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Daniel Jacobs defends his WBA (Regular) Middleweight title against Peter Quillin on Saturday, December 5th, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Bragging Rights
More than just the middleweight belt, these two fighters will be battling for Brooklyn bragging rights. Raised in Michigan but now residing in Brooklyn, Peter Quillin is an undefeated former middleweight champion. On the other hand, Jacobs was born, raised and lives in Brooklyn, making this fight a backyard bout between two of Brooklyn’s finest boxers and its top two middleweights today.
Quillin won the WBO middleweight title by defeating Hassan N’Dam in 2012. He went on to defend that belt three times before relinquishing it in September of 2014 after refusing to fight mandatory challenger Matvey Korobov and choosing to seek a bigger fight. Quillin then made his PBC debut in April where he figured in a Split Draw with now WBO middleweight champion Andy Lee. After a tune-up bout against Michael Zerafa last September, Kid Chocolate is finally getting the big fight he was looking for.
Miracle Man
Quillin’s opponent is boxing Miracle Man, Daniel Jacobs. The 28-year old former NABO and NABF middleweight champion won the vacant WBA title with a fifth round TKO of Jarrod Fletcher in August of 2014 at the Barclays Center. He’s since defended the belt twice against Caleb Truax and Sergio Mora but more than his ring accomplishments, Jacobs’ personal story is bigger. Jacobs is a cancer survivor, suffering osteosarcoma, before becoming a world champion. Known for his punching power, Jacobs has 27 KOs in 30 wins against just a single defeat at the hands of Dmitry Pirog in 2010 during his first world title shot.
But Jacobs isn’t just a pure slugger. He is a savvy ring veteran who had an impressive 137-7 amateur record before turning pro. With his extensive amateur background, Jacobs’ ring experience and punching power are his main weapons against Kid Chocolate.
Who Takes This?
With a week to go before the fight, the betting lines in this bout are so close. Quillin is the slight favorite at -175 while the champion Jacobs the underdog at +135. With the lines that close, this appears to be one of those pick’em fights.
That description could be true inside the ring as neither is a dominant force inside the ring although both are two of the best in the middleweight division. Expect both fighters to be cautious to start the bout, with mutual respect prevailing over the desire for a quick finish.
Having said that, Jacobs was dropped by Sergio Mora in his most recent bout before Mora quit due to injury. Quillin was also knocked down by Andy Lee during their title bout so one big punch here could end the night quickly. But given Quillin’s overall skills though, he will most probably utilize his ring movement to control the fight from a distance and win the fight on points.
