JACOBS BEATS DEREVYANCHENKO, WINS BELT

Danny Jacobs needed the big challenge, wanted to fight a guy who even some of boxing’s best wouldn’t. Now Jacobs knows what else he wants. “I want Canelo next,” he said. Even a fight with Canelo Alvarez couldn’t be much tougher than the one Jacobs had Saturday night. Jacobs won the IBF middleweight title, pulling out a thrilling split decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Jacobs scored a first-round knockdown and that helped him build just enough of a lead to hold on in a tight finish in which both fighters were swinging wildly across the late rounds. He won 115-112 on Tom Schreck and Steve Weisfeld’s cards, while judge Julie Lederman scored it 114-113 for Derevyanchenko. “Hats off to Sergiy. I knew he was a true competitor,” Jacobs said. “I knew he was going to be hard so I had to dig deep.”