Taking place at the Troubadour Theater in Nashville, Tennessee, on the night of December 5th, welterweight boxer Scot England made his pro debut at the age of 58, but unfortunately, the historical event didn’t end well for England as Jashawn Hunter stopped his age-defying opponent in the first round.
Scot England didn’t win the bout, but he is extremely proud in regards to receiving the opportunity to participate in a professional boxing match. England didn’t get the results he wanted, but he did get the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream.
The 58-year-old England was able to obtain a boxing license and compete in a professional bout despite the fact that he doesn’t have any type of amateur boxing background. Scot England is a former radio DJ turned news anchor turned country music writer.
As a young boxing fan, England wrote a letter to Muhammad Ali and that letter led to a friendship. During a recent interview, Scot England spoke about his initial meet and greet with Muhammad Ali.
“The first time I walked into his living room, he said are you a boxer? I said no, champ, I’m not tough enough for that, and I wasn’t. Forty years later, I am tough enough,” England stated.
One day, England told boxing coach Galen Turner about his vision of being the oldest welterweight, and he asked Turner if he wanted to be a part of it. Turner agreed to train England, and they immediately went to work. After a couple of years of training, England was ready to turn his dream into a reality.
His scheduled opponent for the night of December 5th was 23-year-old Jashawn Hunter. Hunter is 35 years younger, but he entered the contest as the veteran boxer. Hunter came into the bout with more experience, but he had the same number of career wins as England, as his record stood at (0-6).
On fight night, as part of an event known as the Country Box series, Scot England started the bout by throwing a couple of leisurely jabs. England proceeded to throw a right hand, but Hunter countered by landing a two-three combination that sent England down to the canvas at just six seconds into the contest.
England was able to get up, but he appeared to be dazed and wobbly. People in the crowd were yelling, “Stop it,” but England said something to the referee, and then the referee allowed the fight to continue.
Once the action resumed, Hunter landed a jab followed by a second jab that knocked England a few steps back. Hunter proceeded to land a big right hand, and then the referee finally stepped in to put a halt to the contest.
After the loss, Scot England was in good spirits as he conducted an interview with the local news. England was proud of stepping inside the ring, he was proud of being able to get up after being knocked down, and he’s also proud of going into the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest boxer to make his professional debut.
