Daniel Jacobs might be finished as an elite fighter.
Englishman John Ryder rallied to defeat Jacobs by a split decision in a 12-round supper middleweight title eliminator Saturday at Alexandra Palace in London, the 35-year-old Jacobs’ second consecutive shaky performance.
All three judges scored the bout 115-113, with two giving it to Ryder.
Jacobs (37-4, 30 KOs) is a former middleweight champ who is best known for acquitting himself well in setbacks against future Hall of Famers Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.
However, in his last fight, he was fortunate to get past limited Gabriel Rosado by a split decision. And, on Saturday, he faded down the stretch.
The Brooklyn product fought well in the first half of the fight, jabbing, sticking, moving and generally outboxing the slower local fighter to control the action.
However, by Round 7, Jacobs, perhaps growing tired, fought more flatfooted and willingly exchanged with Ryder. That opened the door for the rugged underdog to climb back into the fight.
And he did, getting the better of inside exchanges that turned what had been a tactical fight into something akin to a brawl.
In the end, Ryder (31-5, 17 KOs) did enough in the second half of the bout to pull out the biggest victory of his career.
The 33-year-old from Islington came up short in his only title fight, losing a disputed unanimous decision to then-super middleweight champ Callum Smith in November 2019.
The victory on Saturday sets him up for another big fight and possibly a title shot, although it will be difficult to land a fight with undisputed 168-pound champion Alvarez.
Jacobs could pursue a rematch with Ryder, although the Englishman will probably want to take the next step in his career. Otherwise, Jacobs will have to begin the rebuilding process.