Canadian Kareem Hackett, won the WBA Intercontinental light heavyweight belt, after unanimously defeating Clay Waterman with ease and power, in Plant, Florida, United States.

An underdog from the moments leading up to the fight, Hackett put to work the enormous experience gathered after camps with middleweight greats like Peter Quillin, Sergio Mora and Matthew Macklin, as well as bright prospects from higher weight classes like Dmitry Bivol, Egor Mekhontsev and Shane Mosley Jr.

Clay Waterman, who is the division’s Australian champion and was making his second appearance on U.S. soil, was left helpless after being unable to find a solution to Hackett’s distance and assertive boxing.  

Hackett practiced combat sports such as kickboxing and jiu-jitsu as a youth in Canada. He had an amateur boxing record of 40-6, including a pair of Ringside International boxing titles. 

He is now a resident of Los Angeles, where Kareem trains at the Brickhouse Boxing Club, where “Lefty” Ramirez is part owner. Hackett is trained by Ramirez’s head trainer, Julian Chua.

The new Intercontinental champion’s record stands at 12 wins with 6 knockouts and no losses.