [Coldwell] and I told him I was tough. I’ve had the fight to show it now and although people might’ve been a little shocked by it, I knew I had it in me to see it out when it gets hard.”
For the majority of the fight’s first half, the contest resembled a typical Gill outing as he built up a lead against Guerfi. In round seven, the 27-year-old was dropped, but after beating the count, an exchange on the ropes saw Guerfi drive Gill’s head into the canvas. A worrying scene saw a dazed Gill appear unsettled, and it was only when watching the clip that went viral on social media after the contest that Gill realised what had happened.
“It must’ve hurt because I can’t even remember it happening in the fight," he explained. "My dad was concerned at the time. He thought I could’ve broken my neck.
"You always get incidents in boxing where holding takes place and the fighters fall to the floor but looking back at that, it did look scary. At the time, I just think the adrenaline kicked in because I was still ready to fight after it happened.”
With the seventh session perhaps the most testing round of Gill’s life, his tactics became desperate as the fight swung into Guerfi’s favour. With both ears perforated, Gill didn’t possess the capability to maintain his balance. Instructed by Coldwell to sit on the ropes and counter Guerfi’s marauding style, Gill’s bravery and patience was rewarded as a brilliant shot ended the contest without the referee bothering to make a count.
Wild celebrations featuring Gill’s corner, Eddie Hearn and Derek Chisora ensued, as a stricken Guerfi lay on the floor pondering how such a great opportunity had been taken from him.
For Gill, his heroic mission has earned him widespread plaudits due to the manner of his unlikely victory, and he’s ready to use Sunday’s stature enhancing win as a platform to push towards bigger chances.
“It’s been crazy since the win," he admitted. "It’s good to have played my part in such a classic fight that everyone is talking about, but I now have to look at what’s next.
"If I have to defend my European belt, then that’s fine but I still want to go all the way to the top in this sport. Sunday was brilliant, it’s put me in the spotlight, and now I want to stay here. I’d love to fight for a world title. That’s still my goal.”