Daniel Jacobs Destroys Julio Perez

By Boxing News - 07/06/2008 - Comments

jacobs4233.jpgBy Eric Thomas: Forget all about Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler, unbeaten super middleweight Daniel Jacobs (7-0, 7 KOs) is going to be better than both of them ever hoped they could be. In fact, at 21, the former 2006 United States Amateur middleweight champion, may already be better than both of. With devastating power in either hand, Jacobs continued his forward progress on Friday evening, stopping Julio Perez (5-9-2, 4 KOs) in the 1st round of scheduled four-round bout at the Dodge Arena, in Hidalgo, Texas. Jacobs, using power punches and a steady downpour of combinations, staggered Perez several times in the first round, sending him reeling from one side of the ring to the other while taking unanswered shots to the head.

Finally, after ripping into him with a devastating four-punch combination ending with a powerful left that drove Perez to the ropes, Rafael Ramos moved in and halted the fight at 1:49 of the 1st found, sparing Perez from getting knocked out in front of his home crowd in Texas. The fans weren’t particularly pleased with seeing Jacobs, a fighter from Brooklyn, New York, manhandling Perez with such ease, and responded by showering Jacobs with a chorus of boos immediately after the fight was stopped.

Jacobs came out fast in the 1st round, landing immediately a left-right combination to the head of Perez. Having seen other super middleweights like Calzaghe and Kessler fight in recent months, the difference in power between them and Jacobs was startling to say the least. Jacobs followed up with several more huge shots, hitting Perez in the midsection, then in the head. Perez fired back with two wild left hooks that missed badly, almost causing him to lose his balance and fall to the canvas.

Jacobs quick fired back a left to the midsection, a right to the head, and then another left hook this one to head that staggered Perez momentarily, looking as if he were going to drop. Jacobs then fired back several more shots, but didn’t connect properly with them. He then backed Perez up with a jab, and fired off three consecutive left hooks that staggered Perez again. Out of desperation, Perez grabbed Jacobs to prevent him from throwing any more additional punches.

Once they were broken apart, Jacobs tore into Perez, hitting him with a terrific uppercut and then two 1-2 combinations, the last causing Perez to sink to the canvas. The referee ruled that it was a slip, but it appeared to be a legitimate knockdown, as Jacobs had connected with two big shots right which appeared to send Perez down.

After he dragged himself to his feet, he was immediately tagged with a big 4-punch combination from Jacobs, sending Perez staggering across the ring into the ropes, causing him to bounce off of them. The referee had seen enough, and slid in between Jacobs before he potentially decapitate the badly hurt Perez. It was a good thing the referee stopped it just then, because Jacobs would have nailed him with a big uppercut and perhaps hurt him really badly.

The win was very impressive, but I think Jacob’s management needs to consider moving him up against better competition. He’s too advanced for the low quality opponents they’ve been putting him in against thus far, and his five first round knockouts would seem proof of that. Like I said previously, I think he’s good enough now to beat any fighter in the division, and that includes Calzaghe and Kessler, although they’d never fight anyone as good as Jacobs, you can be sure of that. Jacobs hits too hard, and he’s the type of fighter that can knock you out with a single shot even if he’s being out-boxed.