By Keith Idec, photo by Ed Mulholland
NEW YORK – Daniel Jacobs’ longtime adviser and attorney can’t understand why so many people are utterly dismissive of Jacobs’ chances of beating Gennady Golovkin.
Keith Connolly has a lot of respect for Golovkin, yet he is looking forward to being able to say, “I told you so,” often March 18 at Madison Square Garden. Connolly, who has worked with Brooklyn’s Jacobs since he turned pro in December 2007, exuded confidence Tuesday during a press conference at The Garden to promote their middleweight title fight (HBO Pay-Per-View; $64.95 in HD; $54.95 in SD).
“I think that night people are gonna be really, really surprised,” Connolly said. “Not only do I think Danny wins, I think he’s gonna be dominant. I think halfway through the second round, I think everybody watching ringside and I think Gennady himself is gonna realize he’s in there with a totally different animal. I think he bit off more than he can chew this time.”
Kazakhstan’s Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) has knocked out 23 consecutive opponents and is a 9-1 favorite two months in advance of their scheduled 12-round fight for the IBF, WBA and WBC 160-pound championships. Connolly considers those wide odds beyond disrespectful to Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs), who has knocked out 88 percent of his professional opponents and generally is regarded as boxing’s second-best middleweight.
“I don’t think people are really giving Danny enough credit for what he’s accomplished,” Connolly continued.
“I know everyone talks about the cancer [which Jacobs beat in 2012], but I don’t think people are talking about what he’s accomplished fighting. I mean, he’s had 32 victories, knocked out 29 people. He’s one of the biggest punchers, I think, in the middleweight division of the last 25 years. And I think Gennady is as well, so I don’t see this fight going the distance. I think it’s a can’t-miss fight and I think it’ll be the best fight of the year.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
