By Mark Eisner: Daniel Jacobs hasn’t given up on the idea of returning to the middleweight division in 2020, if he can get fights against Gennady Golovkin and Jermall Charlo, says @MikeCoppinger. As for now, Jacobs (35-3, 29 KOs) will likely be moving up to the 168 pound division to campaign in that weight class. It’s become too difficult for him to make the 160 lb limit for the middleweight division.
Daniel is coming off of a close 12 round unanimous decision loss to Saul Canelo Alvarez last May in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a winnable fight for Jacobs, but he made a tactical mistake in failing to fight aggressively early on. Although Jacobs did come on late in the contest, he couldn’t make up for the lost rounds early on. It turned out to be a good learning experience for Jacobs. He made the same mistake in his loss to GGG in failing to fight hard in the early rounds, but he doesn’t plan on letting that happen again.
Jacobs’ return date to be announced in a few weeks
“Keith Connolly also tells @TheAthleticBOX Daniel Jacobs’ return date and opponent will be announced in the coming weeks, likely a move up to 168 pounds. “Danny would be open to returning to middleweight in 2020 for big N.Y. fights like Jermall Charlo or GGG rematch,” he said, says @MikeCoppinger.
WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo (29-0, 21 KOs) would be a tough fight for Jacobs. He’d have to bring his A-game for him to do well against Jermall, but it’s possible. The key to Jacobs beating Charlo is to put pressure on him the entire fight. Charlo struggles when he’s dealing with fighters that come after him with power shots.
Jacobs needs a confidence booster type opponent
It’s important Jacobs get back to his winning ways before he looks to face Charlo or Golovkin. Going into a fight against either of those guys off the back of a loss would be a bad look for him. Jacobs needs to win some fights against beatable opposition first. Golovkin used Steve Rolls as a confidence booster last June. Someone like that would be ideal for Jacobs to fight next.
Golovkin (39-1-1, 35 KOs) would likely be willing to move up to super middleweight to face Jacobs in a rematch on DAZN. Their fight in 2017 looked to be a close affair with little to separate the two fighters. GGG got the ‘W’, but it could have gone either way. Jacobs is still unhappy with the results of the fight, since he’s been told by boxing fans that he won. It’s a good thing for Jacobs that it was a close affair. If it had been a one-sided victory either way, then the boxing public wouldn’t be interested in seeing a rematch.
Fighting at 168 will be challenging for Jacobs
The super middleweight division has several talented fighters that Jacobs can target for important fights. There’s Callum Smith, David Benavidez, Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders. Of those fighters, Smith and Saunders would be ideal. Those would be difficult fights for Jacobs, but he’s got the experience to win.