Dierry Jean believes the pain of his brother’s death will fuel him to upset of Terence Crawford. (Mikey Williams, Top Rank)
OMAHA, Neb. — It all started with a chance encounter. Dierry Jean was 18 and played pick-up basketball with his neighbor Joachim Alcine, a then-middleweight contender.
Alcine knew Jean was a good athlete from their contests, and suggested he come to the Montreal gym to begin amateur boxing. Jean actually had a dream the night before that he would one day box, and obliged.
About 15 years later, Jean is gearing up for the fight of his life, Saturday against pound-for-pound entrant and WBO junior welterweight champ Terence Crawford (9:30 p.m. ET, HBO), but he does so with a heavy heart.
Jean (29-1, 20 KOs) lost his older brother, Reginald, after he died following a battle with alcoholism about two-and-a-half months ago. The 33-year-old never considered breaking camp and postponing the fight, but naturally, he wished to take a couple days to fly home to Haiti to attend the funeral. Just one problem: Jean had misplaced his passport and couldn’t find it.
His next option was to obtain an express passport, but Jean also couldn’t find his citizen card. He never made it back to the homeland to pay his respects.
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No matter, Jean plans to fly to Haiti after the fight, and the heavy underdog says he will do so with the belt around his waist.
“I dedicate this fight to him,” an emotional Jean told USA TODAY Spots. “I know he’s going to be there for me to give me extra energy to go get that belt. It motivates me more. I push myself (in camp).”
The aggressive puncher is in enemy territory before Crawford’s rabid fan base, and his lone defeat came against a hometown fighter in Lamont Peterson. Jean says the 2014 decision loss was a valuable lesson; you can’t press for the knockout. He says he was gassed by the fourth round, but knows he’s developed into a better boxer since then.
“Saturday night, I’m going to box,” said Jean, who moved from Haiti to Montreal to live with his grandparents when he was 10. “And if I catch him, I’m going to finish him. I’m the underdog and being the underdog, I like it. … Fighting in Omaha will have no effect on me. No pressure. I’m not here to win over Crawford’s hometown fans. I’m here to beat their champion.”
Jean gained valuable experience in the spring as a sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao. He emulated Floyd Mayweather and used the shoulder roll during sessions. He says training with Pacquiao has made him a better fighter, and also taught him how to beat a southpaw. Crawford is a switch-hitter with power in both hands, but Jean believes he can counter the champ if he can get his punches off first.
“I love being the underdog. I’m always the underdog. I’m used to it. I’m going to show everyone that I’m the top man in the junior welterweight division. I’m going to shock the world! Everything is in my favor.”