Get a fight preview of Canelo Alvarez vs. Daniel Jacobs live on DAZN, right here.
Saturday night live on DAZN is a Middleweight title unification fight as Canelo Alvarez (51-1-2; 35 KO) faces Daniel Jacobs (35-2; 29 KO). Winner walks away with the WBA, WBC, IBF, Ring, and lineal 160 lbs. titles. Canelo vs. Jacobs takes place this Saturday, May 4 and airs live on DAZN with a fight time of 9:00 p.m. ET.
Canelo Alvarez
- The champ (?) – Love it or hate it, the fact of the matter is, Canelo stands tall at the top of the Middleweight division today. He claimed the lineal Middleweight title by defeating Miguel Cotto in 2015, then took an assortment of fights at odd weights that I guess technically were at Middleweight to defend the belt. Then he went 1-0-1 against GGG to cement his spot. On the books at least.
- Judging favor – At this point, it’s impossible not to talk about the favor Canelo receives from judges. Most agree that he should be 0-1-1 against Golovkin, but judges have made him 1-0-1. Many argue he should have lost to Erislandy Lara way back in 2014, but judges gave him the nod. Many argue Austin Trout shouldn’t have been forced to fight from behind in their 2013 fight, but… ALL agree that he never should have been given a draw on one card against Floyd Mayweather. But, but, but.
- Reputation – Over the years, Canelo has developed a reputation for cherry-picking opponents. That’s largely based on that rather farcical Middleweight title run, plus his choice to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., plus the perception from many that he waited for GGG to age before taking that fight. Those are all fair points. But they also overlook a lot of fights where Canelo did take risks. He faced Lara when no one wanted to, he did ultimately face Golovkin, twice (and for those who thought he waited way too long, may I remind you of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao?) and he’s facing the best non-GGG Middleweight in the world here. He’s earned some of the reputation, but some is unfair.
- Body work – Canelo’s hook to the body is one of the best weapons in the sport today. He’s superb at using it and wearing down opponents. He’s also very good at knowing when he can push things and go for the kill (Khan and Fielding) and when he’s better off fighting a points game.
Daniel Jacobs
- Miracle Man – Jacobs’s nickname isn’t just a fancy name. In 2011, Jacobs missed nearly two years of his career suffering from a rare form of bone cancer. He’s since made a full recovery and reached amazing heights. Miracle Man indeed.
- GGG – Both Jacobs and Canelo have a common opponent in Golovkin, and while Golovkin lost to Canelo and defeated Jacobs, those official outcomes don’t tell the whole story. As I said, Canelo really didn’t deserve the scores against GGG. And on the flipside, GGG didn’t really deserve the scores he got against Jacobs. The fact is both of these men stepped in against Golovkin, and both fought him equally as well. Though if you wanted to argue that the GGG Jacobs faced was a little better than the GGG Canelo faced, I would certainly support you.
- Punching power – This is a big plus for Jacobs. He’s not quite at that GGG/Lemieux level, but he does have good power and he knows how to use it. He’s a big Middleweight, and will definitely be the larger man Saturday night. That said, he also hasn’t finished a fight since 2016 – possibly a sign that his power isn’t there against these higher level opponents?
- IBF Champ – Jacobs held the WBA Middleweight title heading into his GGG fight, and now holds the IBF belt here, having won it from Serhiy Derevianchenko in October. It’s one of only two titles Canelo doesn’t hold. The last one is the WBO belt held by Demetrius Andrade. Andrade also fights for DAZN, so while he’s not the most box office friendly opponent, he’s guaranteed to be on the short list of opponents for the winner here.
What else is on the card?
See my preview of the undercard here.
Final Verdict
This is a great fight featuring two of the absolute best in their division. As an added bonus, they should match-up well to deliver a hard-hitting, action fight. My suspicion is that it will be very close, something like 7-5 either way. And in a fight like that, we know who will get the nod.
Prediction: Canelo Alvarez, controversial UD