While many spent Christmas break eating cookies, opening presents and relaxing, two sisters from Northeast D.C. traveled down to Richmond to fight. They returned to the District with big championship belts, which come with the bragging rights of being the best boxers for their age and weight in the country.
For 16-year-old Savannah Jackson, boxing is something she fell in love with pretty easily.
鈥淚 like sparring a lot, and when I was younger, just like, beating up boys,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat made me feel good.鈥�
Her 15-year-old sister Summer Jackson, also ranked No. 1 in the country, agreed: 鈥淚t was different when they beat up on us, because they’re boys and we’re girls.鈥�
But now?
鈥淚 feel good when we are sparring, and sometimes, I’ll beat up on them,鈥� Summer said.
Outside of a boxing ring, it鈥檚 been a long, long time since anyone tried to do that.
鈥淪eventh grade there was this (boy) and he took my spot and I wasn’t having it,鈥� Summer said. 鈥淗e just tried to I guess take the seat. I just flew over my shoulder and was like, 鈥榶eah now this is my seat.鈥欌��
While they鈥檙e similar in age and weight, Savannah and Summer haven鈥檛 fought each other for real in years, though they do practice together. Both agree their differing styles help make each other better.
鈥淥ur styles compliment each other,鈥� Savannah Jackson said. “She needs to work on fighting the people that fight like me, and I need to work on the people that fight like her. So drilling is good for us.”
Savannah Jackson said she鈥檚 more of an outside fighter, while her sister, who is shorter, likes to fight more on the inside.
鈥淪he’s really aggressive,鈥� Savannah said. 鈥淪o I do work on keeping her style of fighting away from me.鈥�
To hear Summer Jackson explain it, “I have to work on people that are taller than me.”
鈥淯sually people who are taller than you, they’re going to be on the outside,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o it’s like, you’d have to go in, but when you’re fighting someone that’s going into you, you can’t go with them. You’d have to be on the outside. So I have to work on that.鈥�
The girls train for several hours a week, between conditioning and boxing. They also get pushed by their dad, Kareem Jackson, who was an NFL safety and former college football coach, and with their success in the ring, they鈥檙e both on the radar of the Team USA boxing coaches.
Bouts in Germany are being planned for the upcoming summer, and both girls are hoping to represent the red, white and blue in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
If they don鈥檛 make the Summer Games, it won鈥檛 be because they aren鈥檛 working hard.
鈥淲hen I went to (Junior Olympic) camp last year in September, it was a breeze,鈥� Savannah said, in regards to the training. 鈥淓verybody was all tired, and I was like, 鈥業’m just chilling.鈥欌��
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