Jacobs, Miller move closer to world-title bouts

Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs of Brooklyn continued his march toward another shot at a middleweight title Saturday night by earning a unanimous decision over Maciej Sulecki of Poland at Barclays Center.

Jacobs dropped Sulecki in the 12th round for the only knockdown of the fight before a crowd of 7,892. With the win, Jacobs improved to 34-2 with 29 knockouts and becomes the mandatory challenger for the WBA middleweight title. Meanwhile, Brooklyn heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller remained unbeaten with a unanimous decision over Johann “The Reptile” Duhaupas of France.

Jacobs’ win didn’t come easy. Sulecki, who had moved up from junior middleweight, had some good moments and was competitive throughout the bout. The judges scored the fight 116-111, 117110 and 115-112.

“He was a tough customer,” Jacobs said. “I was prepared for everything. We abandoned the jab trying to go for the knockout. But at the end of the day, I thought I did well and earned a unanimous decision.”

Sulecki (26-1, 10 KOs) might have entered with an unbeaten record, but Jacobs wanted to show they weren’t on the same level. The Brownsville native rocked Sulecki with a hard left hook to the side of his face just as the fourth round ended, and closed the fifth with a tenacious toe-to-toe flurry.

Sulecki tried to pick up the pace and let his hands go in the seventh. He fired several right hands off quick combinations to win the round. Jacobs was busier in the eighth and ninth and by the 10th he was beginning to stalk a tiring Sulecki.

Jacobs started the 12th with a clean right to the chin and then dropped Sulecki with another thunderous right hand. Sulecki got up and tried to battle back as Jacobs poured on the pressure until the final bell.

Jacobs hopes his next fight will be for a title.

“Ultimately we want the guys with the belts,” Jacobs said.

Miller is hoping for a title shot, too. He improved to 21-0-1 going 12 rounds for the first time in his career. Even though he claimed the decision by a wide margin (119109, 119-109 and 117-111) it wasn’t as dominant a performance as he had hoped for. Duhaupas (37-5) showed a strong chin and determined heart. The Frenchman took a pounding but was never on the canvas, connecting just enough to stay competitive.

“He was a tough durable fighter,” Miller said. “I thought I could get him out of there early, but he ate all of my punches even the ones I threw with bad intentions.”

Miller is hoping for a chance to fight Anthony Joshua of Britain this fall for his heavyweight titles.

“I’m ready for Anthony Joshua,” Miller said. “Let’s bring him to Brooklyn and show him how we do it.”

Meanwhile, Katie Taylor (9-0, 4 KOs) of Ireland added the IBF belt to her WBA women’s world lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Victoria Noelia Bustos of Argentina.