By Sean Jones: Daniel Jacobs will be fighting journeyman Gabriel Rosado in the main event on November 27th on DAZN to fight that the boxing world isn’t over enthused about watching.
Jacobs vs. Rosado will be taking place next month at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida.
Rosado (25-12-1, 14 KOs) is a high-level journeyman with a record of 2-3-1 in his last six fights. At this point in Rosado’s career, he’s failed to win half of his last six fights, but he’s good enough for Jacobs to pick out and fight in the main event on DAZN on November 27th.
Is Jacobs-Rosado worthy of being a headliner?
It’s unclear if Jacobs convinced the top brass at DAZN to let him fight Rosado or not. DAZN perhaps doesn’t realize that Jacobs-Rosado is a fight that fans are not interested in seeing.
Headliner fights typically involve world champions or highly ranked contenders, but not in Jacobs and Rosado’s case. This fight sees a top-ranked super middleweight fighting a bottom dweller from the 160-lb division in the main event.
[Rosado pictured here being dropped by Maciej Sulecki in his loss in March 2019]
The fans wouldn’t have a problem with Jacobs fighting Rosado if he were coming off of a knockout loss, and if the match was buried deep on an undercard near the bottom. But it’s not a headliner fight, and it looks out of place on DAZN, a network platform that fans subscribe to and pay $20 per month.
If Jacobs wants to fight lesser guys on DAZN continually, then the platform should arguably insist on the match being placed on a card where it’s less visible.
The fact that Rosado has recent defeats against Willie Monroe Jr, Martin Murray, and Maciej Sulecki suggests that he doesn’t have enough talent to be fighting in the main event on DAZN against Jacobs.
Jacobs has had a real good thing going since singing with DAZN, as he’s not had to face quality opposition on their network platform. Daniel looked timid, losing to Canelo Alvarez in 2019 and Gennady Golovkin 2017.
In both fights, Jacobs ran around the ring, not taking action to the champions.
Jacobs says it’s “personal” with Gabe
“On November 27th at the Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida,” said Jacobs about when and where he’ll be fighting journeyman Rosado. “It’s a very, very personal fight for me.
“I’m looking forward to this fight. Regardless of how you feel about it, it’s going to be an entertaining fight. So let me do my thing. This is a fight that has been in the making for a couple of years now, and it’s about that time.
“Why is it personal? A lot of fighters in the game, a lot of boxers, it’s a small world. You can’t share the limelight; you can’t share the spotlight. And you can’t share success with a lot of people.
“It’s not one of those sports where you can share success. If somebody is in your weight class and is going for your title, they don’t have an opportunity.
“They’re envious, and they say disrespectful and bozo s***. Excuse my language. It’s got to be addressed. There’s a bunch of guys out there talking reckless. So I’m going to address those guys too—one step at a time.
“Let’s get this dude out of the way. It’ll be bigger and better things. Training camp is going really well,” said Jacobs.
Since the Jacobs-Rosado fight was officially announced last Saturday, former IBF/WBA middleweight Jacobs (36-3, 30 KOs) by fans on social media say the fight is garbage, and they won’t watch it.
Perhaps to defuse some of the criticism from fans, Jacobs posted on social media on Friday, explaining why he’s chosen Rosado to fight. Jacobs says, “Gabe talked his way into this fight” with his trash-talk.
Jacobs-Rosado not viewed as a worthy fight
Fans are unhappy that they’re paying as much as $20 per month to subscribe to DAZN, and they’re stuck watching Jacobs, 33, take on low-level fighters like Rosado and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Last December, Jacobs fought former WBC middleweight champion Chavez Jr on DAZN in Phoenix, Arizona, and the contest ended predictably with Julio quitting in his corner after the fifth round, complaining of a broken nose.
The terrible ending for the Jacobs vs. Chavez Jr contest wasn’t the main problem. Fans had an issue from the very start with Jacobs facing the badly washed up Chavez Jr in a headliner fight on DAZN.
Given the level where Jacobs is at with his career, it was troubling for fans to pick a bottom dweller like Chavez Jr as an opponent rather than a relevant contender from the 168lb division.
At this point in Chavez Jr’s career, he’s a second-tier fighter who has no business fighting against top-level competition.
For fans paying for DAZN, they expected better from the streaming giant than to see a mismatch between Jacobs and Chavez Jr.
With Jacobs scheduled to fight Gabe Rosado, a fighter with a 2-3-1 record in hiast six fights, the fans are unhappy.
Jacobs with world title plans at 168 in 2021
Daniel says he wants to beat Rosado and then become a two-division world champion in 2021 by beating one of the super middleweight champions. It’s believed that Jacobs will target WBO 168-pound champion Billy Joe Saunders next year.
“My aim is to become a two-weight division World champion in 2021 and that starts with a big win in Florida,” said Jacobs. “After that, I’m ready to step up and fight one of the World champions at 168 pounds.”
Jacobs is ranked at #3 with the World Boxing Organization at 168 despite never having fought in the weight class.
Daniel sounds confident that he will be given a world title shot in 2021, but that may not happen. Even with Jacobs being promoted by Matchroom Boxing, the same promoters with 168-pound champions Callum Smith and Billy Joe Saunders in their stable, Jacobs may not get a world title shot in 2021.
Jacobs will be turning 34 next February, and that’s not young for a fighter, especially one that is taking it easy with soft opposition since last December.
Going after Saunders, who many fans view as the weakest link among the champions at super middleweight, is a predictable move for Jacobs, as it gives him his best shot at winning a world title.
Saunders and Yildirim are Jacobs’s best bet for a title
Jacobs would have difficulty trying to beat WBA 168-lb champion Callum Smith or IBF champ, Caleb Plant. The WBC title is currently vacant after it was stripped from David Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) after failing to make weight for his title defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo (26-2, 22 KOs).
Avni Yildirim and possibly Canelo Alvarez will soon fight over the WBC title. Jacobs likely won’t be given a chance to fight for the WBC title in 2021, though, as he’s not ranked high enough with that organization.
If Canelo wins the WBC title, he won’t likely fight Jacobs because he already beat him in 2019 by a 12 round decision. Fans have no interest in watching Canelo fight Jacobs again.
They want to see Canelo fight Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy match, and not waste time seeing a needless rematch between him and Jacobs. Canelo isn’t going to use up one of his fights on his DAZN contract fighting Jacobs again because it’s too soon for them to battle again.
If Jacobs starts beating quality opposition once again, then perhaps it makes sense for Canelo to fight him a second time. That’s not happening, though. Jacobs is throwing away a year of his career fighting lesser opposition in Chavez Jr and Rosado, and those are journeymen-level opponents.
View this post on Instagram