SONAHR: BROOKLYN, New York – December 6, 2015 – In a mere 85 seconds in the ring at Brooklyn?s Barclay Center on Saturday night, WBA ?regular? middleweight champion Danny Jacobs established himself as a serious threat to Gennady Golovkin?s reign of terror in that division. Golovkin holds the WBA?s ?super? championship, as well as the IBF belt, which he won from David Lemieux earlier this year. Golovkin is also undefeated ? and untested, because he?s so good as both a boxer and puncher that his opponents can do little to extend him.
Still, Golovkin has not faced a challenger with the credentials boasted by Jacobs?s foe on Saturday. Jacobs was in against Peter (Kid Chocolate) Quillin, an undefeated fighter who had once held the WBO middleweight title, only to lose it to boxing politics rather than in the ring. Once highly touted, Quillin had lost some of his luster, even though he had yet to lose a fight.
Jacobs went into the bout with only one defeat in 31 contests ? a five-round TKO at the hands of Dmitry Pirog in a battle for the vacant WBO title back in 2005. Although he appeared to have overcome that setback, Jacobs was still considered the underdog going into the Quillin fight. He overcame the odds in the blink of an eye, blitzing Quillin seconds after the bell rang to begin the first round. Quillin never went down, but he had the thousand-yard state in his eyes, and the referee rightfully intervened before Jacobs could inflict further damage.
So now, in spectacular fashion, Jacobs has joined Saul (Canelo) Alvarez as a major obstacle to Golovkin?s plans to unify the 160-pounders. Canelo scored a decisive points win over then-WBC champion Miguel Cotto last month. While a decision is not as dramatic as a one-round blowout, Canelo?s victory was just as impressive as Jacobs?s. More importantly, both Jacobs and Alvarez have defeated opponents who are arguably better than anyone Golovkin has faced thus far.
But Golovkin?s camp argues that the reason their man has been fighting second-tier contenders is that the fighters in the top tier ? or their managers and promoters ? are reluctant to take their chances against him. Or, perhaps, a Golovkin fight would not yield a purse big enough to justify the risk. Be that as it may, Golovkin is in the position of a Rembrandt reduced to doing advertising art because no one is willing to give him the opportunity to create a masterpiece.
Given the departure of injury-plagued former champion Sergio Martinez and the downfall of Cotto, Jacobs and Canelo offer Golovkin the best opportunity to make that masterpiece happen. Better yet, they both possess the ability to derail GGG?s remarkable run. If Golovkin defeats both those men, he will be a lock to enter the International Boxing Hall of Fame five years after he hangs up his gloves. If either of them beats Golovkin, that would almost be a Hall-of-Fame accomplishment in itself.
Given the current state of the division, 2016 could prove to be a banner year for the middleweights, which would steal the thunder of the red-hot welterweights. Jacobs has a large following in his native New York, and Canelo?s fan base among Latinos north and south of the border is huge. The economics are right. Now, let?s see the fights.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His novels, Imaro, Damballa, and Abengoni: First Calling are available at Amazon.com.
