Daniel Jacobs Focusing on Making the Hall of Fame
On February 12, Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs (37-3, 30 KOs) travels to London, England to take on John Ryder (30-5, 17 KOs) live on DAZN. In Jacobs’ last bout, he struggled for a disputed split decision win over Gabriel Rosado in November of 2020. It was a lackluster performance for Jacobs, who was expected to win in an impressive fashion. However, he looked uninspired throughout and was lucky to escape with a draw as many fans were left soured by his performance and the fight overall.
With time away, the two-time world middleweight champ has had time to reflect and evaluate what went wrong. During an interview with Yahoo Sports, Jacobs admitted he wasn’t focused on Rosado. He says that was due in large part to a fractured inner-circle, which included a split with long-time trainers Andre Rozier and Anthony Irons. They’ve now resolved their difference and the fighter couldn’t be any happier.
BRINGING BACK THE GANG
“With any family members, sometimes you don’t see eye to eye. I think that was the case with me and Andre Rozier and Anthony Irons. The dynamic duo are back. Having my team together brings out the best in me. I haven’t had that, especially for my last fight.
I wasn’t in my best mental space. It was unfortunate that it came out the way it did, but I’m grateful I came out the victor and have another opportunity to show the world I’m everything I say I am.”
Jacobs believes the family reunion will bear fruit moving forward, starting with the upcoming fight with Ryder. Having given a good account of himself in fights with Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez, Jacobs was recognized as one of the top middleweights in the world. With his decision to move up to super middleweight, it was anticipated he would be a major player in that division as well.
THE FUTURE IS STILL BRIGHT
The Rosado fight put a big dent in his reputation. At this relatively late stage of his career, the “Miracle Man” feels he has a lot left in the tank. Step one of the restoration project begins with defeating Ryder. His foe is a former world title challenger currently ranked by three of the four major sanctioning bodies (#4 WBA, #12 WBO, #14 IBF) at 168 pounds.
“I’ve had an amazing career with my team […] we’ve been able to do things our way for a very, very long time. We’ve never been held down by a promoter or manager or any outside force. And I’m grateful for that.
Now it’s really time for us to look at the end goal, which would be the Hall of Fame. We have to focus on the fights that make the most sense for us to be able to achieve that.”
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
