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By: Hans Themistode
Daniel Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs) is less than three weeks away from the biggest fight of his career. Come May 4th, Jacobs will be standing across the ring from Canelo Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 KOs) in Las Vegas Nevada. At stake will be Alvarez’s WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine titles, while Jacobs will have his IBF belt on the line as well.
Jacobs has always had a supremely high self confidence in not just his matchup with Alvarez, but also about his abilities against anyone.
Photo Credit: Golden Boy Boxing Twitter Account
“I am the best Middleweight in the world,” said Jacobs during a media workout in New York. “This fight against Canelo will show the world what I already know.”
When looking at the resume of Jacobs it is hard to argue against him. He has defeated the likes of Sergio Mora (twice), Peter Quillin, Caleb Truax and Sergiy Derevychenko to name a few. He didn’t just defeat those fighters but he flat out dominated, scoring a knockout in every one of those fights with the exception of the Derevychenko contest. For the record he did score a knockdown and had him in serious trouble.
Jacobs has also been in the ring with former Middleweight king Gennady Golovkin (GGG) as well. All of these fights have given Jacobs the confidence that he is indeed the best in the world. In his matchup against the aforementioned GGG, it was a back and forth affair, one that saw Jacobs get off the deck to give GGG arguably his toughest fight to date. It ultimately ended in Jacobs losing a close unanimous decision. Jacobs understands what he has in front of him in Alvarez and won’t overlook him at all. With that being said however, he does have an eye on GGG going forward.
“That is a fight that I still want because I know that I am better than he is. After I beat Canelo I can give GGG the rematch and prove that I am better than him.”
The first fight between GGG and Jacobs was a close call. A rematch would be welcomed by the fans, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. His matchup with Canelo isn’t just a difficult task, but it is one that most boxing fans are expecting him to lose, but are they right in their assumptions?
On paper Jacobs has the advantage everywhere. He is three and a half inches taller, possesses a 3 inch reach advantage while also sporting a higher knockout percentage than Canelo as well. So why are so many doubting his chances?
“I think people doubt me because Canelo is such a popular guy. He’s a great fighter don’t get me wrong but real boxing people know what I bring to the table.”
Much of the talk surrounding this fight is the judging. For as great as Canelo has been, many would argue that he has had more than his fair share of friendly scoring. Jacobs however, is tired of talking about it.
“It is a little annoying that we keep talking about judges and favoritism, but it’s also facts. That’s why it’s talked about so much. I just want to be able to go in there with a free frame of mind. I don’t want to have to go in there with any extra stress because Canelo is already a force in there.”
The last thing the sport of boxing needs is yet another questionable decision. Jacobs, is not letting those perceived issues worry him. There is only thing that he envisions come Cinco De Mayo.
“All I see is my hand being raised.”
