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Jacobs Looking At Title Defense April 11

Published

10 years ago

February 6, 2015

He is on the real-short list of most likeable boxers in the game today, is Danny Jacobs, and he was his typical charming self when we chatted on Friday, with me seeking an update on when he’ll be gloving up next.

The Brooklyner told me it’s looking like April 11, against TBA, venue TBA, the first defense of the WBA “regular” 160 crown he holds.

First, I got a report on his birthday, Feb. 3. The day went well, as he wined and dined his galpal who interestingly enough shares the same date of birth. Jacobs said he also enjoyed a Q n A chat he did for Showtime, with the best question being how he thinks he’d stack up against some all-time greats, like, say, Marvin Hagler. His quite reasonable reposnse was lol, that Hagler was a beast, a tough nut to crack. “I haven’t reached my prime yet,” he told me. “When I do, I could see that I can hang with him. But he’s a rugged guy.”

Another recent highlight was his TV commercial, which ran in the Tri-State area during the Super Bowl, for NY-Prestbyterian Hospital, which hosted the fighter as he battled cancer a few years back.

The hitter told me that a fight with Peter Quillin was discussed, and he wanted it, for the belt that would have been up for grabs, but Quillin gave up the belt, and Andy Lee and Matt Korobov battled for it. Lee won the WBO version and will now face Quillin for the strap, it was announced yesterday.

I told DJ that BJ Saunders is to get winner, news to him…

He said he’s now much in the mode of wanting to give fans big fights, and that the last couple years has been about getting himself back to top form. He’s there now, and says fans should like the foe chosen for his next bout.

Hey, since Gennady Golovkin holds the WBA “super” belt, would they ever tangle? “Anything is a possibility,” he told me. “I think it’s more so everybody being able to deal with one another now. It’s definitely not NOT a possibility.”

And how would he deal with Triple G? He cracked a joke about not answering that he’d be going in to lay down…but also said he’d like another long fight to shed more rust, and really round into form before taking on a Golovkin. Props for humility and honesty…

“I think I can beat the best. But it’s all about gaining experience.”

We agreed that it is now more likely that a fighter isn’t at their peak but owns a belt, what with the superfluity of straps. The fighter agreed that there are too many, but we both agreed that those belts, even the “minor” ones, are nice snags for people who can, indeed, lose their life while on the job. If a “minor” belt bucks them up, then that’s not a bad thing, we agreed.

We also agreed that the #MayPac situation wasn’t all that good for sport, as all of us are waiting for that other shoe to drop. “I do think it’ll happen, I just have that feeling, it’s not based on inside info. I think it’s about him knowing his legacy and especially that it’s what the fans want.”

The boxer said he’s now an Al Haymon guy, with no Golden Boy affiliation, and is content to have Haymon steer that ship. “I’m focused on big fight. The last two years was about getting good. Now I’m good.”

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Michael Woods

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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

9 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

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Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

9 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

9 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

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