Daniel Jacobs (born February 3, 1987) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2007 to 2024. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) middleweight title (Regular version) from 2014 to 2017, and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight title from 2018 to 2019.
Nicknamed the "Miracle Man", Jacobs' career was almost cut short in 2011 due to osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He went on to make a full recovery after spending 19 months out of the sports, meanwhile recovering from severe operation-induced injuries generally perceived as crippling.Rafael, Dan (April 23, 2013). "Daniel Jacobs told he is cancer-free". ESPN. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
Early life Jacobs was born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was raised by his mother, Yvette Jacobs, his grandmother, Cordelia Jacobs, and his aunts. Jacobs graduated from Erasmus High School.
Amateur career As an amateur boxer, Jacobs recorded 137 wins and 7 losses. In 2003, Jacobs won the Junior Olympics national championship at 154 pounds.Daily News from New York, New York on December 25, 2003 · 74 In 2004, Jacobs won the United States national champion in the 19-and-under division, a PAL national championship, and a National Golden Gloves welterweight championship. In 2005, he won his second PAL national championship and also won the National Golden Gloves middleweight championship. In July 2005 he faced Russian Matvey Korobov at the preliminaries of the 2005 Boxing World Cup, and lost via a third round stoppage. In 2006, Jacobs won the United States Amateur middleweight championship, decisioning Shawn Porter in the finals, 32–21.BOXING U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS At Colorado Springs Finals During his amateur career, Jacobs won four New York Golden Gloves championships. He almost qualified for the U.S. Olympic team for the 2008 Summer Olympics, beating Dominic Wade and Shawn Porter (twice) en route, but twice lost the North American Olympic Qualifier Super Middleweight finale to Shawn Estrada.US Olympic Trials - Houston - August 20-26 2007
Professional career Early career
Jacobs made his professional boxing debut on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Ricky Hatton, which took place on December 8, 2007, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. In that fight, he defeated Jose Jesus Hurtado by first round technical knockout in just 29 seconds. Jacobs signed with Golden Boy Promotions and often fought on the undercard of super-fights. He was regarded as a blue-chip prospect.
On April 27, 2009, Jacobs agreed to replace junior middleweight James Kirkland, who was arrested on a gun charge, to fight Mike Walker, who was coming off a victory over two-time world title challenger Antwun Echols. The fight took place on May 2, 2009, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and Jacobs won by unanimous decision with scores of 80–72 from two judges and 79–73 from the other. On August 22, 2009, Jacobs defeated Ishe Smith by unanimous decision to win the NABO middleweight title.
Jacobs vs. Pirog On July 31, 2010, Jacobs faced undefeated Russian Dmitry Pirog for the vacant WBO middleweight championship. The belt had last belonged to Sergio Martínez, who was stripped due to not complying with the WBO's rules. The fight took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Pirog was a 3–1 underdog going into the fight. Jacobs was up on the cards when he was caught with a massive right hand against the ropes and knocked out in the 5th round, handing him his first career loss.Beacham, Greg (2010) Pirog flattens Jacobs; Guerrero tops Casamayor. Associated PressDmitry Pirog Knocks Daniel Jacobs Out Cold in Five! – Boxing News. Boxingscene.com (2010-07-31). Retrieved on 2017-04-18. After the fight, Pirog said "After the second round, I knew I was good. I hurt him in the second and I knew I could come back and do it again."
Jacobs won his next two fights before he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
Return after cancer treatment On October 20, 2012, having fully recovered from cancer, Jacobs made a successful return to professional boxing with a first-round knockout victory over Josh Luteran.
ESPN.com reported that the scheduled February 9, 2013 bout between Danny Garcia and Zab Judah at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York was moved to April 27, 2013 because of a rib injury sustained by Garcia. With Jacobs penciled in on the undercard fight for this event, his fight moved to April 27 as well. Jacobs defeated Keenan Collins with a round 4 knockout on that date.
On August 19, 2013, Jacobs captured the WBC Continental Americas middleweight title via third-round knockout of Giovanni Lorenzo during the premiere of Golden Boy Live! on Fox Sports 1.Danny Jacobs captures WBC Continental Americas middleweight title with amazing knockout of Giovanni Lorenzo, NY Dailynews. August 20, 2013Jacob's one-two punch KOs Lorenzo in third round, USA Today. August 20, 2013
WBA (Regular) middleweight champion On August 9, 2014, Jacobs challenged Jarrod Fletcher (18-1, 10 KOs) for the vacant WBA (Regular) middleweight title on the undercard of Danny Garcia vs. Rod Salka at the Barclays Center in New York. Jacobs won the fight, after a dominant performance, via TKO in the 5th-round. Jacobs started fast, dropping Fletcher in the first round following a left hook. Jacobs continued to dominate the round landing 40 power shots. Jacobs did not rush and fought the next few rounds patiently. He continued to target the body and had Fletcher in trouble again in the fourth round. Fletcher started the fifth round promising, but Jacobs landed a right hand which dropped Fletcher again. He beat the count, however Jacobs began to swarm him with shots until referee Michael Griffin stopped the fight at 2:18, after the ringside doctor got up on the apron, awarding Jacobs the win. The win was particularly emotional for Jacobs, who celebrated with family and friends in his hometown. After the fight, Jacobs said, "It feels so great to win this belt. It's the greatest moment in my life." Jacobs stated that he wanted to fight Peter Quillin next. According to CompuBox, Jacobs landed 117 of 294 punches (40%), while Fletcher landed just 37 of 229 punches (16%).
Jacobs vs. Truax Jacobs' first defense came against Caleb Truax (25–1–2, 15 KOs) on April 24, 2015, at UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The fight was aired on Spike TV. Originally, it was scheduled to take place on April 11, on the undercard of Danny Garcia vs. Lamont Peterson, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, however on March 7, the changes where made by PBC. Heading into the fight, Truax was aware of his underdog status, but believed he was the toughest challenge for Jacobs. He also noted that Jacobs was the toughest fighter he will face in his career to date. Jacobs weighed in at 159.4 pounds, while Truax came in at 159.6 pounds. On the night, Jacobs controlled the fight throughout and secured a 12th-round TKO victory, marking the first knockout loss of Truax's career. Jacobs out-boxed Truax from the opening bell, using his footwork, accuracy and defensive skills. Truax managed to land a few jabs and power shots, but they had minimal impact. After the midway point, Jacobs increased his offensive efforts and caused Truax's nose to bleed. In the championship rounds, Jacobs continued to pressure Truax, although Truax was able to land some counter punches. The end came in the twelfth round, when Jacobs landed a series of power shots, leading to a right hand which caused Truax to stumble against the ropes. Referee Dave Smith ruled it a knockdown, as the ropes supported Truax. The fight resumed with Jacobs launching a flurry of punches, leaving Truax unable to defend himself, leading the referee to stop the fight at 2:12 of the round. Jacobs became the first cancer survivor to win and defend a major belt and solidified his status as a top middleweight champion. According to Nielsen Media Research, the card reached 569,000 homes.
Jacobs vs. Mora Jacobs' next defence was against former light middleweight titlist Sergio Mora (28-3-2, 9 KOs), only four months later on August 1, 2015. The fight was announced in June, as a co-feature bout on the Danny Garcia vs. Paulie Malignaggi card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on ESPN. Jacobs' admitted in looking ahead to challenge Peter Quillin, a more lucrative fight for him, but stated he was not looking past Mora. Both had something to prove going into the fight. With Jacobs, it was a chance to solidify his status as a rising champion and for Mora, to seize a final opportunity as a seasoned veteran. Although Jacobs was considered the favourite, he spoke positively about Mora's skill and understood the significance of gaining experience through this fight. Jacobs weighed 159.8 pounds, and Mora was slightly lighter at 159.2 pounds. The fight ended in the second round with a TKO victory for Jacobs after Mora sustained an ankle injury during a knockdown. Both started aggressively and traded knockdowns in the opening round. Mora was knocked down by a counter right hand, while Jacobs fell after receiving a short left hook. In the second round, Jacobs pressed the attack with a series of punches. With 27 seconds left in the round, Jacobs landed a right hand which caused Mora to crumple to the floor while trying to lean away from the shot. Referee Gary Rosato stopped the fight at 2:55 of the round, awarding the victory to Jacobs. Mora later stated he heard a "pop" and was unable to continue.
After the fight, Jacobs said, "I wanted to stop him. I didn't want him to quit on the stool. I wanted to beat him on my own. But I think he knew what the outcome was going to be a few rounds later." Mora mentioned the possibility of a rematch, to which Jacobs responded: "No rematch, no reason to go backward." CompuBox showed that Jacobs landed 23 of 71 punches (32%) and Mora landed 13 of 85 (15%). For the fight, Jacobs had a purse of $500,000, while Mora's purse was $225,000. Jacobs' trainer Andre Rozier believed that Mora was looking for a way out without facing a knockout loss, suggesting the injury was a convenient excuse. Jacobs later agreed with his trainers sentiments. Mora argued the fight should be classified as a no contest due to the nature of the injury being accidental and not resulting from a punch. He planned to appeal to the New York State Athletic Commission, citing that the injury was caused by an illegal punch and not a direct hit. Mora was also seeking medical advice for an avulsion fracture and related knee trauma, with an estimated recovery time of six to eight weeks.
Jacobs vs. Quillin In August 2015, it was reported that a fight between Jacobs and Peter Quillin (31-0-1, 22 KOs) was in the works to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. December 5 was the date on hold for the bout which was likely to headline the event. The fight was expected to be Jacobs' toughest challenge since his loss to Dmitry Pirog in 2010. Quillin had to get past Australia’s Michael Zarafa (17-1, 9 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout on September 12 in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Ron Rizzo of DiBella Entertainment said, “It's a fight that's a long time coming. If Peter gets through his fight in September, then we move to a fight that both guys truly deserve.” On September 30, the fight was officially announced. On the announcement, Jacobs stated, “There is no doubt this is going to be one of the biggest fights Brooklyn has ever seen, Peter and I go back a long time, but this is business. I'm the champion and he's the challenger. I'm going to do everything I can to win on December 5 and show the world that I'm the best Brooklyn has to offer.” The card was broadcast live on Showtime and picked up in the United Kingdom by BoxNation. The fight was highlighted as career defining for both boxers. Lou DiBella said of the fight, “This is the biggest fight in Barclays history and certainly the biggest fight I will have promoted in Brooklyn and it's going to have the biggest crowd.”