UA-59049186-1 Gennady Golovkin vs Daniel Jacobs Analysis - Good if it Goes

Gennady Golovkin vs Daniel Jacobs Analysis

Is PPV a dying model? Possibly. Is it the wrong decision to air a fight the caliber of Golovkin/Jacobs on when so many people will miss out on seeing it? I certainly believe so. In the end, I and plenty other boxing fans will be watching in some capacity, and others will be looking intently at the PPV figures to either celebrate its success or failure. Regardless of whose allegiance you pledge to, the fight will most likely be a great one(for as long as the duration), and that is truly what boxing fans should be concerned about, not any of that other bullshit that we tend to get preoccupied with. The best is facing the best.

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin 36-0(33 KO) vs Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs 32-1(29 KO)

As I said before, the importance of this fight is massive. For Golovkin, a win over Jacobs represents true legitimacy to a record that has quite a few overmatched fighters on it. Triple G has steadily increased his notoriety over the past few years in the U.S.A. by fighting everyone who actually wanted to step in the ring with him. Some years, he’d fight 4, others 3, but you were guaranteed to see him knocking his opponent out in highlight reel fashion in exciting fights. As you watched though, you noticed that a lot of these opponents were simply not very highly rated fighters. So here we are, Golovkin with his first A-level opponent in their prime.

The only blemish on Daniel Jacobs’ record is his loss to Dmitry Pirog, a fighter who a lot thought would be the man in the Middleweight division until a back injury effectively ended his career. Even though Jacobs managed to win a title since then, and beaten credible opponents(Peter Quillin) in exciting fashion, he still is a huge underdog against Gennady Golovkin. Because of his knockout loss years ago (he was getting up but ref held him down), people still believe he lacks a chin. What I’ve seen from Jacobs though is that he will be truly prepared mentally and physically for the hardest test of his career.

Golovkin’s approach to fights typically is to seek and destroy his opponent while showing supreme skill. Sometimes he can be reckless but against David Lemieux, a feared power puncher, he showed more of a cerebral straightforward boxing approach. He kept Lemieux at the end of his jab and was a lot more defensively responsible. I expect a similar approach against Daniel Jacobs. I expect GGG to stay behind that jab but still cut the ring off as excellently as he always does and utilize hooks to the head and body. What sometimes fans fail to notice is the countering ability of Golovkin and the subtle things he does with his footwork. I expect that to be very apparent in this fight that he and Abel Sanchez call his toughest test. The question about Jacobs chin still looms, I guess, and Golovkin has tremendous power to test it and see if it will hold up. If Jacobs gets pushed into the corners, can he avoid the work that Golovkin will give him?

Jacobs is the taller(6’ to 5’10”) fighter and possesses a larger reach(73” to 70”) as well. When watching Jacobs fight, I always notice a very cerebral fighter (aside from that one moment against Sergio Mora). He has the technique, power and speed you expect out of any top fighter. He can operate behind the jab and mix in combinations with the best of them. His footwork is really good and he looks nimble in the ring. His countering is pretty good as well For a while the prevailing idea was that a boxer like Erislandy Lara could beat Golovkin, but time and time again we have seen that movers like Lara play right into GGG’s strategy. Against Golovkin, Jacobs will need to use the jab and hold the center of the ring the best he can. Jacobs will need to change angles on Triple G but not to move all around the ring, but to force him to reset while countering. Body work is crucial as well as we know GGG can take a punch but how will he deal with dedicated work downstairs from a powerful puncher. If he can do all this and possibly stop him in his tracks…?!

I’m going with Daniel Jacobs by DECISION.  I think Jacobs’ skillset is one that Golovokin has not faced in the pros and the preparation mentally is far different from every other Golovkin victim. Can’t ignore the size and power of The Miracle man of course. Jacobs is a huge underdog and everyone pretty much expects GGG to win and go on to eventually face Canelo(maybe Oscar, maybe!). I know I say this frequently but this will be an incredible fight for as long as it lasts.

 

And hopefully the PPV does well so the Canelo fanboys can quit making excuses why a Golovkin-Canelo(or maybe Jacobs-Canelo) fight can’t happen!!!

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