By: Sean Crose
“I learned a lot about life in a lot of different ways,” heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings told me in late 2015. He was referring to what was, at the time, his only loss—a unanimous decision defeat to the gloved hands of then-heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko. Had Jennings won that night at Madison Square Garden, he would have walked out of the ring as the new IBF and WBO heavyweight champion of the world. Instead, he walked away with hard-won experience and knowledge. “A lot of what I learned wasn’t about me and boxing,” he continued, “it was about me and life.”
Jennings has always been one of the most thoughtful fighters around. Holding down a full-time job while getting to the point where you can fight for a heavyweight crown — at Madison Square Garden, of all places — is no small feat. Unfortunately, the lessons learned from Klitschko won’t get him another title shot. Indeed, the Philly native lost several more times before finally hanging up his gloves in 2019 with a 24-4 record. Now, however, Jennings, nearly 40, is ready to return to the ring.
On Saturday night in his hometown of Philadelphia, Jennings will cross the ropes to fight with gloves on for the first time in more than five years. Jennings’ opponent will be Joe Caudel 9-8-2. The heavyweight bout is scheduled to go eight rounds, which suggests that Team Jennings is in no rush to do anything here. While the Jennings-Caudel fight will be broadcast live on Drill, It’s clear that Jennings’ return may be a low-key affair by design. Then again, Jennings is a fairly rational person who isn’t likely to set too high of an expectation for himself when he first returns to the ring.
All things considered, Jennings is a fighter who is hard to dislike. He may be more laid-back than some of his peers, but the man’s work ethic is incredible. Plus, things have changed in the heavyweight division since Jennings last saw action. Oleksandr Usyk has proven that traditional heavyweights can actually beat supersized heavyweights like Klitschko, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. Five years ago, it seemed like big guys were the guaranteed future of the division. Not anymore. If Jennings has watched and learned during his retirement, he may be able to return to the ring with more tools than he previously found in his arsenal.
*Image: TrillerTV
