Throughout training camp, WBC/WBA/IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin has been asked about the comparison between two fights — the difficulty he had against Danny Jacobs and the ease Alvarez had against Julio César Chȧvez, Jr.
“I am not Julio César Chȧvez, Jr. and Canelo is no Danny Jacobs. There are no survivors in my fights,” said Golovkin. “Boxing is a business. If I look great against Jacobs…if I knocked him out, I would not be getting this fight with Canelo now. Jacobs was a very good fighter and gave me good learning experience going 12 rounds. I have never done that before. I felt amazing going 12 rounds for the first time. Jacobs gives everyone problems.”
Golovkin’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, concurs.
“Danny Jacobs is the second-best middleweight in boxing. It was a tough fight because the two best in the middleweight division were fighting each other. The matchup was as good in the ring as it was on paper,” said Sanchez. “Jacobs also gamed the system by skipping the IBF’s mandatory fight day weigh-in where the fighters are only allowed to gain ten pounds from the previous day’s Official Weigh-In. Gennady, as defending champion, honored the IBF’s rule and weighed-in the next morning. Who knows how heavy Jacobs was the night of the fight? But even with that advantage Gennady was able to win.
“Jacobs was easily one weight division heavier than Gennady. Not getting the knockout may have been a double blessing for us. It showed that Gennady was capable of going twelve rounds with an elite fighter and it gave us the fight with Canelo.
“If Gennady had knocked Jacobs out there is no way Golden Boy would have the confidence to put Canelo in with us this year. Now let’s look at Canelo’s last fight. Chȧvez hasn’t fought under 167 pounds in five years. He was drained and barely threw a punch. If that same Chavez fights Gennady, there is no question Gennady knocks him out. Chȧvez was a sitting duck. There is no debate on who had the better win against the better opponent. Watching Canelo’s performance against Chȧvez gave us a lot of confidence too.” .