GUEST COLUMN
What I really want is Golovkin or Canelo, but Saunders or Lemieux is more realistic
Daniel Jacobs on his 160lb rivals
IT was good to feel like a winner again following my last fight against Luis Arias. It was a strange fight where the build-up got people expecting some non-stop action because of the way he had talked himself up in the weeks before the fight. It was a total bluff that I fell for and I have to admit that he did play a convincing part when bluffing me, but whether I had to box or fight with him, I knew that once he felt my power, it would be a shock to him. So even though I fell for his bluff beforehand, I knew he wouldn’t want to stand with me once we let our hands go.
At this very moment, there is not an immediate fight on my radar, but I’m well aware what’s going on in the middleweight division. This can be an exciting time for middleweights because there are a number of guys out there who are all world class, and it looks like some of them will find out some things about themselves in the months that are coming up.
Canelo and Golovkin look set to go again next year. Man, would I love to fight the winner of that. I know all about Golovkin. That fight we had earlier this year was a
A ROUNDED BOXER AGAINST SOMEONE WHO LIKES TO HURT PEOPLE
big moment for me, and although I didn’t get my hand raised that night, I still feel like I’m the best middleweight in the world. I can say that there’s bad decisions in boxing but I wouldn’t call my fight with Golovkin one, but I do feel like the judges got it wrong that night. It was a close fight that I feel I just done enough in, but the judges saw things differently. Golovkin, in terms of results, is the best middleweight in the world; I still believe I am though.
The fight I have all my focus on at the moment though is the one that takes place in Canada where Billy Joe Saunders defends his world title against David Lemieux. What a fight this is. A good, rounded boxer against someone who loves to hurt people. I think this is going to be a fight that explodes really early and, at the moment, I’m leaning towards Billy Joe Saunders just showing enough skill to get a decision on the cards.
I’ve watched Saunders enough to know that the better the opponent, the better he fights. That evidence is there throughout his career. It even reflects in his bad performances and there have been a couple of them. He’s very skilful and he’ll have to show every single drop of that against Lemieux because I think David will really be up for this in Canada. He’s a patient puncher who sets people up well and he’s learnt in recent years not to be reckless with his power. You watch Lemieux now compared to when he was coming up and you can see that the recklessness has disappeared. He’s learnt how to use his power effectively so I’m sure he’ll set a few traps for Saunders. We’ll have to see how Saunders reacts to his power.
The winner of this fight is someone I would love to face next because it’s a world title and a more realistic possibility than the winner of Golovkin and Canelo, who probably aren’t going fight until the spring. I don’t want to wait for anybody. I’m in a good place in my career now. I’ve proved that I’m one of the best guys at 160lbs and the way to keep adding to that is by fighting the best names available.
There’s been uncertainty around my career several times over the last few years when you look at my loss to [Dmitry] Pirog and my illness outside the ring, but I’m still here and I’m showing everybody what I knew along. That I’m a world-class fighter who loves this sport and all I want to do is be the best I can possibly be.