As if not having to shed eight extra pounds wasn’t enough of a relief for Daniel Jacobs, so too was the news he received Tuesday afternoon.
For weeks, there has existed the concern that Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (51-3-1, 33KOs) would not be cleared to go through with this weekend’s scheduled fight at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The second-generation boxer was embroiled in a lengthy court battle with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) over a temporary suspension issued nearly two months ago, only to obtain a Temporary Restraining Order which permits him to proceed with the clash of former middleweight titlists (Friday, DAZN, 7:00pm ET).
The tireless efforts on the part of Chavez’s legal team were admired by all involved in this particular event, particularly his in-ring opponent.
“I want to thank Chavez for accepting this fight. I want to thank his lawyer for doing such a great job in making sure he gets to fight,” Brooklyn’s Jacobs (35-3, 29KOs) quipped on Tuesday, hours after a Clark County district court judge granted access for the fight to take place free of legal opposition.
Jacobs has spent the past several weeks in camp essentially training for two opponents. From the moment the fight was announced, there came an insurance policy in the form of Philadelphia-bred veteran boxer Gabriel Rosado (24-12-1,12KOs) serving as the replacement opponent in waiting in the event Chavez Jr. was unable to go through with the fight.
Jacobs makes his super middleweight debut for the fight, forever leaving behind the middleweight division following a competitive but clear 12-round loss to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in their three-belt unification bout this past May. The former two-time middleweight titlist immediately made the decision to move up in weight, leaving Thursday’s weigh-in as a mere formality as far as he’s concerned.
"The amount of attention I've received for this fight taking place here is through the roof,” notes Jacobs of his first career fight in Phoenix and just second anywhere in Arizona. “I know the fight fans are excited about having a big show like this and I look forward to fighting for my fans.
“I'm looking forward to this test and—God willing we get the victory—move on to bigger and better things.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
