Veteran boxer Jackson “M3” Chauke has no intention of hanging up his gloves anytime soon and is convinced that he can bounce back from his first defeat in a decade.
The 37-year-old pugilist from Tembisa is smarting from a rare split decision loss at the hands of arch-rival Phumele “The Truth” Cafu in a junior bantamweight non-title bout in his last fight.
“I’ll have to go back to the drawing board,” said Chauke.
“I think my trainer knows what’s next but I’m sure there’s definitely something in the pipeline. I haven’t had a rest in months, so now I’ll have that and then it’s back to the gym.”
Chauke had been on an astonishing 13 fight unbeaten run before the loss to Cafu, with his only other defeat coming way back in 2013 at the hands of Lwandile Sityana.He is convinced that he can quickly regain his momentum, especially given that he seems to have found the right formula under trainer Damien Durandt.
Chauke insists his impressive performances over the last decade have been inspired by the stability that he’s found outside the ring and this will
enable him to get back to winning ways soon.
“I’ve got a lot of people supporting me,” said Chauke.
“I have my trainer (Damien Durandt) supporting me, I’ve got my family supporting me and my life is comfortable at the moment.
“But that’s because I’m also working hard. Financially I’m okay, I can afford to pay school fees for my kids and put food on the table.
“I’m working very hard, I’m getting fights regularly and my career is still on the right track. I’m happy and that’s why I have been performing the way I have been in the past few years.
“There’s no stress in my life, I’ve got time to train, time to work and everything is sorted daily, that’s why I have been performing.
“An athlete doesn’t need to stress about there being no food in the house, no monthly income and things like that. I think my mind is more clear now. I can see where I’m going.”
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