John Jackson vows to make Jermell Charlo pay for disrespecting father Julian

LAS VEGAS - You don't disrespect someone's father, especially when that man is one of the most feared punchers of all time.

But that's exactly what Jermell Charlo did Thursday. He took shots at former junior middleweight champion Julian Jackson and said he would knock him out. Charlo said he would do the same to his son John Jackson, whom meets for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title Saturday at The Cosmopolitan (9 p.m. ET, Showtime).

Jackson took great offense and said the remarks lit a fire under him heading into his first world title opportunity.

"He lit a fire under us. It was disrespectful," Jackson told Paste BN Sports following Friday's weigh-in. "But we're going to show him. He's going to learn. We're going to teach him a lesson."

Said Julian: "Pride comes before the fall."

Jackson (20-2, 15 KOs) is a 4.5 to 1 underdog at The Cosmopolitan Sportsbook to pull the upset, though. Charlo, whose twin brother Jermall is defending his title in the show's co-feature against Austin Trout, is undefeated in 27 fights with 12 KOs.

Jackson, 27, already owns a highlight-reel knockout loss to Andy Lee and a decision defeat to Willie Nelson. If he's ever going to a title, this will likely be his only chance.

The Virgin Islands native said he needed to go through the Lee loss to get to where he is today. He believes he's matured and learned not to get reckless when he has his foe hurt.

Julian Jackson, who is best known for a brutal KO of Herol Graham in 1990, believes his son is being unfairly counted out.

"This fight is paper-made for John," the former junior middleweight and middleweight champion said. "John has one of the best eyes in boxing. They think he's a slugger, but it's going to be amazing what happens."

Jackson's brother, Julius, was knocked out in just two rounds by Jose Uzcategui in October. If someone is going to restore honor to the Jackson fighting family, John must take care of business Saturday and spring the upset.

"I'm making my own legacy now," Jackson said. "This fight's for my dad. I'm bringing back the Jackson name. We're going to make history. My dad was a champion in this weight class and I'm going to be champion in this weight class."

(Photo of Charlo, left, and Jackson by Amanda Westcott/Showtime)