Danny ?Miracle Man? Jacobs TKO?d Sergio Mora at 2:55 of round two to retain his WBA World middleweight title?
Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, WBA World middleweight champion Danny Jacobs (30-1, 27 KOs), hailing from Brownsville, New York, successfully defended his title by stopping Sergio Mora (28-4-2, 9 KOs), from Los Angeles, California, at 2:55 of round two.
Fighting out of the blue corner in blue trunks with red and white trim, Jacobs was the favorite coming in. He is six years younger than his opponent. He was also fighting in front of a partisan crowd. But he still he seems like a work in progress.
Mora, fighting out of the red corner in black trunks with gold trim, has been in several wars and his face bears the scars of those skirmishes. He may have won his last five fights, but how much more punishment can his body take?
Based on tonight?s performance, the answer is not much.
Both men were cautious at the start of round one. Mora was busier, moving in and out and dictating the action, such as it was. Jacobs hadn?t thrown a meaningful punch when he exploded with a hybrid right hook/uppercut that dropped Mora as if he?d been shot. The Latin Snake got to his feet. He was doing his damnedest to stay away. Jacobs was as enthusiastic as he was reckless. Out of position, defense an afterthought at best, he was going for a knockout when nailed him with a right that dropped him to the canvas. The champion made it to feet, but he was wobbly at the bell.
Between rounds Jacobs? cornerman told him, ?Son, listen. Nice and smooth. It?s going to come.?
At the bell to start round two, Mora came out aggressively. He had said he was coming to Brooklyn to win and that was how he fought. Jacobs, who hadn?t been dropped since his 2010 loss to Dmitry Pirog, was playing it safe when he wasn?t playing it sloppy. Mora?s 34-year-old legs are at this point adequate at best. As a nothing second round was drawing to a close, Jacobs dropped Mora again. He fell awkwardly. He grimaced. He was hurt. Mora beat the count, but he could barely walk. The referee Gary Rosato waved it off.
After the fight Mora said, ?I think I broke my ankle. I heard it pop.?
It was a bad way for the fight to end, especially a fight that started with such promise.
