Posts Tagged ‘Dmitry Pirog’

[Interview] Danny Jacobs: Beating Cancer and the Hard Middleweight Road Back

Posted: October 19, 2012 in Fight Interviews
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For most, beating able to survive a bout with cancer is enough. After that, whatever lifestyle changes recommended by a doctor are followed meticulously. Former middleweight prospect Danny Jacobs was faced with the same scenario in May 2011, when he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma that latched onto his spine. Unable to walk, the 25-year-old Jacobs had emergency surgery on his back and was told in no uncertain terms that his boxing career was over.

Within a month of that medical declaration, Jacobs was back in the ring sparring.

Over a year later, Jacobs finds himself back in the ring professionally tomorrow night on Showtime when he faces Josh Luteran to kick off his official comeback. The story is inspiring; many have rightfully proclaimed Jacobs an inspiration no matter what the outcome of his comeback. But unlike other sports, boxing is brutal vocation that shows no mercy in exposing any sign of weakness. The cancer may have increased Jacobs’ mental fortitude, but has that happened at the expense of his in-ring ability?

Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: On you’re journey back to the ring, did you have any mental fear or blocks when it came to taking punches and sparring?

Jacobs: When I went back into sparring it was at a time when doctors told me I shouldn’t spar. A month after, if not a few weeks. after I got out of the hospital I was in there sparring. That first time I got a really good shot, it kind of shook me up a little bit. I didn’t get hurt, but it was a reminder that “this is what you have to look forward to.” If I am going to do it, I have to go hard and give it my all because boxing is a rough sport. It definitely was a good reminder that allowed me to work hard because I didn’t want to take those shots like a did before [laughs].

Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Any time you’ve had major surgery you’re going to notice differences in your body. Hopefully, those differences will be improvements but that varies. What changes did you notice afterward?

Jacobs: The surgery on my back was the longest to heal. I remember my back was numb for a very long time and in pain for months. I definitely see a difference in my weight and my structure. I’ve never been this ripped, cut up and in shape. I don’t know what happened, but you can distinctively see the difference from when I fought [Dmitry] Pirog. I had one of the longest and best training camps for that fight. Training for this fight, I definitely see the changes in physique.

Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Being that it took so long for Josh Luteran to be named as your opponent, how has that changed your preparation?

Jacobs: I’m not one of those fighters that doesn’t look at opponents. If I do know who I’m fighting I try my best to do a little bit of research. What I did come up with was a couple of Youtube clips that he had. It was enough for me to know how he fights, his flaws and to get a gist of his style. I showed my trainers and with the little bit of time we do have we focus on using all his flaws to our advantage.

On Saturday night, not that I’m overlooking him, that’s a special night and I’m looking to perform. Whatever he brings to the table, I’ll be willing to adjust and stay in control.

 Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Depending on the fighter’s temperament, some have to focus on restraining rather than embracing their emotions on fight night. For you, will you have to keep the flood of emotions with this comeback in check until after the final bell?

Jacobs: To be honest, I really want to be able to map out how everything is going to turn out that night with my emotions and how I’ll react. But honestly, I really don’t know how I’ll react. I know I’m in tip-top shape and I’ll be able to perform, but emotionally I might be on a natural high and perform like Ali. Or God forbid I’m nervous and it takes over me. [laughs] In all reality, I think I’ll just enjoy myself and let my hands go because I have a job to do and it’s nothing I haven’t done before. I just have to go in there and get the job done.

Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: With the changes you’ve experienced with your body, can you remain at middleweight for the near future?

Jacobs: Being that I made weight 3-4 weeks before this fight, I’m going to campaign at middleweight for a very long time. Surprisingly, I shot up to 225 pounds post-surgery. It’s been very hard to deal with that fact because as an athlete and especially as a boxer gaining so much weight, it’s not good at all. We’re so used to being very healthy and weight conscious.

To bounce back and be in shape and ripped, it’s motivation for me. I know I have what it takes. Whatever the surgery did to me to make get this way, I’m thankful for it. At the end of the day, I’m going in the ring October 20 and just having fun.

Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: This is your comeback from cancer, but people forget you had “quiet comebacks” in your last two fights to rebound from the Pirog loss. How were those?

Jacobs: I was a little nervous. I was more so nervous about being gunshy and not letting my hands go. With the loss [to Pirog] I know I didn’t lose my skill, but I know I had my butterflys. My mindframe is different now because with everything I went through, I’m able to take control of how I think and feel. With the determination I have, there’s no stopping me when I get in the ring. There will be a couple butterflys, that’s normal, but it won’t affect how I perform.

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Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: What was prognosis on the possibility of your type of cancer coming back?

Jacobs: The cancer I had was a very rare cancer of the bone called osteosarcoma. The chances of it coming back are totally up to me. I have to continue to eat right and stay away from certain foods and sugars. That isn’t too hard because I’ve been an athlete for 11 plus years [and] especially with my life on the line. I might cheat here and there but I’m doing pretty good. I don’t know if there’s a big chance of it coming back, but being that there is a chance I want to do the right thing to prevent it coming back at all.

Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Middleweight has really evolved while you were away. How do you view the division?

Jacobs: I’ve done a bunch of evaluations on the middleweight division. When I left, it wasn’t a lot of top-notch guys. They were on the cusp. While I was recovering, that whole two years is when guys started to really bubble and rise to the top and become champions. I’m just excited to be in an exciting weight class. Whoever we fight, it doesn’t matter because the middleweight division has so much attention on it. Before it was just 1-2 guys at the top. Now it’s a handful of talented guys when I get back to that level.

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World championship boxing returns to Brooklyn with an inaugural night of fights at the new Barclays Center on October 20 headlined by Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Danny “Swift” Garcia against future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales presented by Golden Boy Promotions and supported by Golden Boy Promotions sponsors Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T.  In the co-featured attractions, Brooklyn’s own Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi puts his WBA Welterweight World Championship on the line against hard-hitting Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano, undefeated number one rated WBO middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin of Manhattan takes on unbeaten Hassan N’Dam for N’Dam’s WBO Middleweight World Championship and Devon Alexander “The Great” faces Randall Bailey for Bailey’s IBF Welterweight World Championship in a bout presented in association with DiBella Entertainment.  The SHOWTIME® CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).  Preliminary fights will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME® beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

The undercard is loaded with many of New York’s top fighters, including Brooklyn’s hot middleweight prospect Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs, former World Champion Luis Collazo, the Bronx’s rising star Eddie Gomez, former world title contender Dmitriy Salita and Brooklyn prospect Boyd Melson.

Tickets pricedat $300, $200, $100 and $50 are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling 800-745-3000.

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Supex Six Defeats Prompt Arthur Abraham’s Return to Middleweight

Posted: July 18, 2011 in Fight News
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Following three consecutive losses to finish his run in Showtime’s Super Six tournament, Arthur Abraham has decided to move back down to middleweight.

Abraham’s last bout in May was a clear defeat to tournament favorite Andre Ward by scores of 108-120, 110-118 and 111-118. Abraham had suffered an embarrassingly lopsided unanimous decision loss to Carl Froch last November, and in March 2010 was disqualified for hitting a downed Andre Dirrell.

“I want to prove I can come back,” Abraham told AFP subsidiary SID. “No one should write me off. Just because I lost recently, it doesn’t mean I have lost my sporting ambitions.”

Abraham’s promoter, Wilfried Sauerland, plans to make the eight pound drop from super-middleweight (168 lbs.) to middleweight (160 lbs.) a gradual one, having his fighter compete two more times at 168 before making the middlewight return.

“It can only work if he works with a nutritional consultant and he strictly adheres to this plan,” Sauerland explained. “He hasn’t done that before.”

Abraham went undefeated during his six-year middlewight campaign from 2003-2009. During that time, Abraham made 10 defenses of the IBF middleweight title with seven coming by way of knockout.

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This makes perfect sense for Abraham. Super-middleweight is too deep, and his style has been exposed and exploited at that weight class. The intriguing question is whether fighters Abraham’s size and smaller can replicate that success at 160. It’s entirely possible that Abraham will still struggle heavily with guys like Dmitry Pirog, and definitely the division’s kingpin in Sergio Martinez. I expect Abraham to get in at least 2-3 fights at middleweight against guys on the level of say Peter Manfredo before we see him test himself against a division elite/titlist like Felix Strum.

Dmitry Pirog Beats Maciel in First Middleweight Title Defense

Posted: March 26, 2011 in Fight Reports
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EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA — WBO middleweight titlist Dmitry Pirog took a competitive unanimous decision in his first defense against Argentinian Javier Francisco Maciel.

Pirog controlled the early rounds by simply outworking a tentative Maciel with good hooks to the body. Maciel focused on trying to land big shots which Pirog was able to slip.

Maciel’s best moments came in rounds seven and eight. The seventh saw Maciel force Pirog to hold three times on the strength of wincing left hooks to the body. Pirog did better in the eighth, but still dropped the stanza due to Maciel’s sustained attacks downstairs.

Pirog took back over in the championship rounds despite losing a point in the 10th for fouling with his shoulder. A few hard counters, particularly the straight right, put Maciel back into a defensive shell and allowed Pirog to close strong. In the last round, Maciel was briefly stunned by a right hook.

Final scorecards read 115-112, 117-112, and 115-111 all for Pirog.

Dmitry Pirog’s record improves to 18-0, with 14 KOs. Javier Francisco Maciel’s record falls to 18-2, 12 KOs.

Marquez Wins Decision Over Diaz, Jacobs Suffers Stunning TKO Loss

Posted: August 1, 2010 in Fight Reports
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Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5, 37 KOs) still proved too smart and skilled for a determined Juan Diaz (35-4, 17 KOs), while middleweight prospect Danny Jacobs fell victim to an unusual Russian fighter last night (July 31) at the Mandalay Bay.

As Diaz and Ronnie Shields both told Beats, Boxing and Mayhem in previous interviews, the Baby Ball fought early on behind the jab. The Houston native was very composed, and did not fall in with the reckless shots and leaky defense that sunk him in the first fight. But Marquez as the better boxer was still able to catch Diaz with nice counter left hooks and uppercuts. In another 180 from the first fight, Diaz would give ground instead of engaging in machismo punch exchanges whenever the action got too intense.

Marquez hurt Diaz bad in the fourth with a lead left uppercut. The Baby Bull wobbled back towards the ropes as Marquez pounced with hooks and shot the uppercut again. Diaz was composed in his strategic retreat and survived despite losing the round big. Ronnie Shields warned him in the corner that he got caught for standing straight in front of Marquez with no angles.

That round would be important, as it signaled Marquez’s dominance for the rest of the fight. In the middle rounds, Marquez was all business and continued working Diaz over with counters. For nearly every punch Diaz threw, he received 3-4 punch counters in a varied assortments of straights, hooks and of the course the deadly left uppercut. The only positive for Diaz in this stretch was Marquez’s eye beginning to swell in the 8th, which the champion attributed to an errant thumb in the previous round.

Diaz never stopped trying in the championship rounds, but Marquez had too much skill and power for the 26-year-old former champion. The final scorecards read 116-112, 118-110 and 117-111. Marquez’s accuracy was great, landing 168 of 348 punches (48%). Diaz struggled all night to land cleanly going 74 out of 243 for 30%.

In the post-fight interview, Diaz was non-committal about whether this would be his final fight.

“I’ve got to sit down with my trainers and managers and really consider my future in boxing,” explained Diaz, who takes the LSAT exam in October and has lost 4 of his last 6 fights. “I have to really consider all the facts and see what happens from here on out. I’ve put up a hell of a fight for 10 years and that’s more than most fighters stay in the game…The opportunies are endless all around the globe.”

Even with being the linear lightweight champion, Juan Manuel Marquez still has his mind set on a rubbermatch with rival Manny Pacquiao. Marquez scored a draw in their first battle and a narrow, highly controversial decision loss in the second bout.

“The trilogy is the best thing for the fans.I want it, the Filipino and Mexican fans want it and so do all the fans who follow boxing,” he said.

On the undercard promising middleweight prospect Danny Jacobs fell victim to a 5th round TKO loss courtesy of a pinpoint straight right hand from Russian Dmitry Pirog.

From the outset Jacobs had problems landing on Pirog, who unlike most European pugilists used upper body and head movement combined with constant pressure. Pirog almost scored a knockdown in the second when a right hand badly wobbled Jacobs against the ropes. The Brooklyn fighter was a few centimeters from his rear touching the ground and only stayed upright by grabbing onto Pirog’s legs.

Jacobs was backed to the ropes again in the 5th, confused with Pirog’s stance changes and angles. The Russian contender capitalized on that hesitation with another right hand that knocked Jacobs unconsciousness. Motionless on his back, referee Robert Byrd call the fight off after a five second count. The end signal triggered Jacob’s brain to recover, and he stood upright in attempts to protest.

The win gives Pirog the WBO middleweight belt that was stripped from true division champion Sergio Martinez following his victory over Kelly Pavlik.

HBO continues to have high hopes for Jacobs. This was evident by the fact the network chose to interview the knockout victim exclusively instead of a possible new division star in Dmitry Pirog.

Jacobs blamed the loss on bad camp that resulted from the recent death of his grandmother. He vowed to make a focused return.

Jorge Linares fought well behind a consistent, hard jab to secure a decision win over Rocky Juarez. As has become his pattern, Juarez came on strong in the last two rounds by couldn’t land the home run shot.

Robert Guerrero took a boring decision over faded Joel Casamayor. Guerrero scored an early knockdown off a straight left in the second, but was overly respectful and tentative against his former mentor. Casamayor scored his own flash knockdown late off a jab but still lost a unanimous decision.

Super middleweight Sakio Bika was DQ’d in the first round after slamming a vicious uppercut to a down Jean Paul Mendy. Bika was on his way to a stoppage victory when he smashed Mendy with the shot as he took a knee. Bika hesistated for a few seconds when Mendy was down before unleashing the haymaker. Mendy fell flat on his face and took several minutes to recover.

Diaz-Marquez II Weigh-In Results: Diaz 135, Marquez 133.5

Posted: July 30, 2010 in Fight News
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Juan Diaz and Juan Manuel Marquez met for the final time before their anticipated rematch tomorrow night.

Marquez made his return to lightweight by coming in at a trim and cut 133 ½ pounds. Diaz, who is said to have had a phenomenal camp, looked very lean right at the 135 pound limit. Gone was the Baby Bull’s usual pudgy stomach. However, it remains to be seen how much weight he puts on tomorrow.

Both men looked as if they made the weight comfortably. The fight will be for Marquez’s WBO and WBA titles.

In the first fight their weights were 134 ¼ for Marquez and 134 ½ for Diaz.

The PPV card begins tomorrow night at 9PM EST.

 

Other Weights

Robert Guerrero (138) vs. Joel Casamayor (138.5)

Rocky Juarez (132) vs. Jorge Linares (132.5)

Danny Jacobs (159) vs. Dmitry Pirog (160)

Danny Jacobs: The Next American Middleweight Star?

Posted: July 30, 2010 in Fight Interviews
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The middleweight division has failed to have a dominant champion since the Bernard Hopkins left the weight class several years ago. HBO invested much time and money trying to create new legends in Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik. But lackluster defenses, career-threatening injuries and shocking upsets have effectively ended the chances of those two being crossover stars.

Enter Danny Jacobs, a 23 year old rising prospect out of Brooklyn. Undefeated in 20 fights (with 17 KOs) with balanced speed and power, Jacobs has the skills and personality to engage the public while thriving in a wide open division. Tomorrow (July 31), he seeks his first belt in a WBO title match against slick Dmitry Pirog on the Diaz-Marquez II undercard. Is he looking to unify immediately? Is he comfortable with the now controversial Al Haymon’s handling of his career? Read on.

Ismael AbduSalaam: Since you’re still building your name, explain for people who don’t know you how you got into boxing over more popular sports like football and basketball.

Danny Jacobs: I used to play football but had a defining moment where I decided I should go into this boxing program. It was the last play and we were down, and if we would’ve scored a touchdown we would’ve won it. I was in the end zone and the quarterback decided to run instead of throwing me the ball and we lost the game. He got sacked.

As of that moment, I chose boxing because I wanted to have my fate and my destiny in my hands.  And I’ve stuck with boxing ever since.

Ismael: Was it easy for you to find a gym and get mentored?

Jacobs: It was easy for me, I lucked up I guess. Being an inner-city kid I went to the local PAL which was free because I didn’t have any money or my family. It wasn’t the top trainer guys, but we worked with what we had. Me starting from ground zero shows you can make it when you set your mind to do something.

Ismael: Even from the start you’ve gotten work on the big PPV cards, beginning with Mayweather-Hatton in 2007. Being around all those stars, have you been able to interact with them and get advice?

Jacobs: Luckily I’ve been able to interact with all those guys. I never dreamed that I’d be sitting next to Mayweather just lounging and talking, or Oscar De La Hoya coming to me in the dressing room to see if I’m ok going into my fight. These are the guys I looked up to and couldn’t imagine being in my corner as I come up the professional ranks. It’s definitely a blessing; a lot of people don’t have this opportunity and I want to make the best of it.

Ismael: Before you, HBO put a lot of time in building up Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik as the next middleweight stars. It didn’t pan out that way for them. Based on the way you’re carrying the weight, do you see middleweight as a division you’ll spend a lot of time at?

Jacobs: Well, it’s a business at the end of the day. If I have to go to 168 to get a big fight that the fans want to see, I’ll do that. But I plan to campaign at 160 for a number of years. It’s not easy to make, but it’s good because it makes you work harder to lose the weight. So I think we’ll campaign at 160 for a little while and then move on up to 168 in a couple of years.

Ismael: Being that you mentioned the weight challenge, what is your normal walk-around weight when you are not fighting?

Jacobs: I walk around maybe 173 to 174. That’s where I was after my last fight so that would be probably it. So it’s not that hard to lose 15 pounds for a fight if you have five to six weeks to do it.

Ismael: This fight will be for the WBO strap. Just looking at the middleweight division if you win, is your team planning on making a few defenses or immediately trying to unify?

Jacobs: Well we’re taking it one step at a time. My manager Al Haymon has a plan, [but] I don’t know the whole plan as he doesn’t give it to us. We don’t like to look ahead; we look to focus on the near future. And the near future is July 31. Whatever he has in store after that [I’m ready]. He’s full of surprises so I’m blessed. I don’t know at this point what he wants to do with my career at this point, or what my team has planned, but my job is to just train hard and fight. Whatever success I have after that is in the hands of them. I just have to do my job.

Ismael: I hadn’t seen much of your opponent Dmitry Pirog before this fight was announced. He has a good knockout record at 16-0, 13 KOs. What’s your impression of him as a fighter?

Jacobs: I wouldn’t categorize him as a knockout puncher. He has a very large arsenal of just a volume of punches. He has good angles. He has a Mayweather-like defense. It’s not as good as Mayweather but he tries. So he’s a very awkward, strong Russian. But I think my speed, power, and ability to adjust will play a big factor in this fight.

Ismael: Your style is pretty versatile in that you can fight going forward or backward and still retain your power and speed. Was there anyone you modeled yourself after when you first training?

Jacobs: Well, I’d like to think I emulated the top amateurs. I loved the amateur system and a lot of the top guys were so finesse and fluid, so I watched a lot of their tapes. But as a professional I don’t think I modeled myself after anyone. I pick up things here and there from watching old and new fighters. But nobody in particular; I just train hard and try to form my own style and perfect.

Ismael: A lot of people say your toughest fight so far was against Ishe Smith. But I wanted to get your take on your toughest opponent.

Jacobs: My toughest test is between the Ishe fight and the Michael Walker fight. [With the Walker bout] I took that fight on like a week’s notice and then I fought the following week. So I fought two fights like within a week. That was pretty cool. But Ishe Smith was a rugged, defensive guy with crafty movement. I definitely learned a lot with him. You want to see a good prospect in fights like that to see if he’ll fold or make it. And I made it. Hopefully we’ll continue to climb up the ladder and have those tough fights to where I’ll have mastered every style and it’ll be nothing new to me.

Ismael: People and particularly networks believe you have to have strong back stories and characters to sell fights today. As someone coming up has your team brought that up to you, or have you been allowed just to focus on fighting?

Jacobs: They really don’t stress regarding the media because I think my personality speaks for itself. I think I have a very cool personality; I’m an outgoing guy. So it kind of goes along with it. If I was a real dog guy then maybe they’d pick up and say hey you got to get the people’s attention. I’m a respectable young gentleman so that’ll take me a long way. People like the positive but they also like the villain. But you’ll go a lot further if you’re the good guy. And it flows natural.

Ismael: Being that you loved the amateur style what was your biggest adjustment moving to professional boxing?

Jacobs: Taking my time because in the amateurs you fight two minutes as opposed to three. And the guys in the professional ranks have smaller gloves, no headgear, and no shirts. You have to get adjusted to being hit by grown men with man strength. You also have to get adjusted to running more miles and training harder. All around you have to train to have a bigger arsenal because these are not four two-minute rounds. Those were the biggest things. It wasn’t that hard but it’s a never-ending learning process.

Ismael: Looking at your last few fights, what is the biggest facet of your game that you want to improve on?

Jacobs: I think my offense is superb, it’s flawless. But there are defensive things I can work on; like gym habit things like pulling back with your hands down. Things you can get away with in the gym. But in the fight you have smaller gloves and the punches are coming a lot faster as opposed to sparring. Little stuff like that I have to get better at.

Ismael: Did you have a prediction for a main event between Juan Diaz and Juan Manuel Marquez?

Jacobs: Both those guys are great champions. They’re both coming off two losses. But they’re both as hungry as ever to get back to that level. It’s makes for a great show but I don’t have a prediction yet. But I’m looking forward to a great night of boxing.

Ismael: Young, creative ideas are always essential to any industry. What are the top changes you would make in the sport to make boxing better?

Jacobs: [Pauses] Well I could only bring what I possess, and that’s bringing a positive light to it. The true boxing fans know my skills. But if the opportunity comes to be in the spotlight more, I think the people would draw a liking to me and it would be a great, positive impact on the sport. A lot of guys talk trash and a lot of people don’t see their positive side because they’re so focused on trying to sell a fight. I bring a different approach. When De La Hoya came up he was like the best thing. He was the Golden Boy. And that’s why they call me the Golden Child [laughs]. I’m trying to follow in those footsteps but just put a little more spice to it.

Ismael: Are you comfortable with the pace you’re being brought along with?

Jacobs: I think the pace is perfect. The opponents have been stepping up every fight. The superstardom comes with time. So I can’t get mad and want it to come fast because it may come too fast and I won’t be able to handle it. I want to acclimated to it. I still young and hopefully we’ll get this WBO belt on Saturday. Everything is going according to plan.

Ismael: Anything you wanted to add to close?

To my fans you can follow me on Twitter @danieljacobstko and on Facebook through my email heavyhitter404@yahoo.com. Just come on this journey with me. I’m always in tune with my fans and like to interact. I really appreciate it, man.