By Jake Donovan
Fight night in Las Vegas carries a very different meaning for both Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs.
The two will share a ring in Sin City on May 4, with their forthcoming middleweight title unification bout to stream live on sports streaming platform DAZN from the T-Mobile Arena, where Alvarez will headline for the fifth time since its doors opened in 2016.
In addition to his presence at T-Mobile, Alvarez has emerged as the biggest draw in the gambling town. His upcoming bout with Jacobs will mark his 10th headliner in Las Vegas, with five of his previous nine producing among the 25 largest live gates in state history.
Interestingly, both boxers have similar records in town while the strip has also produced the first loss in their respective careers. Alvarez is 9-1-1 in Vegas (including two undercard appearances), while Jacobs boasts a 7-1 mark here.
Most of Jacobs’ fights, however, have come in the early portion of his career, including his pro debut in Dec. ’07. None of his fights have served as headlining acts here, and his last appearance nearly nine years ago resulted in a devastating knockout loss in his first career title fight.
A 5th round stoppage at the hands of Dmitry Pirog in their July ’10 middleweight title fight came with plenty of emotional baggage for Jacobs, whose grandmother—also his longtime caretaker—had passed away shortly beforehand. The loss itself is a moment he’s managed to put in the rearview mirror, considering all that he’s since achieved.
“There's definitely no concerns because if you know anything about the last time I fought in Vegas and how old I was, and the things that I was going through at that time, I'm a completely different fighter,” Jacobs (35-2, 29KOs) pointed out during a recent media conference call. “And I'm also a completely different person, with a mature mind, with a lot more skills, with a lot more mental strength.
“So there's not fear; there's not a worry whatsoever when it comes to that.”
The statement especially rings true in the aftermath. Jacobs has since conquered cancer, returning to the sport in 2012 and has enjoyed two separate middleweight title reigns.
His first reign ended in a hard-fought March ’17 loss to Gennady Golovkin, dropping a close 12-round decision to the then-unbeaten middleweight titlist who went to draw with and lose to Alvarez in their two fights at T-Mobile Arena. Jacobs has since rebounded with three straight wins, including a 12-round nod over Sergiy Derevyanchenko last October to begin his second title reign.
The first defense now comes versus Alvarez, the lineal champion who also owns a slew of alphabet titles. The bout also doubles as Jacobs’ debut on DAZN, with the event lauded as a pay-per-view level matchup and a virtual pick-‘em.
That he gets to return to Las Vegas for a moment like this carries far greater meaning than chasing the ghost of a forgettable portion of his career.
“[I]t definitely will be sweet but not to avenge a loss that I've had before, but just to capitalize and be victorious in the fights in where people predict it's either a 50/50 fight or against one of the best fighters in the world,” Jacobs notes. “[F]or that reason and for that reason alone I'm just excited for it, not to try to overshine or put patches on anything that happened in the past because the past make you who you are today.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
