Canelo Alvarez walks away with another Middleweight title, defeating Daniel Jacobs in a close fight.
Canelo Alvarez def. Daniel Jacobs, UD (115-113, 115-113, 116-112)
Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs engaged in a high quality, back and forth boxing match tonight. Neither man was able to truly impose his will at any point, with much of the fight being won in small increments. Jacobs started the fight working behind his jab, though moved away from that jab in the middle rounds. Canelo, as always, used body hooks nicely, including some good combinations against the ropes. As the fight progressed, it seemed Jacobs took more of the control late in the fight, only to have Canelo come on at the very end. Arguably the true difference maker was Canelo’s excellent defense, as especially early in the fight, he slipped punches very well, not allowing Jacobs to land enough to take the rounds.
The DAZN announce team had it wide for Canelo, but I had it 115-113, and have no issue with these cards, which is a rarity for a Canelo fight.
With that win, Canelo is just one title away from being the unified Middleweight champion. Next up for him could be the trilogy fight with Gennady Golovkin, or the unification fight with Demetrius Andrade – both men are currently signed to DAZN, so ideally neither should be too tough to put together.
In the post-fight interviews, Canelo didn’t commit to what is next, just saying he wants the best challenge. Jacobs was all class, not questioning the decision and saying he started a bit slow because of Canelo’s style.