Daniel Jacobs is reenergized and thinking big with missing team members back in the fold for his fight against John Ryder on Saturday.
The band is back together. And nothing could make Daniel Jacobs happier.
The former middleweight champion, who fights John Ryder at super middleweight Saturday at Alexandra Palace in London (DAZN), was barely able to get past tough, but limited veteran Gabriel Rosado in his most-recent fight 14-plus months ago.
One reason is that Rosado comes to fight. Another, Jacobs said, was the fact the team with which he’s built a successful career was fragmented. Longtime trainer Andre Rozier and another familiar face in his camp, Anthony Irons, weren’t in his corner for the Rosado fight in November 2020.
Now everyone is back and Jacobs feels whole again.
“With any family members sometimes you don’t see eye to eye,” Jacobs told Boxing Junkie. “I think that was the case with me and Andre Rozier and Anthony Irons. The dynamic duo are back. Having my team together brings out the best in me. I haven’t had that, especially for my last fight.
“I wasn’t in my best mental space. It was unfortunate that it came out the way it did, but I’m grateful I came out the victor and have another opportunity to show the world I’m everything I say I am.”
Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) edged an inspired Rosado by a close, split decision in a fight in which “we both stunk it up,” he said.
That was the exception for the Brooklyn product, who bounced back from a knockout loss to Dmitry Pirog in 2010 and a bout with cancer to become middleweight champion in 2017. He has victories over Caleb Truax, Sergio Mora (twice), Peter Quillin and Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
And he pushed Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez to their limits in losses, leaving no doubt that he’s among the best in the business when he’s 100%.
Indeed, he wants to remind you that he’s one of the top fighters between 160 and 168 pounds over the past decade. And he believes he has enough time, even at 35, to polish his legacy.
He’ll have to do so in order to achieve his ultimate goal: Induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. And if he makes it, he said, it will be with his team members at his side.
“I’ve had an amazing career with my team,” he said. “We’re been able to do it … and unfortunately most fighters can’t say this … we’ve been able to do things our way for a very, very long time. We’ve never been held down by a promoter or manager or any outside force. And I’m grateful for that.
“Now it’s really time for us to look at the end goal, which would be the Hall of Fame. We have to focus on the fights that make the most sense for us to be able to achieve that.”
Of course, Jacobs doesn’t know who he will face in those fights but he’ll be gunning for the biggest names, assuming he beats Ryder (30-5, 17 KOs). And he expects to have the kind of success for which he has been known.
“I still think,” he said, “that I have glory days ahead.”
Daniel Jacobs is reenergized and thinking big with missing team members back in the fold for his fight against John Ryder on Saturday.
The band is back together. And nothing could make Daniel Jacobs happier.
The former middleweight champion, who fights John Ryder at super middleweight Saturday at Alexandra Palace in London (DAZN), was barely able to get past tough, but limited veteran Gabriel Rosado in his most-recent fight 14-plus months ago.
One reason is that Rosado comes to fight. Another, Jacobs said, was the fact the team with which he’s built a successful career was fragmented. Longtime trainer Andre Rozier and another familiar face in his camp, Anthony Irons, weren’t in his corner for the Rosado fight in November 2020.
Now everyone is back and Jacobs feels whole again.
“With any family members sometimes you don’t see eye to eye,” Jacobs told Boxing Junkie. “I think that was the case with me and Andre Rozier and Anthony Irons. The dynamic duo are back. Having my team together brings out the best in me. I haven’t had that, especially for my last fight.
“I wasn’t in my best mental space. It was unfortunate that it came out the way it did, but I’m grateful I came out the victor and have another opportunity to show the world I’m everything I say I am.”
Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) edged an inspired Rosado by a close, split decision in a fight in which “we both stunk it up,” he said.
That was the exception for the Brooklyn product, who bounced back from a knockout loss to Dmitry Pirog in 2010 and a bout with cancer to become middleweight champion in 2017. He has victories over Caleb Truax, Sergio Mora (twice), Peter Quillin and Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
And he pushed Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez to their limits in losses, leaving no doubt that he’s among the best in the business when he’s 100%.
Indeed, he wants to remind you that he’s one of the top fighters between 160 and 168 pounds over the past decade. And he believes he has enough time, even at 35, to polish his legacy.
He’ll have to do so in order to achieve his ultimate goal: Induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. And if he makes it, he said, it will be with his team members at his side.
“I’ve had an amazing career with my team,” he said. “We’re been able to do it … and unfortunately most fighters can’t say this … we’ve been able to do things our way for a very, very long time. We’ve never been held down by a promoter or manager or any outside force. And I’m grateful for that.
“Now it’s really time for us to look at the end goal, which would be the Hall of Fame. We have to focus on the fights that make the most sense for us to be able to achieve that.”
Of course, Jacobs doesn’t know who he will face in those fights but he’ll be gunning for the biggest names, assuming he beats Ryder (30-5, 17 KOs). And he expects to have the kind of success for which he has been known.
“I still think,” he said, “that I have glory days ahead.”
Odds: Jacobs 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Lee McGregor vs. Diego Alberto Ruiz, junior featherweights; Ellie Scotney vs. Jorgelina Guanini, super bantamweights
Prediction: Jacobs UD
Background: Jacobs said it was always a dream of his to fight in London, the site of his return to the ring this coming Saturday. We’ll see whether hometown favorite Ryder can turn it into a nightmare. Jacobs lost his middleweight title to Canelo Alvarez by decision in May 2019 and has fought only twice since, a fifth-round knockout of Julio Cesar Chavez in December 2019 and a closer-than-expected split-decision victory over Gabriel Rosado in November of 2020. The cancer survivor from Brooklyn was so disappointed with his performance against Rosado that he apologized afterward. He remains major player in the 168-pound division – he’s ranked by all four sanctioning bodies, No. 3 by the WBC – but at 35 the polished boxer-puncher is probably entering the final stage of his successful career. Ryder should provide a barometer to determine how much Jacobs has left. The 33-year-old Londoner is 2-0 since he gave a solid performance but lost a wide decision to then-WBA super middleweight titleholder Callum Smith in November 2019, outpointing Mike Guy in December 2020 and stopping Jozef Jurko in five rounds this past September. Ryder, a good, experienced boxer, is left-handed.
Also fighting this week: Danny Dignum (13-0-1, 7 KOs) of England will face countryman Grant Dennis (17-3, 3 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round middleweight bout Friday in London (ESPN+).
Odds: Jacobs 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Lee McGregor vs. Diego Alberto Ruiz, junior featherweights; Ellie Scotney vs. Jorgelina Guanini, super bantamweights
Prediction: Jacobs UD
Background: Jacobs said it was always a dream of his to fight in London, the site of his return to the ring this coming Saturday. We’ll see whether hometown favorite Ryder can turn it into a nightmare. Jacobs lost his middleweight title to Canelo Alvarez by decision in May 2019 and has fought only twice since, a fifth-round knockout of Julio Cesar Chavez in December 2019 and a closer-than-expected split-decision victory over Gabriel Rosado in November of 2020. The cancer survivor from Brooklyn was so disappointed with his performance against Rosado that he apologized afterward. He remains major player in the 168-pound division – he’s ranked by all four sanctioning bodies, No. 3 by the WBC – but at 35 the polished boxer-puncher is probably entering the final stage of his successful career. Ryder should provide a barometer to determine how much Jacobs has left. The 33-year-old Londoner is 2-0 since he gave a solid performance but lost a wide decision to then-WBA super middleweight titleholder Callum Smith in November 2019, outpointing Mike Guy in December 2020 and stopping Jozef Jurko in five rounds this past September. Ryder, a good, experienced boxer, is left-handed.
Also fighting this week: Danny Dignum (13-0-1, 7 KOs) of England will face countryman Grant Dennis (17-3, 3 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round middleweight bout Friday in London (ESPN+).
Special report: Ranking Canelo Alvarez’s calendar years in boxing, best to worst.
Canelo Alvarez has known almost nothing but success over the past decade-plus.
The Mexican star has beaten one ranked fighter after another, won major titles in four divisions and is on the cusp of becoming an undisputed champion for the first time. Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) faces Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) for all four major super middleweight belts in a pay-per-view bout Saturday from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In this special feature, we take a look at Alvarez’s performances year by calendar year and then rank those years – best to worst – beginning in 2010, when he was introduced to American audiences on a significant scale.
The current year is not including because it hinges on Saturday’s fight. If he wins, it will be among his best years. If he loses, it will be down the list.
Here is what we came up with:
2019
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Daniel Jacobs (UD) and Sergey Kovalev (KO 11) Background: The victory over Jacobs seems to fly under the radar but it was impressive. Jacobs was talented, polished, a big middleweight and at the top of his game when he met Alvarez in a title-unification bout. And the Mexican was up to the challenge, outboxing Jacobs to win a unanimous decision in a competitive fight. … Six months later he made a bold move by deciding to move up to light heavyweight to challenge beltholder Kovalev, who was somewhat past his prime but still dangerous and bigger than Alvarez. The Russian fought Alvarez on roughly even terms until the challenger dropped the hammer in Round 11. Two big fights, two big victories.
2018
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Gennadiy Golovkin (MD) and Rocky Fielding (TKO 3) Background: The victory over Triple-G in their rematch was arguably the greatest of Alvarez’s career. The two best 160-pounders in the world had fought to a disputed draw a year earlier and there was every reason to believe the second fight would be just as close and perhaps disputed. It was, as both men held their own. However, unlike the first meeting, Alvarez pushed the action much of the fight and was rewarded for that on two of three cards. Golovkin was unbeaten and had made a record-tying 20 successful defenses going into the fight. … Throw out the Fielding fight. That was a secondary 168-pound title grab against a second-tier opponent.
2015
Record: 2-0 Opponents: James Kirkland (KO 3) and Miguel Cotto (UD) Background: The victory over the wildly aggressive Kirkland wasn’t as meaningful many other Alvarez triumphs because of the Texan’s limitations. However, Alvarez’s brutal knockout might’ve been the most breathtaking of his 38 stoppages, which added considerably to his growing star power. … Cotto, 35, was past his prime and a smallish 154-pounder but his unquestioned ability and experience made him a threat to Alvarez, at least on paper. In the end, the slick Puerto Rican did give Alvarez some difficulty but he ended up on the wrong end of a clear decision.
2014
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Alfredo Angulo (TKO 10) and Erislandy Lara (SD) Background: Some might forget that Angulo was a solid, durable boxer who was coming off a strong performance in a loss to the respected Lara when he fought Alvarez. Yet Alvarez dominated his fellow Mexican in his first fight since losing to Floyd Mayweather. He outboxed Angulo for nine rounds and then stopped him in Round 10. … Some of Alvarez’s handlers didn’t want him to fight Lara, a tricky Cuban southpaw who could make anyone look bad. And that’s how it played out. Alvarez had to scrape and claw to eke out a split-decision victory that many believe was a gift from two of the three judges.
2020
Record: 1-0 Opponent: Callum Smith (UD) Background: Alvarez fought only once in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic but made the most the 168-pound title-unification bout. Smith was a legitimate opponent on paper, tall, skillful, experienced. He was an underdog but some believes he could be competitive against Alvarez. He wasn’t. Alvarez had his way with the Englishman in part because the latter didn’t have the power to knock Alvarez off his game, the result being a one-sided decision in a one-sided fight. The victory gave Alvarez two of the four major super middleweight titles, after which he set his sights on the last two.
2016
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Amir Khan (KO 6) and Liam Smith (KO 9) Background: Alvarez’s knockout of Khan rivals his stoppage of James Kirkland. Khan, a quick, capable boxer who had moved up from 147 pounds to a catch weight of 155, held his own for five-plus rounds and then BAM! A right hand from hell put Khan down and removed him from his senses. … The Smith fight was as much about the crowd size and venue – 50,000-plus at the home of the Dallas Cowboys – as the opponent. Smith, the brother of Callum Smith, was a solid all-around fighter but had no where near Alvarez’s ability. The Englishman was overwhelmed in the end.
2012
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Shane Mosley (UD) and Josesito Lopez (TKO 5) Background: Mosley, 40, was well past his prime when he met Alvarez but the fight was important for the rising star because Sugar Shane was the first major figure on his resume. And he didn’t disappoint, even at 21 years old. The younger, faster man outboxed his overmatched elder from beginning to end to win by a near-shutout decision. Taking down a future Hall of Famer is a significant step in any fighter’s career. … Lopez was and remains a gutsy warrior but he was too small for Alvarez, who put him down three times in a one-sided junior middleweight fight.
2011
Record: 4-0 Opponents: Matthew Hatton (UD), Ryan Rhodes (TKO 12), Alfonso Gomez (TKO 6), Kermit Cintron (TKO 5) Background: One could argue that the limited Matthew Hatton. Ricky’s brother, didn’t have the credentials to be fighting for a major belt. However, the fact is he and Alvarez met for the junior middleweight title vacated by Manny Pacquiao. And it wasn’t much of a fight. Alvarez, levels above Hatton, would’ve won every round on all three cards had he not lost a point for hitting after the break in Round 7. He had won the first of eight titles at the tender age of 20. Rhodes, Gomez and Cintron were all solid fighters carefully selected to help Alvarez develop into one of the best fighters in the business.
2010
Record: 5-0 Opponents: Brian Camechis (KO 3), Jose Cotto (TKO 9), Luciano Cuello (TKO 6), Carlos Baldomir (KO 6) and Lovemore Ndou (UD 12) Background: 2010 was most notable because it was the year in which Alvarez fought on a major U.S. card for the first time. The 19-year-old redhead from Guadalajara stopped Jose Cotto, Miguel’s brother, in the ninth round on the Mayweather-Mosley card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Cotto hurt Alvarez with a left hook in Round 1 but the teenager battled through it and ended up winning by knockout. Camechis, Cuello, Baldomir and Ndou didn’t give the evolving young star much resistance, which was a pattern that would continue when Alvarez faced second-tier opposition.
2017
Record: 1-0-1 Opponents: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (UD) and Gennadiy Golovkin (SD D) Background: A showdown between Alvarez and Chavez had been discussed for years. When it finally happened, it wasn’t much of a fight. Alvarez outclassed (embarrassed?) the son of a Mexican legend, winning every round on all three cards. … The first fight between Alvarez and Triple-G was the ultimate middleweight matchup, between a long-reigning knockout artist (Golovkin) and a rising superstar (Alvarez). The Kazakhstani used effective aggression to win over most observers in a competitive fight but he had to settle for a controversial draw. Indeed, Alvarez was fortunate he didn’t leave the ring with his second loss.
2013
Record: 1-1 Opponents: Austin Trout (UD) and Floyd Mayweather (UD L) Background: The 22-year-old Alvarez took a significant risk when he decided to fight the skillful Trout, who was left-handed, unbeaten and coming off a defining victory over Miguel Cotto. The gamble paid off. In his finest performance to date, he outboxed Trout to win a clear decision. … The decision to fight Mayweather was even bolder. And it didn’t pay off, at least in terms of results. The pound-for-pound king schooled the upstart, who didn’t have the tools to compete with a boxing wizard like Mayweather. The good news for him is that the setback sharpened his resolve to get better. He did.
Special report: Ranking Canelo Alvarez’s calendar years in boxing, best to worst.
Canelo Alvarez has known almost nothing but success over the past decade-plus.
The Mexican star has beaten one ranked fighter after another, won major titles in four divisions and is on the cusp of becoming an undisputed champion for the first time. Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) faces Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) for all four major super middleweight belts in a pay-per-view bout Saturday from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In this special feature, we take a look at Alvarez’s performances year by calendar year and then rank those years – best to worst – beginning in 2010, when he was introduced to American audiences on a significant scale.
The current year is not including because it hinges on Saturday’s fight. If he wins, it will be among his best years. If he loses, it will be down the list.
Here is what we came up with:
2019
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Daniel Jacobs (UD) and Sergey Kovalev (KO 11) Background: The victory over Jacobs seems to fly under the radar but it was impressive. Jacobs was talented, polished, a big middleweight and at the top of his game when he met Alvarez in a title-unification bout. And the Mexican was up to the challenge, outboxing Jacobs to win a unanimous decision in a competitive fight. … Six months later he made a bold move by deciding to move up to light heavyweight to challenge beltholder Kovalev, who was somewhat past his prime but still dangerous and bigger than Alvarez. The Russian fought Alvarez on roughly even terms until the challenger dropped the hammer in Round 11. Two big fights, two big victories.
2018
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Gennadiy Golovkin (MD) and Rocky Fielding (TKO 3) Background: The victory over Triple-G in their rematch was arguably the greatest of Alvarez’s career. The two best 160-pounders in the world had fought to a disputed draw a year earlier and there was every reason to believe the second fight would be just as close and perhaps disputed. It was, as both men held their own. However, unlike the first meeting, Alvarez pushed the action much of the fight and was rewarded for that on two of three cards. Golovkin was unbeaten and had made a record-tying 20 successful defenses going into the fight. … Throw out the Fielding fight. That was a secondary 168-pound title grab against a second-tier opponent.
2015
Record: 2-0 Opponents: James Kirkland (KO 3) and Miguel Cotto (UD) Background: The victory over the wildly aggressive Kirkland wasn’t as meaningful many other Alvarez triumphs because of the Texan’s limitations. However, Alvarez’s brutal knockout might’ve been the most breathtaking of his 38 stoppages, which added considerably to his growing star power. … Cotto, 35, was past his prime and a smallish 154-pounder but his unquestioned ability and experience made him a threat to Alvarez, at least on paper. In the end, the slick Puerto Rican did give Alvarez some difficulty but he ended up on the wrong end of a clear decision.
2014
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Alfredo Angulo (TKO 10) and Erislandy Lara (SD) Background: Some might forget that Angulo was a solid, durable boxer who was coming off a strong performance in a loss to the respected Lara when he fought Alvarez. Yet Alvarez dominated his fellow Mexican in his first fight since losing to Floyd Mayweather. He outboxed Angulo for nine rounds and then stopped him in Round 10. … Some of Alvarez’s handlers didn’t want him to fight Lara, a tricky Cuban southpaw who could make anyone look bad. And that’s how it played out. Alvarez had to scrape and claw to eke out a split-decision victory that many believe was a gift from two of the three judges.
2020
Record: 1-0 Opponent: Callum Smith (UD) Background: Alvarez fought only once in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic but made the most the 168-pound title-unification bout. Smith was a legitimate opponent on paper, tall, skillful, experienced. He was an underdog but some believes he could be competitive against Alvarez. He wasn’t. Alvarez had his way with the Englishman in part because the latter didn’t have the power to knock Alvarez off his game, the result being a one-sided decision in a one-sided fight. The victory gave Alvarez two of the four major super middleweight titles, after which he set his sights on the last two.
2016
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Amir Khan (KO 6) and Liam Smith (KO 9) Background: Alvarez’s knockout of Khan rivals his stoppage of James Kirkland. Khan, a quick, capable boxer who had moved up from 147 pounds to a catch weight of 155, held his own for five-plus rounds and then BAM! A right hand from hell put Khan down and removed him from his senses. … The Smith fight was as much about the crowd size and venue – 50,000-plus at the home of the Dallas Cowboys – as the opponent. Smith, the brother of Callum Smith, was a solid all-around fighter but had no where near Alvarez’s ability. The Englishman was overwhelmed in the end.
2012
Record: 2-0 Opponents: Shane Mosley (UD) and Josesito Lopez (TKO 5) Background: Mosley, 40, was well past his prime when he met Alvarez but the fight was important for the rising star because Sugar Shane was the first major figure on his resume. And he didn’t disappoint, even at 21 years old. The younger, faster man outboxed his overmatched elder from beginning to end to win by a near-shutout decision. Taking down a future Hall of Famer is a significant step in any fighter’s career. … Lopez was and remains a gutsy warrior but he was too small for Alvarez, who put him down three times in a one-sided junior middleweight fight.
2011
Record: 4-0 Opponents: Matthew Hatton (UD), Ryan Rhodes (TKO 12), Alfonso Gomez (TKO 6), Kermit Cintron (TKO 5) Background: One could argue that the limited Matthew Hatton. Ricky’s brother, didn’t have the credentials to be fighting for a major belt. However, the fact is he and Alvarez met for the junior middleweight title vacated by Manny Pacquiao. And it wasn’t much of a fight. Alvarez, levels above Hatton, would’ve won every round on all three cards had he not lost a point for hitting after the break in Round 7. He had won the first of eight titles at the tender age of 20. Rhodes, Gomez and Cintron were all solid fighters carefully selected to help Alvarez develop into one of the best fighters in the business.
2010
Record: 5-0 Opponents: Brian Camechis (KO 3), Jose Cotto (TKO 9), Luciano Cuello (TKO 6), Carlos Baldomir (KO 6) and Lovemore Ndou (UD 12) Background: 2010 was most notable because it was the year in which Alvarez fought on a major U.S. card for the first time. The 19-year-old redhead from Guadalajara stopped Jose Cotto, Miguel’s brother, in the ninth round on the Mayweather-Mosley card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Cotto hurt Alvarez with a left hook in Round 1 but the teenager battled through it and ended up winning by knockout. Camechis, Cuello, Baldomir and Ndou didn’t give the evolving young star much resistance, which was a pattern that would continue when Alvarez faced second-tier opposition.
2017
Record: 1-0-1 Opponents: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (UD) and Gennadiy Golovkin (SD D) Background: A showdown between Alvarez and Chavez had been discussed for years. When it finally happened, it wasn’t much of a fight. Alvarez outclassed (embarrassed?) the son of a Mexican legend, winning every round on all three cards. … The first fight between Alvarez and Triple-G was the ultimate middleweight matchup, between a long-reigning knockout artist (Golovkin) and a rising superstar (Alvarez). The Kazakhstani used effective aggression to win over most observers in a competitive fight but he had to settle for a controversial draw. Indeed, Alvarez was fortunate he didn’t leave the ring with his second loss.
2013
Record: 1-1 Opponents: Austin Trout (UD) and Floyd Mayweather (UD L) Background: The 22-year-old Alvarez took a significant risk when he decided to fight the skillful Trout, who was left-handed, unbeaten and coming off a defining victory over Miguel Cotto. The gamble paid off. In his finest performance to date, he outboxed Trout to win a clear decision. … The decision to fight Mayweather was even bolder. And it didn’t pay off, at least in terms of results. The pound-for-pound king schooled the upstart, who didn’t have the tools to compete with a boxing wizard like Mayweather. The good news for him is that the setback sharpened his resolve to get better. He did.
Danny Jacobs survived a scare from Gabriel Rosado in a boring fight Friday in Hollywood, Fla.
Daniel Jacobs failed to show up for his fight Friday in Hollywood, Fla.
Oh, he was in the ring with Gabriel Rosado. He just did next to nothing in there, thus making what was expected to be a relatively easy fight into a chess match that he could have lost on the cards.
Jacobs ended up having his hand raised as the winner of a split decision in a 12-round super middleweight bout but it was one of his worst nights as an elite fighter.
The former middleweight titleholder who gave Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin all they could handle in close losses could barely outbox an easy-to-hit veteran opponent known for his toughness, not his boxing skills.
The first was round was a feel-out round, which is understandable. However, so was the second. And the third. And the fourth. And, while there were a few moments when the intensity picked up, the pace of the fight never really changed.
It’s was boring as hell.
Gabriel Rosado (left) wasn’t much busier than Daniel Jacobs was but the underdog gave a good account of himself. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing
And the fight was difficult score. When the participants throw only a handful of punches per round – neither of them worked up much of a sweat – and land precious few power shots, it’s not easy to separate them.
All three judges scored the fight 115-113 (seven rounds to five), two for Jacobs and one for Rosado, which allowed Jacobs to barely avoid disaster. He had to win the bout to set up lucrative fights in the coming year.
Boxing Junkie scored it a 114-114 draw, which would’ve been more just given Rosado’s solid effort.
Did Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) simply have a bad night? Was he not motivated because of Rosado’s second-tier stature? Did the lack of spectators at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino throw him, which he suggested? Was Rosado (25-13-1, 14 KOs) simply better than he had anticipated?
Maybe it was little bit of everything.
“I guess I have to go back to the tape, go back to the drawing board and apply a better effort next time around,” Jacobs said. “… I guess I treated it more like a sparring match than an actual fight. That’s my bad.
“I apologize to all the fans who expected a more [entertaining] fight. There’s always next time. I’m looking for bigger and better names.”
Jacobs (left) rarely fought with intensity, even when the fight seemed to be on the line in the late rounds. Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing
The announcement of the winner was painful for Rosado, both because of a mistake by the ring announcer and the result itself.
Jeremiah Gallegos was about to announce the deciding 115-113 score for Jacobs when he said, “From Philadelphia …” That’s Rosado’s hometown, not Jacobs’, so Rosado thought momentarily that he had won. Then he heard Jacobs’ name like the rest of us.
Rosado thought he should’ve been given the decision, which would’ve been the biggest victory of his career and set him up for another big payday.
“I thought I won the fight,” he said. “I mean, I surprised him. I outboxed him, I outjabbed him, I countered him, I made him miss big shots. … That man did nothing to me. He put more hands on Canelo and Triple-G than he did me
“… It’s a shame. I don’t know why I’m not given decisions like that.”
Jacobs probably remains an ideal candidate to face any of the top super middleweights, including titleholders Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders. And he covets a rematch with Golovkin, who narrowly outpointed him in 2017.
He certainly didn’t look good on Friday but he won, which is the ultimately objective.
“That fight was only a stepping stone,” he said. “It allowed me to see a lot more that I have to apply inside the ring. I still feel there is more to me than has been seen. This just wasn’t a valiant effort from myself.”
Danny Jacobs survived a scare from Gabriel Rosado in a boring fight Friday in Hollywood, Fla.
Daniel Jacobs failed to show up for his fight Friday in Hollywood, Fla.
Oh, he was in the ring with Gabriel Rosado. He just did next to nothing in there, thus making what was expected to be a relatively easy fight into a chess match that he could have lost on the cards.
Jacobs ended up having his hand raised as the winner of a split decision in a 12-round super middleweight bout but it was one of his worst nights as an elite fighter.
The former middleweight titleholder who gave Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin all they could handle in close losses could barely outbox an easy-to-hit veteran opponent known for his toughness, not his boxing skills.
The first was round was a feel-out round, which is understandable. However, so was the second. And the third. And the fourth. And, while there were a few moments when the intensity picked up, the pace of the fight never really changed.
It’s was boring as hell.
Gabriel Rosado (left) wasn’t much busier than Daniel Jacobs was but the underdog gave a good account of himself. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing
And the fight was difficult score. When the participants throw only a handful of punches per round – neither of them worked up much of a sweat – and land precious few power shots, it’s not easy to separate them.
All three judges scored the fight 115-113 (seven rounds to five), two for Jacobs and one for Rosado, which allowed Jacobs to barely avoid disaster. He had to win the bout to set up lucrative fights in the coming year.
Boxing Junkie scored it a 114-114 draw, which would’ve been more just given Rosado’s solid effort.
Did Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) simply have a bad night? Was he not motivated because of Rosado’s second-tier stature? Did the lack of spectators at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino throw him, which he suggested? Was Rosado (25-13-1, 14 KOs) simply better than he had anticipated?
Maybe it was little bit of everything.
“I guess I have to go back to the tape, go back to the drawing board and apply a better effort next time around,” Jacobs said. “… I guess I treated it more like a sparring match than an actual fight. That’s my bad.
“I apologize to all the fans who expected a more [entertaining] fight. There’s always next time. I’m looking for bigger and better names.”
Jacobs (left) rarely fought with intensity, even when the fight seemed to be on the line in the late rounds. Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing
The announcement of the winner was painful for Rosado, both because of a mistake by the ring announcer and the result itself.
Jeremiah Gallegos was about to announce the deciding 115-113 score for Jacobs when he said, “From Philadelphia …” That’s Rosado’s hometown, not Jacobs’, so Rosado thought momentarily that he had won. Then he heard Jacobs’ name like the rest of us.
Rosado thought he should’ve been given the decision, which would’ve been the biggest victory of his career and set him up for another big payday.
“I thought I won the fight,” he said. “I mean, I surprised him. I outboxed him, I outjabbed him, I countered him, I made him miss big shots. … That man did nothing to me. He put more hands on Canelo and Triple-G than he did me
“… It’s a shame. I don’t know why I’m not given decisions like that.”
Jacobs probably remains an ideal candidate to face any of the top super middleweights, including titleholders Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders. And he covets a rematch with Golovkin, who narrowly outpointed him in 2017.
He certainly didn’t look good on Friday but he won, which is the ultimately objective.
“That fight was only a stepping stone,” he said. “It allowed me to see a lot more that I have to apply inside the ring. I still feel there is more to me than has been seen. This just wasn’t a valiant effort from myself.”
Daniyar Yeleussinov stopped Julius Indongo in two rounds on the Danny Jacobs-Gabriel Rosado card on Friday in Hollywood, Calif.
Daniyar Yeleussinov took another step toward a world title shot on the Danny Jacobs-Gabriel Rosado card Friday in Hollywood, Calif.
The 2016 Olympic gold medalist from Kazakhstan put fellow southpaw Julius Indongo down once in the opening round and then finished him off in the second of a scheduled 10-round 147-pound fight, recording a knockout at 1:24.
Indongo (23-3, 12 KOs) is a former unified 140-pound titleholder and was deemed a test for Yeleussinov (10-0, 6 KOs). Turns out he was easy prey.
Yeleussinov, who is based in Miami, put the wild-swinging Namibian down with a short left hand about a minute and a half into the fight. Indongo got up and survived the round but he seemed vulnerable.
In the second round Yeleussinov landed a chopping left above Indongo’s ear and put him down again. This time, hurt by the shot, he didn’t want to continue and the fight was stopped.
Indongo had said before the fight that Yeleussinov would be easy work for him.
“I told him I’m a tough guy, one of the best welterweights in the division,” Yeleussinov said. “That’s why I said to him, ‘No, you’re easy work for me.'”
Yeleussinov will likely enter the 147-pound rankings of one or more of the four major sanctioning bodies. When that happens, he’ll be in line to take another step up in opposition.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, believes he’s ready for any welterweight.
“I hope, I hope,” he said, “In the future, step by step, I’m going up.”
Daniyar Yeleussinov stopped Julius Indongo in two rounds on the Danny Jacobs-Gabriel Rosado card on Friday in Hollywood, Calif.
Daniyar Yeleussinov took another step toward a world title shot on the Danny Jacobs-Gabriel Rosado card Friday in Hollywood, Calif.
The 2016 Olympic gold medalist from Kazakhstan put fellow southpaw Julius Indongo down once in the opening round and then finished him off in the second of a scheduled 10-round 147-pound fight, recording a knockout at 1:24.
Indongo (23-3, 12 KOs) is a former unified 140-pound titleholder and was deemed a test for Yeleussinov (10-0, 6 KOs). Turns out he was easy prey.
Yeleussinov, who is based in Miami, put the wild-swinging Namibian down with a short left hand about a minute and a half into the fight. Indongo got up and survived the round but he seemed vulnerable.
In the second round Yeleussinov landed a chopping left above Indongo’s ear and put him down again. This time, hurt by the shot, he didn’t want to continue and the fight was stopped.
Indongo had said before the fight that Yeleussinov would be easy work for him.
“I told him I’m a tough guy, one of the best welterweights in the division,” Yeleussinov said. “That’s why I said to him, ‘No, you’re easy work for me.'”
Yeleussinov will likely enter the 147-pound rankings of one or more of the four major sanctioning bodies. When that happens, he’ll be in line to take another step up in opposition.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, believes he’s ready for any welterweight.
“I hope, I hope,” he said, “In the future, step by step, I’m going up.”
