Looks can be deceiving. Don’t be fooled; John Hedges Jr, known as ‘Gentleman John’, pretty enough to appear in an Armani advert, has quickly become one of the most promising Cruiserweight fighters in British boxing.
It all began nearly 17 years ago, when he joined West Ham Boxing Club at the age of six. Since then, the Takeley-born boxer’s career has been on an upward trajectory that has propelled him to being labelled ‘the next Tyson Fury’.
One of boxing’s hottest properties, having won four national and seven international titles during a glittering spell as an amateur, when he amassed an extremely impressive record of 44 bouts and 40 wins fighting all over Europe, he was just 18 years old when he signed a long-term promotional deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing in June 2020.
Hedges, now 23, was an instant hit - surging to 7-0 with two knockouts. Then, in April 2023, he landed a dream slot on the undercard of Anthony Joshua v Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena, London, where he beat Poland’s Daniel Bocianski on points.
After a brief spell on the sidelines, Hedges returned in February 2024 up at Cruiserweight, producing a clinical second-round stoppage of Erdogan Kadrija before he got the chance to fight Lewis Oakford on the undercard of stablemate Johnny Fisher in July 2024, picking up his first professional title, the Southern Area Cruiserweight title, with a technical decision victory.
That long-held promise, however, demands a present-tense breakthrough.
And for Hedges, the amply-gifted Cruiserweight from Essex, that day arrives on 17 May at Stratford’s Copper Box Arena, a 7,500-seater venue situated on his doorstep, when he will put it all on the line against Nathan Quarless in an English Cruiserweight Title Eliminator.
Before then, sitting on a Zoom call in a Manchester hotel room, in a brief break before another gruelling training session under the guidance of British boxing legend Ricky Hatton, Hedges took time out of his busy schedule to discuss his upcoming bout and his support for his beloved Hammers…
Where did it all begin for you as a boxer, then?
I’ve had boxing on the mind since the moment I entered the world. My dad and my brother both boxed, so I’m part of a fighting family and went to West Ham Boxing Club in Plaistow, Newham, when I was around six years old.
I used to just come along to the sessions to support my brother, who trained with legendary trainer Mickey May, and then just fell in love with it, really.
I liked the whole family buzz of the West Ham Boxing Club. It was one of the toughest boxing clubs in the country, but it made a family out of it.
Tell us about your rise to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
I had a good amateur career, and I was never beaten abroad. I was in the same age group coming through as [fellow West Ham fan] George Liddard, so we’d been on the Team England team for six years and were always together, though I was just a weight above.
I had 44 fights as an amateur and won 40 and many nationals, and because I was winning championships, I automatically qualified to box for Team England.
There’s a lot of pride in representing Team England in all different countries across the world, because it’s something I never probably thought I’d ever achieve, and the experiences were unreal.
I signed with Matchroom Boxing on my debut. I had no senior fights as an amateur, and I wasn’t ever thinking about turning professional. I never thought I was good enough, if I’m honest with you.
During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a decision to make, so my management team put an offer to Eddie [Hearn], and he accepted it straight away, and ultimately, it’s changed my life.
You’ve featured on Anthony Joshua’s and Filip Hrgović’s undercards. How big were those moments in your career?
There’s no buzz like it. I must have boxed in front of about 12,000 or 13,000 people, so it was completely different from what I’d been used to. It was unbelievable for a boy of my age, as I was only 20 years old at that point.
I was given the opportunity, and I knew I had to prove myself. We took on a good opponent, not a journeyman with a losing record, and we won every round. It was a good eight-round fight.
And in July 2024, you picked up your first professional title, the Southern Area Cruiserweight strap. How special was that for you?
It was a good win and a good achievement. It has taken the pressure off now because I’ve got my first title, and I’ve proved to myself that I can win a belt. Again, I fought someone with a good winning record who came to fight, and we got the win.
I’m very young for a Cruiserweight. Badou Jack, who is the current Cruiserweight champion, is 41 years old, nearly double my age, so there’s plenty of time on my side.
How excited are you to be fighting in an English Cruiserweight Title Eliminator later this month?
It will be a good test, but I’m ready to pass it.
I’ve moved up to Manchester temporarily to work with Ricky Hatton, who is one of the toughest trainers in the country, so I’m definitely leaving no stone unturned, and it’s going to pay off.
It will be another tough fight. He (Nathan Quarless) has got a record of 13 wins and one loss. He’s a good fighter, and he’s 29 years old, so he’s got a good bit of age and experience on me, but ultimately, we’re going out there to do a proper job on him and to prove that we’re up there with English and British level now.
It will be another special night. If there was such a thing as a local home place for me to fight, it would be the Copper Box, because being a West Ham United fan, it’s literally across the road from London Stadium. It’s definitely my favourite arena.
So what’s the long-term target, John?
If you’re not in boxing to be a world champion, then you shouldn’t really be in the sport. But I’ve always said I want to be a prizefighter. I want to earn a good few quid out of it, but also I want to be in good fights.
I want to be in good domestic fights. I don’t want to be one of those ones who slips away abroad and just do that to get a ranking.
I want to be in good fights where the British public are getting behind me, and for me, it’s sometimes not always about what you win. It’s how you win.
If I can grab the British title by next year, I’ll be buzzing.
Tell us about your West Ham allegiance, then?
It all started because of my brother boxing for West Ham Boxing Club. The tracksuits were Claret and Blue, so everything in our house was basically Claret and Blue.
Kevin Mitchell was part of the gym and had one of the best West Ham followings, especially when he boxed at the Boleyn Ground in May 2010. And I’d probably say that, in itself, was what made me the West Ham supporter I am today because we were ringside at Kevin’s fight that night.
To purchase tickets for John Hedges Jr v Nathan Quarless at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday 17 May, on the undercard of Johnny Fisher v Dave Allen, click HERE.
