LAS VEGAS – Jalil Hackett was in need of a major reset after suffering a freak ankle injury in the sauna a day before his March rematch against Jose Roman Vazquez, who handed Hackett the first loss of his promising career in December.

"Major" Hackett (9-1) has now made the move to 154 pounds and will be making his division debut Thursday against Elijah Vines (8-0, 7 KOs) at Fontainebleau. The fight will be featured on The Ring’s new series “The Underdog” on dazn.com starting at 8 p.m. PST.

“The last few months have been surreal,” Hackett told The Ring. “I feel like I’ve been through everything with the highs and lows. I've been through it all, and I am happy with the opportunity that I have been given to showcase my skills once again in yet another very well-matched fight. It's a hell of a bounce-back fight and for me to reintroduce myself.”

Hackett, a 22-year-old from Washington DC, has been a contender to keep an eye on ever since he first signed with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and made his pro debut in 2021. Hackett later linked up with Matchroom Boxing, and Eddie Hearn provided Hackett with another developmental fight in December that ended in a disastrous result.

By all accounts, Hackett had a difficult time making weight and then went on to drop a 10-round split decision to Vazquez, as he fought past the fourth round for just the second time in his career.

Hackett wasn’t even able to step on a scale before the rematch after dislocating his ankle during a sauna misstep in the final stages of his weight cut.

“It's been a hell of a ride learning on the job,” said Hackett. “I was put in the spotlight at a young age. Going through the good and the bad has been a great experience. I'm absolutely looking for a statement win and a dominant performance. I owe it to myself and to my team and everyone who has believed in me.”

Hackett is hoping that Vazquez goes on to have a formidable career so that the loss ages well and that they can revisit a higher-stakes rematch down the line. Until then, Hackett plans on making his mark in boxing’s most stacked weight class.

“I can become a champion soon, realistically,” said Hackett. “I'm aiming to get in a position where I can be in a title eliminator after three more fights, or maybe even get a title shot.

“There is a lot of movement in the 154-pound division right now. I can see myself fighting someone like Xander Zayas within the next 24 months. I just need to get more rounds under my belt for me to confidently say, ‘I can get there.’ It's all about getting the experience and learning how to pace. It's time for me to start anew and continue developing in a new division.”