Quantifying power is an iffy proposition, because intangibles can be the difference between victory and defeat?
Tonight at New York?s Madison Square Garden, in a fight televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View, Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs), the WBA Super/WBC/IBF/IBO middleweight champion from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, defends his titles against WBA World middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs), the hard-hitting ?Miracle Man? from Brooklyn, New York.
Golovkin is the favorite, but Jacobs is a terrific fighter and the most significant challenge ?Triple G? has faced. The ?Miracle Man? was a decorated amateur who went 137-7 on his way to winning 13 national US amateur titles. Since turning pro in 2007, he has suffered only one defeat, a TKO loss to Dmitry Pirog in 2010.
?He is a very good fighter and maybe has a little bit more power than me,? said Golovkin. ?He has big power and he is a very good boxer. Sometimes though it is not just power. It has a lot to do with timing and distance. It is not all in the punch.?
Jacobs, like Golovkin, is more than a power-puncher. Both men are superb boxers.
?Two guys, two dedicated knockout punchers,? Jacobs said. ?You can?t get any better than this. We both are devastating punchers. We both have amazing skill.?
Everyone is predicting a knockout, in part because they want their money?s worth, in part because that?s what these fighters do. But it?s possible, if somewhat unlikely, that the fight goes the distance.
?You have to understand that I am a boxer and we both come from boxing backgrounds,? said Jacobs. ?We do have a lot of knockouts as professionals. If adjustments need to be made, it could go the distance.
?This is boxing?you can?t really say what is going to happen because anything can happen in that square ring.?
That anything can happen is one of the reasons boxing is so intriguing.
?Most people would say he has a lot more power but just because he has A-plus or A-minus power and I have B-plus or B-minus power doesn?t mean both guys can?t go down or both guys can?t get hurt,? Jacobs said. ?It?s all about putting your punches together perfectly. I have a different type of power. I have athletic power that people can?t see, that sharpness, the big bang that hits you. It?s a different type of power.?
Quantifying power is an iffy proposition, because intangibles can be the difference between victory and defeat.
?I?m very excited to fight Daniel Jacobs,? said Golovkin. ?He is world-class and will be a big test for me. He?s a great fighter and brings many new challenges to me.?
Yet despite the challenges, Jacobs is an 8 to 1 underdog coming in, which doesn?t faze him in the least. He knows Golovkin is dangerous, but ?He?s not cancer,? Jacobs said. ?This is not a life-threatening situation. This is a man coming to inflict some harm to me. Where the cancer and going through all my ordeals helped was strengthening my mental capacity.?
Jacobs? fight with cancer and all he has overcome has anchored many stories about the fight. Some have even written that cheating death as he did is an indication that a victory over Golovkin is fated.
That?s a poetic if somewhat nebulous formulation, especially since boxing is a sport and not Greek tragedy, but it?s an indication of the respect Jacobs has garnered, not only for the struggles he has overcome but for the man he is, both in and out of the ring.
?I have an amazing story,? said Jacobs. ?A lot of people can relate to my story, my trials and tribulations, and I?m just looking forward to being the best athlete that I can be and being a voice for the people and be a good role model. That is really my agenda. I don?t want to be in [boxing] for too long, but at the end of the day I just want to accomplish my goals and be the best person that I can be.?
