DANIEL JACOBS - NO FEAR
Photo Credits: Matchroom Boxing
Daniel Jacobs needed no miracles in his one sided white wash of lippy opponent Luis Arias last night at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale NY.
There was a surprising amount of needle injected into the matchup between Luis Cuba Arias and Daniel Miracle Man Jacobs.
Photo Credits: Boxing Scene
Perhaps Arias, the rising undefeated prospect was just trying to put bums in seats or maybe he was trying to pull a veteran move using ring psychology to take the fiery Jacobs out of his game plan. Maybe Arias is just a bully...whatever the strategy it utterly backfired as Jacobs showed he was better technically than Arias by orders of magnitude and also that when Danny Jacobs comes to the ring for a prize fight he’s coming to fight!
The first round started out fairly restrained, however during the first exchange Jacobs landed thudding overhand right that forced Arias into panic mode resulting in a takedown by the younger man.
This would be a telling moment in the fight as it revealed Arias’ youth and inexperience and Jacobs’ ferocity and power.
To be sure Jacobs is A Unit.
Though Jacob’s weighed in for the fight a half pound below the middleweight limit and his opponent - once rehydrated he looked the bigger man in the ring. This size advantage allowed Jacobs to absorb the limited counter offense that Arias was able to launch as well as land his own blows with concussive force. Jacobs was The Boss.
As such, Arias resorted to holding constantly and rabbit punching Jacobs in the clinches and on the breaks despite numerous warnings by referee Michael Griffin. Arias probably should have been deducted a point however, Griffin maybe saw what we all saw which was that Jacobs punished the upstart for 12 full rounds in return.
Jacobs slapped some with his punches on the inside however it had the desired effect as Arias quickly learned that he would not have success with Jacobs there despite the young man claiming he was a better inside fighter than his veteran opponent.
It’s not as though Arias is a novice by the way. Born in Milwaukee, WI. Arias was a very successful amateur. With a record of 140W-25L and two two national championships Arias has the pedigree! He’s also surrounded himself with experienced head trainer John David Jackson who is very underrated. For this fight Arias even traveled to south Florida where he sought out childhood hero Winky Wright, well known for his own inside fighting skills and aggression.
Now Arias was an undefeated prospect on the prowl for a major scalp to show to the middleweight division already chockablock full with killers.
However, you don’t get a name like The Miracle Man for nothing.
Shock To The System
It began as generalized fatigue and weakness down the leg.
It ended with the oncologist uttering the blood curdling word Cancer.
Osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive malignant neoplasm that forms in the long bones and affecting about 20,000 new Americans every year.
Photo Credits: Daily News
May 2011 Danny Jacobs then only 25 was now face to face with his greatest and most merciless opponent. Forget boxing, the devastating news meant a promising young life potentially cut short by a disease that has wrought tragedy on millions of families. Jacobs was told in no uncertain term that if he survived the surgery needed to excise the tumor on his spine and the debilitating chemotherapy after he would never box again.
Danny Jacobs however had other ideas. Doctors and cancer had no idea what Danny Jacobs was made of.
Born February 3rd 1987, in the Brownsville ghetto of Brooklyn, NY. Growing up in a crumbling unforgiving metropolis ravaged by Reaganomics, early on Jacobs discovered boxing and like so many inner city and minority youth became his chief vehicle for extrication from his circumstance.
Photo Credits: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
At just 16 years old Jacobs won the National Championship at the Junior Olympics. He also became a National Gold Gloves Champion in 2004. In 2007 Jacobs was a US Olympic runner up beating Dominic Wade and Shawn Porter two times in the same tournament for good measure.
Late in 2007 Jacobs turned pro with a TKO win over Jose Jesus Hurtado and then steamrolled nearly all his first 20 opponents going the distance only three times until he ran up against Dmitry Pirog July 31st 2010. Ahead on all three judges’ cards heading into the 5th round Jacobs backed straight up into the ropes, the stalking Russian shifted and brought down a huge overhand right over Jacobs’ jab. He was out before he hit the canvas. Referee Robert Byrd took one look at the splayed figure of Jacobs and waived the fight off.
Not one year later Jacobs would receive the diagnosis of cancer. A word that changed his life forever
Then, miraculously, improbably, Jacobs beat the disease and slowly worked his way back into the boxing ring with his mother Yvette who raised him all those years in the projects and longtime trainer Andre Rozier and his biggest fan, his son Nathan by his side-now rechristened the Miracle Man Danny Jacobs made a triumphant return on home court at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn knocking out Josh Luteran in the first round.
Danny Jacobs made his second debut, a new man. A changed man. And he picked up right where he left off. Ten straight fights ten straight finishes.
Photo Credits: HBO Boxing
Jacobs finally got the fight he wanted and deserved against GGG Gennady Golovkin in March of this year. Though Jacobs lost the fight it was close and competitive. An early knockdown and Jacobs’ propensity for fighting undisciplined hurt him. Not to mention with the mega-money fight between GGG and Canelo looming Jacobs may have had intangible factors working against him.
Renewal & Rebirth
Jacobs now has a fresh start with Eddie Hearn. Ultra successful captain of the Matchroom Sports Boxing (MSB), Hearn has chosen Jacobs as the tent pole fighter for MSB here in America. Hearn has promised to keep Jacobs busy and will now enjoy the full depth and breadth of the MSB marketing machine.
Far from a mere showcase fight, against Arias Jacobs was able to demonstrate a variety of skills against his dangerous young opponent.
Among Jacobs’ many qualities as prize fighter I don’t think his expert balance gets near enough credit. Jacobs was always in position to throw punches or just out of reach of Arias to even attempt to strike.
Then there is Jacob’s variety; his ability to angle off and throw the left hook to either the head or body which hurt Arias several times and the timing of the rear uppercut - a difficult punch to land - yet, Jacobs made it look easy landing three telling lead upper cuts that scrambled Arias.
Jacobs is also very coachable. A near lifelong relationship with head trainer Andre Rozier that goes well beyond a typical fighter/trainer relationship. Jacobs’ corner was calm and succinct. Contrasted with Arias’ corner; the young man was agitated, getting up from the stool and pacing before the break ended while John David Jackson was trying to pass along his instructions.
All three judges scored the fight accurately - quite wide for Jacobs.
In the post fight interview Max Kellerman laid out a very reasonable and logical path for Jacobs to a potential title; on December 16th in Montreal WBO middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders is going to throw himself on the grenade that is David Lemieux. Regardless of who wins that fight Jacobs should be favored.
Billy Joe is a small middleweight who has struggled with discipline and lacks power while Lemieux is the hardest punching middleweight in the division besides GGG but has poor ring IQ. Jacobs excels in both areas and may be even money against the winner of the rematch between GGG and Canelo.
Danny Jacobs is coming into his prime in one of boxing’s historic glamour divisions and if cancer can’t beat him no man with just two arms and two legs is going to have an easy night at the office.
Jacobs is that man who faced down cancer and went hell bent for leather against GGG at Madison Square Garden... hands at his sides fire in his eyes, roaring like a lion in the center of the ring daring GGG to fight him.
Danny Jacobs is a man with No Fear and that’s a dangerous man.