By Dan Ambrose: Daniel ‘Miracle Man’ Jacobs stated earlier today he wants to get another fight at 168 to get “acclimatized’ to the division and he’s targeting gatekeeper Gabriel Rosado as the fighter he wants next. Jacobs (36-3, 30 KOs) says Rosado is a “Little weasel”, and he wants to fight him for “personal” reasons.

Despite Rosado being a 160-pounder and not a super middleweight, Jacobs still wants to use him to get better acclimatized for the 168-lb weight class. In Jacobs’ last fight, he defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by a 5th round stoppage on December 20 in his first contest at 168.

It wasn’t much of a fight though, as Chavez Jr. looked badly shot, and not the fighter that he once was eight years ago in 2012.

When Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn suggested to Jacobs that he could fight WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith, he let him know that he didn’t look great in his last bout against John Ryder and that it was really close.

Hearn didn’t look happy when Jacobs said he wants to fight Rosado, who he called “food” and said he’s his “lamb chops.” It sounded like code from Jacobs wanting another mismatch like his last fight against an over-the-hill Chavez Jr. Whether Hearn has any say-so on the opposition that Jacobs chooses to fight is unknown.

Callum (27-0, 19 Kos) and a world champion. He would obviously have more to offer Jacobs than 34-year-old Gabe Rosado (25-12-1, 14 KOs), who has a 1-1-1 record in his last three fights since 2018. That’s not a great record obviously, and you have to wonder what DAZN would say at the idea of Jacobs fighting Rosado, who is as arguably a journeyman fighter at this stage of his career.

Jacobs wants Rosado next

“As far as right now, there’s this little weasel that I can’t get out of my spine and his name is Gabe Rosado,” said Jacobs to Eddie Hearn LIVE on Instagram. “He’s been annoying the hell out of me. Lord have mercy, this guy. So I don’t know who my next fight will be.

“He knows that [Jacobs would have to pick him]. It’s a little envy and it’s a little jealousy. I remember when I was commentating where he said I’m a fake Andre Ward.

I’m a versatile man and can do many things, and because he’s a gatekeeper, it doesn’t sit well with him. We all came up together, and for me to surpass him the way that I am and the way his career has gone, he has to go other routes to get a fight.

“What fans don’t understand, we all want to do it for the fan as far as picking the best fights, but sometimes there are some personal fights you want to get out, and it’s going to make a good fight as well. For me, I’m just looking at this fight as lamb chops right now. He’s food,” said Jacobs.

There won’t be a lot of interest from boxing fans in a fight between Jacobs and Rosado. The hardcore boxing fans that have seen Rosado fight know that he fails when he fights quality opposition, and he’s someone whose career hasn’t panned out. When Rosado has stepped it up, he’s continually lost.

Here are some of the MANY fighters that have beaten Rosado:

Gennadiy Golovkin
Maciek Sulecki
Martin Murray
Jermell Charlo
Peter Quillin
Willie Monroe Jr.
David Lemieux
Alfredo Angulo
Dereck Ennis
Fernando Guerrero

At Jacobs’ age and level, he doesn’t need a warmup fight to get him acclimatized to the super middleweight division.

Another tune-up at super middleweight wanted by Jacobs

“Now that I’m vouching that I’m going to be my best, and we’ve seen me in my last outing and me finally being able to be comfortable, and I made the son of a legend [Julio Cesar Chavez] say ‘no mas’ in five rounds. So give me another opportunity to get acclimated, and let’s go for the gusto,” said Jacobs.

“Two other guys on that list, one being Callum Smith, who has stated that he would love to fight you in the States as well,” said Hearn to Jacobs. “That’s a big fight, a good fight. He’s a 168-pounder and someone that would give you the opportunity to become a two-weight world champion, and a two-weight, three-time [champion,” said Hearn in letting Jacobs know he wants him to fight a top tier opponent next rather than a journeyman.

“I love that fight,” said Jacobs on a match against Callum Smith. “He hasn’t been tested yet, especially against a top-notch world fighter. I’m not sure if it’s been hard for him to get fights at that level, but his last fight against [John] Ryder was a really close tricky fight.

“There are a lot of opportunities out there for me, but the top-notch guys, for me, is exciting because they’re all good, and they’re all going to test me,” said Jacobs.

If Jacobs wants to take a tune-up to get better acclimatized to the super middleweight division, he should at least fight someone from that division. Rosado is a middleweight, so he shouldn’t be an option. Jacobs needs someone like Anthony Dirrell, Jurgen Brahmer, John Ryder or Caleb Truax.

Danny Jacobs looking to reinvent himself at 168

“The opportunities were there at the middleweight division,” said Jacobs. “So Even though I didn’t feel the greater and even though the weight stipulations that were put in every contract really made it impossible for me to be as great as I can be being that I was a big middleweight anyway.

“I felt like maybe I should have moved up, but to give up a fight with Canelo, I’ve experienced that, and now it’s time to be comfortable and move on and I’m excited about the super middleweight division,” said Jacobs.

“The sacrifices I went through [with weight for Canelo fight] was definitely worth it and put me in the position to have my name exposed and be at the biggest platform and build my fan base. I don’t regret it, and now there’s something bigger and better to look forward to. It’s going to be a new chapter and it’s going to be exciting,” said Jacobs.

Danny might not be a better fighter at 168 than he was at 160. The one thing that Jacobs has in his favor is the super middleweight division is arguably weaker than the 160-lb weight class. If Jacobs is going to be selective in who he fights for world titles, then his flaws won’t be exposed.

Jacobs is a good fighter, but he’s come up short when fighting Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez. He barely beat Sergiy Derevyanchenko in 2018, and he also struggled to defeat Maciej Sulecki in a close fight.

Jacobs rates Caleb Plant at bottom of 168-lb champs

“To say who’s the best is hard to say,” said Jacobs when asked who’s the #1 super middleweight champion. “All those guys are tough. I would probably put Plant at the bottom of all those names you just named, then Benavidez. I think Plant is good but you know, he can be beaten. He’s beatable.

“I see a lot of flaws in his game. But as far as Benavidez, he’s probably the strongest of the guys you just mentioned. But now that I’m coming up to the super middleweight division, it’s interesting. All these guys have my attention, and I’ll be studying and looking for what’s best and what’s next for my career,” said Jacobs.

IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant would be a good fight for Jacobs, and he might not win. What’s confusing is Jacobs saying that Plant is beatable, and yet he doesn’t want to go after him. If Plant is vulnerable, then Jacobs should be able to snatch his title immediately without another fight to get acclimatized to the division.

GGG tougher fight for Jacobs than Canelo

“I found Canelo to be more trickier, slicker but less active as far as pressure and punch output, but I felt GGG more active with his pressure,” said Jacobs when comparing his fights with Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkn. “I do feel he [Golovkin] was the tougher challenge because imposed himself or he tried to at least.

“He tried to make it a good go. Canelo was just worried about being a counter puncher and fighting in spots. It could have been more of an entertaining fight, me and Canelo, but I think GGG was tougher, and probably one of the best performances,” said Jacobs.

In Jacobs’ fight against Canelo and GGG, he started off slowly and fell behind in the first six rounds. Jacobs arguably lost the first 6 rounds against both fighters. When he did come on strong in the second half of both fights, he was so far behind that he couldn’t make up the lost ground to win. In both fights, Jacobs looked timid in the first half, and he blew his chances of winning by not throwing enough punches.