By Jim Maltzman: Daniel ‘Miracle Man’ Jacobs says Jermall Charlo is one of the fights that he’s very interested in 2021 after he gets Gabe Rosado out of the way on November 27th on DAZN.
Jacobs-Rosado will be the headliner fight despite Gabe having lost 3 out of his last six fights. Some boxing fans are surprised that DAZN agreed to put Jacobs vs. Rosado in the main event because Gabe is pretty much a journeyman who loses every time he steps up.
It’s good for Jacobs that he’s being allowed to take this type of opponent in a headliner, but not good for DAZN or the fans.
Rosado (25-12-1, 14 KOs) and Jacobs will be fighting at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The fight will be without fans.
For Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) to get the fight with former IBF/WBA middleweight champion Jacobs (36-3, 30 KOs), he will need to come up to 168 or possibly meet him halfway at a catchweight.
Jacobs, 33, doesn’t want to come back down to 160 for the Charlo fight, as he feels he’s outgrown the weight class. We’ll have to see if Charlo is interested enough in the fight with Daniel for him to come up to 168 to make it happen in 2021.
Jermall on his way up
Charlo and Jacobs are going in different directions in terms of popularity. Jermall’s recent impressive win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko and the fact that he wants to face the best has increased his fan base.
In contrast, Jacobs is clearly going downhill with his decisions to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Gabe Rosado in back to back fights.
Charlo doesn’t need Jacobs right now for him to continue to increase his popularity. What he needs is to face the best at 160 and 168. Jacobs has fallen out that category recently.
Jacobs targeting Jermall Charlo
“100 percent,” said Jacobs when asked if he still thinks a fight between him and Jermall Charlo can happen in the future. “I’ve got my eyes not overlooking Gab Rosado, but I have my eyes on the likes of the Charlos, Jermall Charlo.
“I won’t even say anybody else’s name. I do, I want to fight him, and if it’s in my near future, that’s what we’re going to go for. It’s really about what the fans want.
“Let me get this little knucklehead [Rosado] out of the way. I know not everybody is too hyped about this one, but it’s still going to be a competitive fight: bragging rights, Philly vs. Brooklyn.
“I think hearing things about Charlo wanting to move up it being a possibility of him moving up,” said Jacobs. “I don’t even see why we couldn’t do it at 168 or dong it in the middle.
“But if we want it to be a competitive fight and a fight for the fans, then I want to do it where we’re both comfortable.
“I don’t want to take him out of his circumstances where he’s not comfortable and vice versa. Let’s just do it to the best of our ability, and may the best man win,” Jacobs said.
If Jacobs wants to put himself in a position for rematches with Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, beating Jermall would be the way to do it. A knockout victory for Jacobs over Charlo would open doors for him to get a big fight in 2021.
Jermall needs to make a move soon to face Jacobs at 168 because he’s about to turn 34, and he doesn’t have too much time left in his career. If Charlo waits too long, Jacobs may end up losing to another fighter or retiring.
Fans want Charlo face Canelo and David Benavidez
Many boxing fans want to see Jermall face Canelo Alvarez, David Benavidez, or Caleb Plant right now. Jacobs’ star power, such as it is, dimmed recently with him losing to Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo and beating Sergiy Derevyanchenko by a controversial decision.
Jacobs isn’t high on the list because of his loss to Canelo in 2019 and his subsequent decision to take an easy fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last December. Now with Jacobs facing 34-year-old fringe middleweight contender Rosado, the perception a lot of people have is Jacobs is cashing out with the final part of his career by taking on weak opponents for easy paydays with DAZN.
The streaming giant is said to have wanted Jacobs to face John Ryder. Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn also wanted Jacobs to face Ryder, and he liked the idea of him facing WBA super-middleweight champion Callum Smith.
That’s a fight that would have appealed to the U.S boxing fans, as Callum is considered one of the best at 168 if not the best. By Jacobs choosing to face Ryder, a glorified journeyman next for he says are “Personal” reasons; it gives some fan the impression that he doesn’t want any risky fights.
Jacobs states that he feels he wouldn’t have lost to Canelo Alvarez last year if the fight had taken place at 168 instead of 160. He had to take a lot of weight just to make 160, which he did, but then there was a second-day weigh-in.
Daniel blames loss to Canelo due to weight
“I do, 100%, but I hate to dispute it because then I sound bitter,” said Jacobs when asked if the outcome of the Canelo Alvarez fight would have been different if the match had taken place at 168 rather than 160.
“I know how I felt in that fight, and I know how I felt in training in the last part where I had to cut the weight. It was a lot. I got fined a million dollars because after we were supposed to have another weigh-in the next day.
I said, ‘This is too much on my body.’ I ate one little salad and gained five pounds off that one salad. So I said, ‘what do I do? Do I lose the weight and feel even weaker, or do I just ride it out and deal with the fumes that I have and the gas that I have.
“It wasn’t a lot, but I do think my circumstances will be better.’ My focus right now is to make sure that I put myself in a position where I claim and ask for a fight or let it be a fan-thing where they request.
“I don’t want to be too bitter about it, but at the same time, I think a lot of people know that I was put in unfair circumstances, and I did the best that I can do with those crazy circumstances,” said Jacobs.
Daniel does sound bitter about his defeat to Canelo, and it’s reminiscent of how Jacobs reacted to his 12 round unanimous decision defeat to Gennadiy Golovkin in March 2017.
After that defeat, Jacobs complained to the boxing media, feeling that he should have won the fight. For Jacobs, he was too defensive in the first six rounds of the GGG fight, and he let him build up a huge lead.
It wasn’t until the second half of the fight that Jacobs begin to go on the attack, and by that time, he needed a knockdown to win, which didn’t happen. Golovkin had dropped Jacobs in the fourth round, and that was key to him winning.
Jacobs gave up on that idea and was penalized. Canelo ended up beating Jacobs by a 12 round majority decision in a close and competitive fight. In looking back at that fight, Jacobs’s defeat wasn’t the result of him being too light.
It was more of a case of him starting too slowly in the first six rounds, and not being aggressive until the second half of the fight. Jacobs took over the contest entirely in the last six rounds to make it close.
Normally, fighters that are dealing with being weight drained fade in the second half of their fights, but we didn’t see that with Jacobs. He came on strong and looked fresh in the second part of the contest.
Unfortunately for Jacobs, his chances of getting a rematch with Canelo at super middleweight are less than desirable. Canelo (53-1-2, 36 KOs) has a lot of other options for fights, and he probably won’t ever face him again.
Rosado next for ‘The Miracle Man’ on November 27th
“I’m looking forward to my fight on November 27th,” said Jacobs to the AK & Barak Show on DAZN. “I wouldn’t say it’s bad blood to where if we see each other on the streets, it would be a beef and a problem,” said Daniel about his next opponent Rosado.
“I don’t think any professional fighter should ever take it to that level, but I do think from a competitive standpoint and fighters, in general, putting everything on the line and some making it some not.
I just think he’s [Rosado] felt some type of way over the years about my success, and he’s been very vocal about it in terms of what I should be doing and if I’ve had the easy road or whatever the case may be.
I just think in boxing, you’re always going to have your competitive fights, and then you’re going to have your competitive battles that you yourself want to get out of the way. I think this is a perfect fight for me coming out of this pandemic. I think everyone tries to stay in shape, but no one has really been active.
“I just think this is the perfect fight for me. Bad blood and competitive fight, and a fight for true boxing fans.
“If they know anything about Rosado, and if they know anything about me, regardless to what he’s ranked and what fans view him as a fighter, Gabe comes to fight,” said Jacobs.
“I’m looking for that competition, and I’m looking forward to letting him know why I am where I am. It is not from an underserved circumstance. It’s because I’ve attained everything I wanted to through hard work, dedication, and sacrifice,” said Jacobs.
The fans don’t are that Jacobs has personal reasons for wanting to fight Rosado. They’re interested in this mismatch, especially with it being shown on DAZN, a subscription rate streaming service that the fans pay $10 to $20 per month.
Jacobs choosing to face a fighter in Rosado, who has lost three out of his last six fights doesn’t appeal to the boxing public. They feel that Jacobs is choosing to make easy money by fighting a journeyman level fighter in Rosado.
Jacobs explains how Rosado problems started
“I think it was a time when me and Jermall Charlo had some differences, and we had our altercation and a confrontation in the hallway,” said Jacobs in explaining the origin of his problems with Rosado.
“I voiced my opinion on the situation, and I thought he might have thought that I handled it wrong. When you’ve got problems with somebody, there’s no right or wrong way to handle it, especially if you’re fighters.
“So I thought he [Rosado] may have gotten jealous with me bringing up the money situation, but me bringing it up and it’s now such an international quote now. ‘You’re not touching M’s.’ My whole point was that I wasn’t ducking Jermall Charlo to go to HBO.
“I was going to HBO to attain things that I always dreamed of. Opportunities, financial gain, exposure, notoriety, and all those things that came with that package.
“That’s why I went to HBO. When I voiced that to Jermall, I felt like he [Rosado] thought I handled it wrong, and wasn’t talking about boxing but was talking about money.
“That’s not where I stand. I’m not a materialistic guy, where I talk about what I got. You’ll never see me. You might see me look nice in terms of how I present myself.
“I’m a humble guy, but there are certain things that you can’t tolerate coming from another man,” said Jacobs.
There are a lot of lesser fighters that are openly critical of the popular fighters like Canelo Alvarez, but he doesn’t turn around and fight them. Canelo takes the criticism in stride and sees it as part of the territory.
With Jacobs, he’s taking it personal what Rosado, a lesser fighter has said about him. Instead of ignoring Rosado’s barbs, Jacobs has decided to fight him rather than focusing on facing the top guys at 168 that the fans want to see him face.
It’s a poor career decision for Jacobs to go backward by facing ANOTHER weak opponent after fighting Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last December.
What this is doing to Jacobs’ career is it’s adding to the perception that he’s just milking his contract with DAZN by fighting non-relevant opposition with little talent. DAZN is letting Jacobs get away with this, which is a disappointment.
If they put their foot down by insisting that Daniel face high-caliber opposition that brings in subscribers, then the fans wouldn’t be subjected to his mismatches against 2nd tier guys like Chavez Jr and Rosado.
Daniel wants to face top 168-pounders
“Those fights are possible next years as well,” Jacobs said about David Benavidez, Caleb Plant, and Billy Joe Saunders. “Me campaigning at 168, like I said, the first time around, I wanted to get acclimated.
“I fought a cruiserweight instead with [Julio Cesar] Chavez. But this fight for me [Rosado] is the perfect fight to get it out of the way and to be truly ready for this division and the guys that are in it.
“The talents there. I just want to make sure everything is right comfortably. There ain’t no rush in this career. I’m still very young. I’m in my prime, and I’ve got some good years ahead of me—some of the best you’ve seen thus far.
“I’m looking forward to displaying that in a comfortable position.
“My life is going good in general,” said Jacobs. “My life is blissful for me. I wake up every day, and I’m like, ‘How can I conqueror the world now?’ I don’t feel like there’s anything I can’t accomplish.”
Well, if Jacobs is going to start fighting the top super middleweights, then he needs to start already. His current excuse for not fighting the elite at 168 is that he wanted to get “acclimated” to the division.
What we’ve seen with Jacobs getting acclimated to 168 is him facing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, who came into the fight as a cruiserweight. Now, we’re seeing Jacobs fight a middleweight in Rosado.
Going by the opponents that Jacobs has been selecting, it’s clear that he’s not even attempting to get acclimated to the 168-lb division. You can argue that’s lip service or camouflage to cover for him taking easy fights against guys that have no business fighting him in headliner spots on DAZN.
No worries about fighting behind closed doors
“I don’t think it’ll affect me,” Danny Jacobs said about fighting behind closed doors without fans. “For me, it would be uncomfortable just in my mind, but going out there after the bell rings, it’ll be like, ‘I’m in the gym in a hard sparring session with somebody, another rival from Queens or Brooklyn and we’re fighting in the gym.’
“It’s a real battle. That’s to me how it would feel, but it’s no different from me putting my best effort in. That’s what I’m looking forward to doing.
“I don’t want to be on my last strings,” said Jacobs when asked how much more time he has in boxing. “I don’t want it to be evident that, ‘Okay, like, he’s two or three fights past his prime.’
“Nah, it’s not going to get to that point. I have a lot of things to live for. I want to be able to go on and do so many other things in my life. Boxing has served in like so many different things in my life, but there is a future for me outside of boxing.
“I want to have my head altogether after I retire, but who knows how many fights I have before I retire. I won’t limit myself, but I won’t say there’s a whole bunch,” said Jacobs.
It shouldn’t matter that Jacobs is fighting Rosado behind closed doors. The absence of a crowd for this fight is meaningless, as this is an opponent that Jacobs should be able to beat in his sleep.
Rosado can punch, though, and Jacobs is going to have to be mindful early not to get hit cleanly by Gabe. We’ve seen Jacobs hit the deck against Golovkin and he was knocked out cold by Dmitry Pirog in a fifth-round stoppage in 2010.
Rosado hits at least as hard as Pirog, but he’s obviously not as talented as the Russian fighter was. If Rosado had Pirog’s talent, Jacobs would be in huge trouble n November 27th. ith that said, Jacobs probably wouldn’t be fighting Rosado if he had Pirog’s ability.
Jacobs financially set
“I don’t think I’ll ever have to worry about finances, but I think it’ll be whatever brings me happiness after that point,” said Jacobs. “I’ve experienced everything as a man and a fighter in my career. Now it’s about seeing others reach their potential and their goals,” said Jacobs.
Daniel lucked out last year with Canelo choosing to fight him rather than giving the fans and DAZN the fight they wanted to see in a trilogy match with Golovkin. Jacobs had already been beaten by Golovkin, and he was coming off of a questionable win over Derevyanchenko at the time that Canelo fought him.
It was a weak move on Canelo’s part to face Jacobs rather than GGG or Derevyanchenko, but that was his choice.
In the Canelo fight, Jacobs is said to have made over $10 million last year in May 2019. Further, Jacobs is with DAZN, and he’s getting paid well no matter who he faces. In his last fight against Chavez Jr, Jacobs got a good payday, and he’ll certainly be doing well facing Rosado in the headliner spot in November.
Financially, Jacobs and Rosado are on different levels. While Jacobs has made his fortune in boxing, the blue-collar fighter Rosado is still struggling. That could change if he beats Jacobs. A win for Rosado would result in him getting a rematch, and there would be good money for him the second time around.