By Keith Idec
LAS VEGAS – Oscar De La Hoya is intimately aware of the challenges Daniel Jacobs could present for Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night.
De La Hoya’s company promoted Jacobs early in his career. “The Golden Boy” also has profound respect for the incredible perseverance Jacobs displayed by overcoming bone cancer and paralysis to become a two-time middleweight champion.
Alvarez’s promoter has long noticed, however, that Jacobs often is willing to trade once an opponent presses him. That, according to De La Hoya, could lead to Alvarez beating Jacobs in their middleweight title unification fight at T-Mobile Arena (DAZN).
“It all depends how the fight pans out because, look, Jacobs is a fighter who doesn’t really have great footwork,” De La Hoya told a group of reporters at MGM Grand prior to a press conference Wednesday. “But he has great upper-body movement, you know, and he throws a lot of combinations. And sometimes he’s too brave for his own good.
“So, knowing Jacobs, he’s gonna try and use his reach. But then, Canelo, if he comes in and wants to work the body, Jacobs is probably gonna just feel like, ‘OK, let’s fight.’ You know? And that might be the downfall for Jacobs. But again, if Canelo just rushes him, like with Triple-G, Jacobs can just pick him apart outside. So, it’s very strategic.”
De La Hoya believes, too, that an overwhelmingly pro-Alvarez crowd could entice Jacobs into the type of firefight that’ll benefit Alvarez.
The 32-year-old Jacobs hasn’t fought in Las Vegas since Russia’s Dmitry Pirog knocked him out in the fifth round of their WBO middleweight title fight in July 2010. Jacobs was ahead, 39-37, on all three scorecards when Pirog’s right hand left him flat on his back at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Brooklyn’s Jacobs will enter enemy territory Saturday night, when throngs of Mexican and Mexican-American fans will strongly support Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
“It just all depends on how Jacobs handles the crowd,” De La Hoya said. “You know, because the crowd out there is gonna wanna push you to fight. You know? So, it’s all mental and physical. I mean, who knows what they’re gonna do? But that’s what I’ve been kind of studying in my head.”
Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs) is listed as about a 3-1 underdog against Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 KOs) in their 12-round fight for Alvarez’s WBA and WBC and Jacobs’ IBF middleweight titles.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
