Daniel Jacobs hauls Brooklyn mindset to Vegas ahead of Canelo bout

Mark Lelinwalla

Daniel Jacobs hauls Brooklyn mindset to Vegas ahead of Canelo bout image

At some point on Tuesday, before flying out to Las Vegas, Daniel Jacobs plans on making the trek back home to Brownsville, Brooklyn, N.Y., home of the brave.

“It clears my mind. Most importantly, it motivates me,” Jacobs tells Sporting News about returning home before facing Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in their pivotal middleweight unification fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on May 4.

Soaking up the vibes in Brownsville before a fight is something Jacobs did prior to facing Gennady Golovkin at Madison Square Garden on March 2017. This fight against the face of boxing is of an even larger magnitude. Way larger.

MORE: Join DAZN and watch Canelo vs. Jacobs on May 4

“I’m going to go to Brownsville to make sure I get most of that love that I was raised on and feel that energy, so that I could go out and conquer the world because where I’m from, it’s Brooklyn versus everybody,” Jacobs said before conducting his final media workout at CEA Fitness in Port Washington, N.Y. on Monday. “Just to feel lively, go back out and like I said conquer the world because I really feel like this is the opportunity for me to fulfill my dreams. This is my one shot.”

That’s the homegrown, gritty mentality Jacobs is hauling with him to Vegas to attempt an upset over Canelo in just over two weeks: one shot to shock the world and prove he’s the best middleweight, period.

The 32-year-old told SN about his vision of seeing his hand raised as the unified middleweight champion of the world when the dust settles on his fight against Canelo on May 4. He was candid about his two-pronged blueprint on how to make that a reality, too.

The first key: using his movement. Jacobs moves around with intricate ring generalship and guile, moving his opponents rough-and-tumble style around the ring in an awkwardly good manner and hitting them while he does so.

“I think it’s one of our keys to victories,” Jacobs said of his complex movement. “Using that (movement), using it very well, getting the gist of it early on and setting the tone early on is going to be the deciding factor for me as far as being comfortable, being able to set the tone, being able to dictate. That’s really the key because we don’t want Canelo to dictate.”

If you ask Jacobs, he just doesn’t see that as a possibility.

“I don’t necessarily think that Canelo can bully me,” Jacobs said. “It’s going to be really hard for him being the smaller guy to kind of dictate that. I’m a rough guy when it comes to being inside that ring with me. Seeing me from the outside, it might look different, but when you’re actually in there, I’m a physically big guy with speed and power.”

That brings us to Jacobs’ second major key for defeating Alvarez: relying on his natural attributes. Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs) stands more than 3 inches taller than Canelo (51-1-2, 35 KOs), with about a 3-inch reach advantage.

“Obviously my biggest advantage is my size, my reach and range, my athleticism, so I’m going to use that to the best of my ability,” Jacobs said.

“I actually expect Danny to push Canelo around, keep him off balance, make him uncomfortable,” said Jacobs’ longtime trainer Andre Rozier. “He’s the bigger man.”

If Jacobs’ camp sees early on that Canelo has done his homework and is capable of making necessary adjustments, then they, too, are prepared to call audibles in real-time.

“If there needs to be a Plan B or Plan C, obviously we have all that,” Jacobs said.

“All the way to Plan Z,” Rozier added. “We’re ready for all accounts and all measures and I think the boxing world, fans included, will be very surprised with the performance that Danny gives and presents.”

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Jacobs’ training camp for this fight has taken the veteran to Plan Z, with the Brooklyn native regularly training in a high-altitude chamber, simulating the kind of adversity he might see against Canelo — especially if their bout goes the distance.

Throughout the promotion, this bout has been referred to as a “50-50 fight,” with Jacobs openly saying he can’t afford to leave it in the judges’ hands. If he’s successful in recording that convincing win, Jacobs believes the victory would also help him move past his controversial unanimous decision loss to Golovkin.

“To me, it would let the fans know that … I’m the best middleweight in the world,” Jacobs says. “With a victory over Canelo, not only does it kind of erase (that loss) or put a new idea in fans’ minds that ‘Maybe this kid is the best, he’s proven himself against the guy that actually beat GGG.’ Then, I could give GGG the rematch and finally prove to the world that I’m better than he is.”

Before any of that, though, Jacobs will stop off at Brownsville. Then, it’s wheels up to Vegas, where “The Miracle Man” will get that one shot.

Mark Lelinwalla

Mark Lelinwalla Photo

Mark Lelinwalla is a contributing writer and editor for DAZN News. He has written for the likes of the New York Daily News, Men's Health, The Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, Complex, XXL and Vibe Magazine.