By Jeff Aranow: Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) has a game plan that he and his trainer Andre Rozier have come up with for his fight against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) in their fight on March 18. Jacobs says he’ll be ready to switch to his backup Plan-B and Plan C if things don’t work out with his initial strategy for the fight against Triple G.
Jacobs is training in Virgil Hunter’s gym in Hayward, California for the Golovkin fight. Jacobs wanted to be away from his home in New York so that he could focus on the Golovkin fight.
Golovkin and Jacobs will be fighting on HBO pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in New York. The boxing fans will possibly be on Jacobs’ side for the fight, as he’s from Brooklyn, New York. Many of Jacobs’ fans will be certain to coe see him fight live. However, Golovkin will pull in a lot of fans as well for the fight.
Jacobs said this to ITR Boxing about his fight against Golovkin:
“I don’t fear him,” said Jacobs about Golovkin. “I can see why people say that, but I’m a fighter. I don’t fear a person. If you go inside a ring with a fear mentality, then why even go inside the ring? He’s a very strong guy and he’s knocked out a lot of guys as well. It’s up to me to prove that I’m a bigger guy than that and that I’m stronger, better and can prevent these things. I don’t know what to expect. We don’t know how he can handle big punches, but if he allows me to hit him, then I guess we’ll see at that present time. I don’t know. Anybody can be hurt. This is boxing. This whole genetic thing about how he’s unstoppable and he’s never been hurt. All this talk about his chin; t’s going to be questioned once he gets hit by a true middleweight. I’m looking forward to just winning. However that win comes, I’m looking forward to it. I just want to win. I think you’re a fool if you think he allows you to hit him. If he does, he would know the dangers of those guys. I’m a completely different guy. I don’t think he would allow me to hit him. I think he’d be a fool to just sit there with his hands down to give the crowd a rouse, but if he wants to do that, then by all means. This is the biggest fight of my career, and I wanted to isolate myself so I could focus on this fight and this fight alone. I want to be victorious and look good doing it. I want to give the fans a great show. Of course, I’m not one of those guys that don’t like to study. I think it’s crazy that guys take pride in not studying their opponents. I study habits and I capitalize on those things,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs’ trainer Andre Rozier spoke of him using circular movement against Golovkin on March 18. That’s a strategy that Jacobs used in his fight against Russian Dmitri Pirog in 2010, and it didn’t work. Jacobs wasn’t able to sit down on his punches while moving in circles. It was a lot easier for Pirog to land his power shots while coming forward. In the 5th, Pirog trapped Jacobs against the ropes and knocked him out with a right hand to the head. It was a punch that Jacobs probably would have been able to take if he had been standing still and not moving laterally. Jacobs gives up his power when he moves, and he’s less capable of taking a shot. If he does move a lot against Golovkin on March 18, then he could make it easier for him to score a knockout.
When asked about what weaknesses that he’s seen in Golovkin’s game, Jacobs said, “There are a handful of flaws in his game; His defense. He’s there to be hit, even though he’s a monster offensively. “His defense doesn’t add up,” said Jacobs about Golovkin. “If I can be my best at my defense and be on my A-game and with my offense, then this is going to be a long night. I think true champions make adjustments if need be, but I know I have a game plan I’m going to try and implant and if we need to go to a Plan-B or Plan-C, we’ll be prepared for that as well. I haven’t lost a fight since [the Dmitri Pirog fight]. I was 21, 22-years-old. I was still a young man, a kid. I’m a full grown man now. I know how to crack. I’ve got that experience, and I’ve seen the game. You grow in this sport. If I remained the same kid, I wouldn’t be here at this level now. That speaks volumes. People are always going to look at something to criticize. The easiest thing to try to criticize is the loss that I took to Pirog. In the sport of boxing, you’re always going to have to prove yourself. They’re making this guy out to be a superstar. He’s selling out arenas. So pay me accordingly. If he’s a superstar guy, if he’s the main man, why would I not want to be compensated accordingly? This is the biggest fight that can be made at middleweight, then what fighter wouldn’t want to be paid accordingly,” said Jacobs.
Jacobs is in a tough situation with the Golovkin fight. Jacobs doesn’t have a great chin, and moves too much when he’s under pressure. Jacobs was even moving in his fight against Peter Quillin. The only reason Jacobs stopped moving was because he hurt Quillin with a right hand. If Jacobs hadn’t hurt Quillin, then the fight might have had a different outcome.