NEW YORK — Saul "Canelo" Alvarez’s fervent fan base packed the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square and drowned out Danny Jacobs' followers for a majority of the kickoff to their press tour Wednesday.
Despite being a Brooklyn native, Jacobs wasn’t irked by the grander show of support for his Mexican opponent in his home state. In fact, he expected it and relished the moment, gesturing to the crowd to bring it on and mouthing the words "I love it" from the dais.
In a way, Wednesday's reaction served as a microcosm of what Jacobs should continue to expect — but tenfold — when he and Alvarez continue their press run, to Mexico City on Friday before wrapping up the trek in Los Angeles on Monday, with each stop open to the public.
The lopsided reactions will continue all the way up to their May 4 fight, with them reaching a fever pitch in favor of Alvarez during Cinco de Mayo weekend, when Jacobs and Alvarez step into the ring at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to decide the ruler of the middleweight division.
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But what will the reaction be at the end of their highly anticipated showdown?
Nobody in their right mind would dispute Canelo's skills; the 28-year-old WBA and WBC middleweight champion — and the WBA "regular" super middleweight titleholder — is 51-1-2 with 35 knockouts.
But Jacobs has serious skills, too. The 32-year-old IBF middleweight champion enters the fight 35-2 with 29 KOs.
So why is Alvarez favored to win the unification bout?
When Sporting News asked Jacobs if he feels like he’s only the underdog because Canelo is the face of boxing, "The Miracle Man" took a step back and grinned.
"That's a really good question and, to a degree, I say yes. But it's not to take away from anything that he's accomplished because I respect what he brings to the table and what he has done," he said. "But at the same time, the true boxing heads that really know the sport of boxing who know that styles make fights and not just ruling it out because he has a victory over [Gennady] Golovkin and I don’t … see, that’s the people that we’re talking about."
“Those are the people who truly understand the game and those are the people that are going to be riding with me and understand that it could be a 50-50 fight," Jacobs added. "What are the odds? [Something] crazy. That’s the absurdness of it.”
He continued with this warning for bettors: "I don't care, because either you’re going to lose a lot of money or win a lot of money. At the end of the day, don’t bet against me. Don't bet against me."
Just as Alvarez continues to present an improving package of punches that he uses to pile up wins and could deploy to give Jacobs fits on May 4, Jacobs, too, has a cabinet of weaponry that Canelo will have to solve in real time.
Jacobs was quick to remind the press and fans that GGG was a bigger man than Canelo and that he also is a bigger man than Golovkin, inferring that size will be an issue. Jacobs also has a reach advantage and is arguably more athletic than Alvarez.
Those are the attributes evoked first, but what about Jacobs' movement? The veteran employs guile and ring generalship, changing direction in a complicated, rough-and-tumble manner and forcing his opponent to do the same, and then piecing together combinations on the back end.
Before you know it, Jacobs is bullying his foe and depositing round after round into his savings account for the victory — whether by abrupt stoppage or decision.
"Danny could be very, very fleet-footed and very awkward," his longtime trainer, Andre Rozier, told SN. "And the worst part of it is, he could punch off of those moves, which makes him super dangerous because he is a puncher."
Whether it was pure coincidence or Canelo having done his homework already, the face of boxing mentioned Jacobs' movement Wednesday.
"I've always liked challenges and this is not an exception. Daniel Jacobs brings his ability, his qualities, his talent — he knows how to move well in the ring," Alvarez said through an interpreter.
"We'll do what we always do — prepare ourselves to the fullest to give the fans a great fight. This is not going to be an exception. This is going to be a great fight and we're going to come out with our hand raised," Alvarez added.
Of course, Jacobs feels the same way. He has waited patiently for this moment. He has banked on cashing out in the form of a middleweight title unification — and more, if you ask him and his camp.
"Canelo seems to be Hall of Fame-bound. Danny is right behind him. This will cement Danny's position as a future Hall of Famer — this victory," Rozier said. "When we garner it, Danny will be right there on the precipice. Do I think he’ll be a Hall of Famer? Of course. That means I think he’s going to win the fight.”
Jacobs took that a step farther.
"I think Canelo is already a Hall of Fame fighter, so for me to beat him in his prime, for the unification, Cinco de Mayo [weekend], he just finished beating GGG — it's self-explanatory to me," he said. "I just think that a victory over him would just assure me to greatness."
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With Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder failing to get on the same page and the Tyson Fury-Wilder rematch stalled indefinitely, Canelo-Jacobs is the biggest fight in boxing, meaning a greater magnifying glass will be on Jacobs than he has ever experienced.
Taking the podium Wednesday, there was a moment where Jacobs spoke about having to clear hurdles throughout his life — most notably KO'ing cancer — but he sees a finish line as far as cementing his fighting legacy, and it just so happens to be against Canelo.
"May 4, that will be the last hurdle that I would have to step over because I will declare myself the middleweight champ," Jacobs said. "The best fighter in the world in my division."
Perhaps he's already that now.
