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By: Hans Themistode
Daniel Jacobs will look to bounce back from a subpar performance as he’s officially set to take on John Ryder.
As first reported by Sports Illustrated, both sides have agreed to a deal that will see them square off in the main event on February 12th, in London on DAZN.
Ryder, 33, will look to build upon his current two-fight win streak when he takes on Jacobs. Following his controversial unanimous decision loss to Callum Smith in November of 2019, Ryder saw his stock skyrocket. With many in boxing circles believing the rough and rugged contender did more than enough to snag the victory, Ryder has simply shrugged off the disappointing outcome to reel off two straight victories.
In September of 2021, his only appearance of the year, Ryder violently stopped journeymen Jozef Jurko in the fifth round of their showdown. Although Ryder has swapped fists with several former world champions, including Smith and former two-division titlist, Billy Joe Saunders, Jacobs figures to be quite possibly the most difficult challenge of his career.
Since watching his transient middleweight title reign come to an end at the hands of Canelo Alvarez in May of 2019, Jacobs has made a successful transition to the super middleweight division. Officially, the New York native has picked up back-to-back victories at 168 pounds. However, his most recent trip to the ring ended in controversy.
Though he was pegged as a significant favorite against fringe contender Gabriel Rosado in November of 2020, Jacobs struggled mightily throughout. Still, despite what many believed was a clear win for Rosado, Jacobs eked out a close split decision victory. Shortly after, Jacobs admitted that his contentious rivalry with Rosado clouded his better judgment in their contest, leading to his poor performance.
With Jacobs now reunited with long-time head trainer Andre Rozier, the former middleweight titlist will look to emerge as a top contender at 168 pounds with a victory over Ryder.
