By Jackie Kallen
No matter where you live, the fight this Saturday night between Peter Quillin and Daniel Jacobs is a great matchup. But if you happen to live in the New York area, this is a colossal bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Showtime. This is for more than the W. This is for local bragging rights.
Twenty-eight year Daniel Jacobs is from Brooklyn. He has an impressive record of 27-1. His only loss was five years ago when he got stopped by Dmitry Pirog in Las Vegas. He hasn’t looked back—or lost—ever since. His last fight was a 2nd round stoppage of “Contender” winner Sergio Mora in August, also at Barclays Center. Brooklyn is home and Jacobs has no plans to lose at home. His KO ratio is an awesome 87%.
Thirty-two year old Quillin also lives in Brooklyn. His game plan does not include a loss at home, either. In fact, in 32 bouts, he has never tasted defeat. He has stopped 70% of his opponents and has only one slight hiccup: an April outing against Andy Lee that ended in a draw. Other than that, his record is spotless. Not an 0 in sight.
Interestingly, these two warriors are friends. They came up from the same roots and both view this fight as “business.” The battle for Jacob’s 160-pound belt is a match that the public wants to see. Both men are managed by Al Haymon and the fight is being promoted by Lou DiBella.
Many fans are pulling for Jacobs because they are still amazed that he beat his 2011 life-threatening bout with Osteosarcoma, a brutal form of bone disease. The disease left him partially paralyzed and it was predicted that he’d never walk–let alone fight–again. His fighting spirit and his strong will enabled him to beat the odds and come out on top.
For boxing purists, this is a pick-‘em fight. Both men can win. They are both solid hitters and they are both fighting for pride and superiority. Fans seem to be split on who they think will win. A recent poll of boxers showed the same equal division of predictions. It’s not that often that we get such a perfectly balanced match-up.
Hoping not to get overlooked on the undercard, welterweight Chris Algieri (20-2) is facing Ecuador’s Erick Bone (16-2) in a 10-round bout. Bone is coming back after a March loss to Shawn Porter, when he was KOed in the 5th round. Algieri is coming back after two back-to-back unanimous losses to Manny Pacquaio and Amir Khan. He desperately needs this win to keep his career moving in an upward direction.
Neither of these boxers are heavy punchers, so it should come down to a boxing match. Both men are 5’10”. Bone is five years younger and has a slight 2” reach advantage. On paper, this looks to be a fairly competitive fight. However, Algieri is a New Yorker and unless Bones knocks him out or steals every round, Algieri should get the nod.