Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. remains one hell of a wild card in boxing, with the last 48 hours serving as further proof.
Daniel Jacobs was supposed to be making his super middleweight debut against him Friday, but Chavez tipped the scales five pounds overweight the day before, forcing the two camps to agree to a 173-pound catchweight.
When Friday night rolled around, "The Miracle Man" stepped into the ring and saw an opponent who looked more like a cruiserweight, according to Jacobs.
Still, Jacobs worked behind the jab and softened up the body, slowing down an already out-of-shape Chavez until he busted the nose of the boxing legend's son in the fifth round. That, seemingly, was enough for Chavez to quit on his stool, giving Jacobs a fifth-round TKO victory at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, and live on DAZN.
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Raucous fans in the arena booed and threw objects into the ring at Chavez, clearly upset that the Mexican fighter quit instead of persisting. Chavez had to be rushed out by security, which attempted to shield him from fans' projectiles.
"He quit on his stool," Jacobs told DAZN's Chris Mannix following the win as his camp did its best to protect him from the items being hurled into the ring.
"I'm from Brownsville — I never ran and I never will," the Brooklyn native continued, "but I’m going to duck these beer cans.
"I know they're not mad at me. They're mad at Chavez."
DAZN’s broadcast team reported that Chavez’s trainer, Freddie Roach, claimed his charge had suffered a broken nose and had trouble breathing, which prompted him to quit, but Chavez himself seemed to be complaining about a possibly fractured hand.
After the bout, Mannix tweeted:
Just talked to Chavez Jr. Says he broke his nose. Said Jacobs kept elbowing him and head butting him. Says Jacobs didn’t beat him, his illegal shots did. Interview posting soon on @DAZN_USA
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) December 21, 2019
Whatever the case, the unpredictable Chavez came out aggressively, lunging with his big right hook. Jacobs, however, asserted his jab by the second round and worked behind it to break down Chavez's body. In the fourth round, Jacobs landed his best punch of the night — an overhand right that rocked Chavez flush in the head. A brief firefight broke out during the round’s waning seconds as Jacobs yelled "Let’s go!" in Chavez's face.
Chavez did land a solid shot in the fifth round, but Jacobs instantly countered it and bloodied his opponent's nose. That marked the beginning of the end. Chavez told the referee between the fifth and sixth rounds that he had had enough.
Jacobs dedicated the victory to late boxer Patrick Day.
Julio Cesar Martinez sensational in ninth-round TKO of Cristofer Rosales to win WBC flyweight champion
If you aren't familiar with Martinez, it's time to get familiar, quickly. The 24-year-old Mexican fighter was absolutely scintillating Friday as he fluidly switched between orthodox and southpaw stances to pummel Rosales with multiple-punch combinations and pinpoint accuracy.
Martinez gets the stoppage to win the WBC belt 💥 #JacobsChavezJr pic.twitter.com/JhqqI7AZIc
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) December 21, 2019
He repeatedly found a home for his looping left uppercut, which was a devastating weapon throughout the fight. Martinez used it to string together combinations. Martinez eventually unloaded an onslaught of unanswered punches with Rosales against the ropes until the referee stepped in. The fight could have been stopped during the seventh; Martinez was that effective. He seems to be a star in the making.
Maurice Hooker blasts Uriel Perez for first-round TKO; catchweight of 144 pounds
"Mighty Mo" uncorked a sweeping right hook that knocked Perez's equilibrium silly and added a few more heavy-handed rights before the ref saved the Mexican fighter from taking any further punishment.
Mighty Mo with the first-round KO 💪 #JacobsChavezJr pic.twitter.com/HnjnJ3aeN2
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) December 21, 2019
Zero problems for Hooker, who was fighting at a catchweight in his first bout since losing the WBO super lightweight title to Jose Ramirez in July. Although he moved up in weight, Hooker repeatedly said, "I just want my belt back," referring to how he wants to reclaim a 140-pound title.
