Jasmine Hampton is motivated by her late mother as she already pursues the big fights two fights into her pro career.
The first-year pro lost her family matriarch, Claudia Hampton, to heart failure in 2022. Since then, the 29-year-old southpaw from Michigan has made a commitment to excel at the sport’s highest level.
“She is really my why,” Hampton told BoxingScene. “She is my motivation.”
The next step in Hampton’s journey comes this Thursday, in a six-round women’s flyweight bout at Coliseo Pedrin Zorrilla in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her bout is part of the latest offering from Dmitriy Salita’s Salita Promotions on a card to air live on DAZN.
Hampton, 2-0 (2 KOs) turned pro last September and has yet to go the distance. Even in being extended into the 5th round on the February 22 Claressa Shields-Franchon Crews Dezurn II undercard in Detroit, Hampton left feeling energized enough for a quick return.
It all ties into her longtime love affair with the sport. Hampton first went to the gym shortly after moving from Ann Arbor to a neighboring city along with her cousin, James Taylor, where she found herself fighting every day.
At first, Hampton didn’t want to box because she didn’t want to get hit. She recalled her mother’s words to her.
“You are fighting every day in the streets, you are going to box,” Hampton recalled “My third day in the gym, I fell in love with it, and it has been on since then.”
Last year, tragedy struck again when Taylor passed away. It just added further motivation for the 29-year-old Hampton to achieve as a professional.
Hampton eventually found herself drawn to Super Bad Boxing Gym, named after former 154lbs titlist Tony Harrison whose family runs the facility. She had trained in a gym in Ann Arbor, but was looking for a fresh start. The first day she got out, she received a fortuitous message.
“The day that I got out, someone texted me if I could go to Super Bad and get some rounds with them,” Hampton said. “I thought that was just a sign from God. I came here, I sparred, and I signed up that day.”
Hampton’s team consists of Harrison and his brother, LJ. She delayed her pro debut in hopes of qualifying for the Olympics but has since reset her priorities.
The aim now is to quickly move up the ranks and entice undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora into a fight.
“I would love to fight her,” Hampton said. “Or whoever else they put in front of me. I am ready to win in multiple weight divisions.
“I want to win belts from flyweight to featherweight.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
