Doctors Gave Him 24 Hours to Live. On Saturday, He Delivered a Knockout

Some stories transcend boxing. Jack Rafferty’s is one of them. Last September, the former British and Commonwealth super-lightweight champion battled to a hard-fought draw against Mark Chamberlain. That gritty result, however, was quickly overshadowed. According to a report published by IFL TV, Rafferty was struck by a serious illness soon after and doctors gave him just 24 to 48 hours to live. He survived. On Saturday night at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena, Rafferty completed an almost unbelievable comeback. Stepping up to welterweight, he delivered the finest performance of his career, overwhelming former British champion Ekow Essuman with relentless power shots to force a sixth-round retirement. Now 27-0-1 with 18 of those victories coming by knockout, Rafferty proved that his unbeaten record runs deeper than the numbers—the greatest victory happened long before he climbed through those ropes. Photo credit: Jack Rafferty / Instagram (@jack.rafferty95)

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