Facts about Daniel Jacobs
The 'Miracle Man' from America, Daniel Jacobs (37-3, 30KOs), comes to the UK for the first time in his professional boxing career to face Briton John Ryder (30-5, 17KOs) in a WBA super-middleweight title eliminator at the iconic Alexandra Palace on February 12.
BBN found out some interesting facts about the Brooklyn boxer ahead of his UK debut:
Born February 3, 1987, in Brooklyn, New York, Daniel Jacobs was raised in Brownsville by his mother, Yvette, and his aunts and grandmother, Cordelia, after his father abandoned the family. His parents had split when he was just two and was forced to move back in with his grandmother. He says, "I was raised by my mum, grandmother, about five or six aunts and female cousins!"
He first started boxing at the age of eight because he was being picked on by a bully at school. He discovered that the bully was going to a local boxing gym so he went along as well simply wanting to get revenge on him and describes entering the gym as "Love at first sight". Soon after he began training, he was put in the ring with the bully and "beat him up", in his own words.
He also excelled in football, but during a high school championship game which his team lost because the quarterback decided to run the football instead of throwing it in to him when he was wide open in the end zone, he decided to choose a sport where he was the sole dictator and not part of a team.
He graduated from Erasmus High School, founded in 1786. Steeped in history, the school has a number of a famous alumni including singer Neil Diamond, cartoonist Joseph Barbera, legendary actress Barbara Streisand, and none other than boxing promoter Bob Arum!
As an amatuer, he ran his record to 137-7 and beat notable names such as Shawn Porter three times. He also beat Briton Martin Murray twice in an England vs USA tournament in London.
He made his professional debut on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in December 2007. He recalls being "Scared to death" on his pro bow, which he won by first-round knockout.
Regarded as a blue-chip prospect, he signed with Golden Boy Promotions and fought on many of the biggest boxing shows, fighting 13 times in his first year, and was given the nickname, 'The Golden Child'. He remembers earning anywhere between $5,000 to $8,000 for those early four and six-round fights.
In May 2011, tragedy struck when Jacobs was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a life-threatening form of bone cancer. After a trip to Iraq to support US troops, he returned with a what he thought was a pinched nerve in his leg, which soon worsened to having to walk on crutches and then to a wheelchair in just three weeks.
He received treatment at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which has 20,000 employees and over 2,600 beds, and is one of the largest hospitals in the world. He recovered and returned to the ring in October 2012, just 19 months on from his last fight, thus earning the nickname 'Miracle Man'.
He lost his first challenge at a world title to then-undefeated Russian Dmitry Pirog in 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas. Pirog was the underdog going into the fight, which Jacobs controlled until he was caught with a huge right hand in the fifth. His beloved grandmother had died of cancer just four days before the fight.
He won his first world title in 2014 with a fifth-round stoppage win over Australian Jarrod Fletcher in his home borough of Brooklyn. Jacobs dropped Jarrod with a left hook in round one, followed by a right cross in the fifth.
He won the IBF World middleweight title in 2018 against Sergiy Derevyanchenko to become a two-time world champion.
In 2017, Jacobs signed with Matchroom Boxing, having worked without a promoter since his comeback from illness.
Jacobs has an 82.8% knockout-to-win ratio.
He is now managed by Keith Connolly, and trains with Andre Rozier at the SNAC Gym.
Daniel has a young son with his ex-girlfriend Natalie Stevens, born December 3, 2008. He is a devoted dad to his son, Nate, because he claims his own father was the perfect role model to him because he did everything wrong so that he vowed to always do the opposite. He is now dating Angela Simmons, the daughter of Run DMC's rapper Rev Run.
Roll of Honour
Junior Olympics Gold Medallist 2003
US National Champion 2004
PAL National Champion 2004
Golden Gloves National Champion 2004
PAL National Champion 2005
Golden Gloves National Champion 2005
US National Champion 2006
4x New York Golden Gloves Champion
WBO-NABO Middlweight champion
WBC-NABF Middleweight Champion
WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Champion
WBA Regular Middleweight Champion
IBF Middleweight Champion
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