There was a time when the actual worth of a fighter could be gauged simply by looking at his record. This was possible for two main reasons. First, fighters fought more often; second, they didn?t always get matched against duds. Hence, their records offered an accurate estimate of the real merit of their wins and losses. In other words, a fighter?s record resembled something like a touchstone, that is, a measurable body of criteria from which one could begin to judge a fighter?s comparative worth within in his division. Through it, we could get, as the English critic Matthew Arnold once put it (though he was talking about poetry), a better ?sense for the best.? Nowadays, in a culture that fetishizes the Undefeated Record ? a strange fixation that would amaze both Freud and Rocky Marciano ? we have seen how the depreciation of a win has made it difficult to glean any meaning from a fighter?s ledger.
It?s a quandary that comes to mind as Danny Jacobs and Peter Quillin prepare to meet for a world title (another valueless distinction) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday night. Both fighters have had careers thus far that indicate very little other than the insulation Al Haymon is infamous for providing. They share between them one loss and a draw. Their records, moreover, are littered with opponents whose names are as random as the ones scrawled illegibly on the bathroom walls of dive bars. At this point, the damning questions persist: does anyone really have any a handle on the actual abilities of these prizefighters?
This is, perhaps, a question more pertinent for Jacobs, who, at 28, has yet to score a significant win after nearly a decade as a professional. (By contrast, Quillin has faced a faded Winky Wright, Hassan N?Dam, and Andy Lee). His attitude, though, is in the right place. ?You know,? Jacobs told TCS in an interview at Universal Boxing Gym in Brooklyn, ?at the peak of my career ? which is right now ?I want to be able to fight the best. I want to prove my mark as being one of the best in my division. If I can be the best in my division and in my era then I?m satisfied with that.? Quillin will be Jacobs? first real test since surviving cancer.
Thomas Hauser noted this about the Brownsville, Brooklyn, fighter before he got poleaxed by Dmitry Pirog in 2010: ?In sum, Danny Jacobs wants to be a superstar, make tens of millions of dollars, and, lest one think he?s short-sighted, retire from boxing in perfect health at age thirty.? Jacobs, who has just finished six rounds of sparring, nods as he recalls what he said nearly five years ago. ?At that time, I thought things were going to go at a faster pace. Obviously I had some setbacks ? well, major setbacks ? which in a way has given me a few more years [in this sport].?
Five years have passed since Jacobs was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, and aside from Pirog, he has not faced another top boxer in his prime. After a full recovery, Jacobs slowly re-entered the ranks, feeling like his old self when he knocked out Giovanni Lorenzo in 2013. ?I knew that my body was back to a 100 percent then,? he said. Not that his handlers much cared to raise the level of his opposition. Jacobs soon found himself vying for the WBA belt against Jarrod Fletcher, a dubious affair that led to a more dubious one against Caleb Truax, which finally led to the pitiable matchup against Sergio Mora. As it stands, Jacobs is still more known to most casual observers as the man who beat cancer. His turf war against Quillin, who also has roots in Brooklyn, is an opportunity for Jacobs to shed this reputation. He?ll only make his mark in this division, however, if he continues to fight higher-caliber opponents. Then again, wishing for consistency in boxing, sometimes, is no different than hoping that the MTA subways will run during rush hour without delays.
If Jacobs is a hungry fighter, it?s because he knows he still has as lot of work to prove himself among the division?s best. ?To solidify your legacy I think you have to fight the best in your division,? Jacobs stated. Naturally, the conversation turns towards the middleweight pulverizer, Gennady Golovkin, a fight that Jacobs says he wants and is confident that it can be made. Jacobs put it bluntly. ?I think it would be an injustice to my career to not fight ?Triple G? or whoever they consider the best at that time. This is a sport where you have to earn your stripes and ?Triple G? up until this point has earned his.?
It?s a question, then, of fulfillment. Maybe Jacobs wouldn?t lose sleep over a lost opportunity to face Golovkin, but he knows that there?s no getting around this fact: to be the best, one must beat the best. ?I consider myself one of the best in the sport,? Jacobs said, brimming in confidence. ?But at the end of the day, it?s about proving it.?
