Jesse Cook: Fighting Alongside Brother Dillon on March 25th on Shobox Undercard, The Advantage of Training With Family and Much More!

Exclusive interview by Jesse “New School” Wright

Photos by Sherry Cook/KO Photography

“I always loved going to the gym and dreamed of being a professional boxer one day.  When I was seven, my dad started putting me in there for some light sparring after his practices.  I just couldn’t wait for the day I was old enough to start fighting.”–Jesse Cook

The boxing network in Oklahoma is small and tight nit. In the case of Jesse Cook, boxing is all in the family. His brother Dillon is his sparring partner, and on March 25th, they will be fighting at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma. It’s a familiar venue, but there will be one big difference: it will be a Shobox event. It’s an exciting time for both brothers. It will also be a big day for Oklahoma boxing.

JW: You will be fighting with your brother Dillon on the March 25th Shobox: The New Generation card.

Yes, Sir….

JW: It’s really cool that we have two brothers in the same sport, relatively close in age and fighting on the same card. How did you and your brother both get in to boxing?

My dad has been boxing since he was a little kid, and I grew up going to the gym while he was training ever since I was a little kid. At five years old I had my first fight and went with it from there. My brother started a little later.

JW: Was it a case of this being something you always wanted to do, or was it more so that your dad did it, and you were pushed to do it as well?

I always loved going to the gym and dreamed of being a professional boxer one day. When I was seven, my dad started putting me in there for some light sparring after his practices. I just couldn’t wait for the day I was old enough to start fighting.

JW: What was it that got you hooked?

I don’t ever remember not knowing boxing. The win, as opposed to team sports, is a lot more exciting. The losses you take a lot harder too because you don’t have a team with you.

JW: That’s one thing that a lot of people don’t understand too: Everybody can understand what a win in the ring means, but the losses can be devastating.

You ain’t got a team, I mean you’ve got your trainer, and your corner men, but it’s still not like other team sports. It’s you in there taking the punches and walking out the ring without your hand held high.

JW: With your dad in your corner, how does he pick you up after a loss, keep you on the right path and keep you moving forward?

Start going back to the gym and working on mistakes. You use a loss as a motivator. You always wanna show that you’re not down and out, and that you still have a lot more fight left in you.

JW: Dillon pointed out that there are a lot of advantages to having your father in your corner. He knows you better than anybody and knows how to motivate you. What are the advantages to having your dad in your corner?

I think there’s more trust with your father as your trainer. There’s no doubt that he will look out for my best interest. Just because it’s been so long, he knows me better than anybody else, and he probably knows me better than myself in the ring. He’s been in my corner for every fight throughout my entire life.

JW: You and your brother are close to the same age, but you’re also close to the same weight. Have you two sparred together?

Every week. We didn’t start in the beginning, but by the time Dillon was 18 we started. We started sparring pretty hard, and we’ve gone hard at it ever since.

JW: Does it ever get really competitive? Is there ever an aspect of sibling rivalry?

Honestly no. We go hard at it; we don’t baby each other in there by any means. But when the bell rings, that’s that. He has his days, and I have my days. Whatever happens in the ring is in the ring I guess (laughing). At this point, we’ve been doing it for so long, that we’re both looking for a variety of opponents to work with. You need to fight people who give you new looks and new patterns to figure out. We still give each other good work and beat the hell out of each other.

JW: Coming in to this next fight, what are you expecting?

Same hometown crowd and fans, looking to be in shape and look a lot busier.

JW: When I spoke to you yesterday, you weren’t able to do the interview because you had to get your roadwork in on your lunch break from work. That’s tough to find that balance between work and training. People don’t always realize that many fighters have to do that. What is it like finding that balance and making it work?

Very tiring and very rough. Not only do I have a full time job, but I have a physically demanding job. Trimming trees, ten hours a day I’m climbing trees. It’s hard, but as soon as you get to the gym, you just gotta do it.

JW: What is it in the back of your mind that keeps you moving forward when you’re exhausted after a long day of work, and you still have to get in to the gym and train?

Just wanting to improve and make it somewhere in this sport.

JW: For people who haven’t seen you fight, what can they expect out of a Jesse Cook fight?

I try to bring an action packed fight and give it my all until the end. There’s a lot of excitement, the crowd is great and the energy is always great.

JW: How do you feel going in to the March 25th fight?

Just super excited and super proud of my brother Dillon Cook. It’s gonna be his national television debut, and we’re excited to get in there and give them hell.

[si-contact-form form=’2′]