Jordan White needed just two punches to announce himself as a force to be reckoned with in the super featherweight division, scoring one of the best knockouts of the year and one of the best KOs in the 22-year history of SHOBOX: The New Generation Friday night in the main event live on Showtime from Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, Pa.
“The first time I hit him with that shot, I knew I hurt him because he stumbled back and smiled at me,” said the 25-year-old White. “And then the second one, I put him to sleep. Anybody that gets hit by me will be put to sleep. My dad said I would get him with that hook.”
White, from Waldorf, Md., is trained by his father and Bill Haney, the father of undisputed lightweight world champion Devin Haney, who was quick to join the in-ring celebration via FaceTime shortly after White’s victory. White and Haney were teammates and roommates on the Junior National travel team and are close friends.
After a storied amateur career that saw him earn victories over the likes of Brandun Lee and Vergil Ortiz, Jr., White capitalized on his second ShoBox appearance by landing a counter left hook flush on the chin of Garcia, immediately ending the fight at 1:57 of the first round. White’s first appearance on ShoBox came more than two years ago when he scored a sixth-round TKO over Misael Lopez. White now feels he’s ready to make himself a household name in the 130-pound division.
“I always felt like I was a contender, but I just needed the world to see it,” he said. “I’m ready for anybody that comes my way, whether it’s Chris Colbert or anybody else in the division.”