By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Abel Sanchez concedes that Daniel Jacobs “probably” is the best opponent of Gennady Golovkin’s professional boxing career.
That doesn’t mean, according to Golovkin’s trainer, that Jacobs won’t meet the same fate as the first 36 guys who’ve tried to beat the Kazakh knockout artist. Sanchez fully expects Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) to extend his knockout streak to 24 when he steps into the ring to battle Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) on March 18 at Madison Square Garden (HBO Pay-Per-View).
“I think he has a very good right hand,” Sanchez said while assessing Jacobs before a press conference Tuesday at The Garden. “He’s a very sharp puncher, but nobody, and I’ve said it in the past, nobody goes 12 rounds with Gennady. He will eventually get to him. Danny’s gonna land his shots because this is boxing. It’s part of the game. But Gennady will wear him down and will land his shot, and will put him out.”
That said, Sanchez praised the experienced Jacobs’ ability to box, punch and think in the ring. Sanchez realizes that the 6-feet Jacobs possesses a considerable combination of skills that Golovkin hasn’t encountered since he turned pro in May 2006.
“I would say he’s probably the best fighter we will have fought to date,” Sanchez said. “A better amateur, great right hand, good boxing knowledge. I think that when we fought here the last time, with David Lemieux, I said that Gennady was gonna be the smarter guy in the ring because he had better ring IQ. Danny’s very smart.
“Danny’s gonna be a big threat to us. But as you noticed in Gennady’s answer a little while ago, the frustration [in] him and people just talking, and Danny not talking and finally stepping up to the plate once it was mandated for him to fight, it’s an exciting fight. He’s excited about the fight, and that’s very important for us in the gym.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
