Lev Jackson to Fight Undefeated Mathusan Mahindas

Lev Jackson is scheduled to fight Mathusan Mahindas on April 21 at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in a junior welterweight contest. The show is promoted by Lee Baxter, who was the promoter for Jackson's debut in 2019.

Jackson, a 31 year old from Richmond in British Columbia, comes in with a record of 3-1-1 with one KO and one no contest. He acknowledges that Mahindas, who is 6-0-1 with 2 KOs, will be the hometown favorite in the fight.

Mahindas, a 28 year old from Scarborough, located on the outskirts of Toronto, will make his fifth appearance in a Toronto-area ring. "No one wants to lose at their house party," Jackson said in an interview with The Jewish Boxing Blog last month. He then paused before adding, "But he's going to lose at his house party."

Jackson noted, "He's got a great record, but he has exclusively fought fly-in Mexicans for his career." Canada recently instituted a law requiring Mexican citizens to obtain a visa to enter Canada, which will force Canadian fighters to take on their co-nationalists as opposed to foreign patsies. Jackson granted, "Credit it to him, before there were any issues with visas, he was willing to take me on."

Mahindas poses a difficult challenge for Jackson. But Lefty Lev is brimming with confidence. "I'm excited. It's going to be a mistake for him [to take this fight] I think. No, I don't think... I know."

He added, "He's definitely underestimating me, and... Good!"

Mahindas graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in finance and works as an insurance underwriter. He's the first professional boxer from the Tamil community and has ties to Sri Lanka. His nickname, the Tiger, is not as innocuous as it first seems. The Tamil Tigers were major participants in the Sri Lankan civil war, which lasted from 1983-2009. The group, who wanted an independent homeland on the island, was labeled a terrorist organization by some countries, including the U.S., because they used suicide bombings on civilians outside of the war zone.

In the ring, Mahindas fights in an Eastern European style: upright and robotic, moving in and out behind the jab, and occasionally throwing the 1-2. He keeps his right hand glued to his chin, which can indicate suspect punch resistance. A year ago, Mahindas was shaken up a few times against wild slugger Arturo Avila. The fight ended in a draw, which was a setback of sorts for Mahindas.

Jackson, a butcher by trade, revealed, "I'm mentally seeing myself as the A-side for this." But he understands that it might be difficult to receive a just decision in the opponent's backyard. "We're not going for decisions," he declared. "I think I have underrated punching power. Keep thinking it's underrated, I hope he walks into something stupid to start."

Mahindas likely won't be careless, because he's a cautious fighter who generally prefers to stay on the outside and utilize his height advantage. In 2022, Jose Alberto Garcia was able to get inside and touch Mahindas. Last September, Mahindas allowed Eduardo Cortes Molina to get inside and then made him pay, bloodying the Mexican's nose. Mathusan isn't a hard puncher, but he's very accurate.

Jackson will want to get to the inside and, if he gets there, his all-action style will cause problems for his opponent. He'll look to time Mahindas's right with overhand lefts. Lev will also hope to target the right side of Mahindas's body, under his elevated right elbow. But don't ignore Lev's right hook, either.

This is a big fight for Jackson. "He's the stepping stone. I'm not," he said. It means a lot that he's fighting a guy from Ontario. Jackson admitted that his native British Columbians are considered "the lowest of the low" in boxing. B.C. boxers have a big rivalry with those from Ontario, but it doesn't go both ways. Boxers from Ontario are focused more on their heated rivalry with Quebecois.

In Ontario and in Mexico, Mahindas has been more active recently than Jackson, but Lev has gone the six round distance twice before. Mathusan hasn't. The matchup has all the makings on an intriguing battle.

"We're both going to be the best the other one has fought so far" Jackson exclaimed, "and that's what is going to make an awesome fight."