Daniel Jacobs ‘Still Has More To Give’ Ahead Of Return From 29-Month Absence
Daniel Jacobs believes he still has “enough left to be able to give” to boxing as the former middleweight world champion prepares to return after a 29-month absence.
Jacobs (37-4-0 30 KO) makes his surprising return to the ring against Shane Mosely Jr on July 6 as part of the event headlined by a boxing bout between former mixed martial artists Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
Jacobs has not fought since a split-decision defeat to John Ryder in February 2022, so his return against Mosely (21-4-0 12 KO) will end nearly two-and-a-half years out of the ring.
While the 37-year-old New Yorker had never officially retired, considering his lengthy absence, age, and financial security, it had been assumed he had just left the sport quietly.
However, during the virtual press conference on Wednesday to promote his upcoming fight, Jacobs insisted that he feels reinvigorated and still has plenty more to give inside the ring.
Jacobs ‘An Inspiration To Millions’
“The thoughts of me returning were always lingering in my mind in those two years of me being off,” Jacobs said. “I wanted to secure a spot in the Hall of Fame. And we evaluated my career and thought there’s more that I can do, there’s more of an imprint that I can leave in the sport.
“I know I’ve done so much for the sport from what I’ve already accomplished. I’m an inspiration to the sport and millions of people throughout the world from my life story, all the things that I’ve been in outside and inside the ring. And so I want to give a little more of that, and I feel like I have enough left to be able to give to the sport.”
Jacobs first became a middleweight world champion almost a decade ago when he beat Jarrod Fletcher in August 2014 to claim the vacant WBA title. After four successful defenses, including two wins over Sergio Mora, he lost his belts in a unification showdown against Gennadiy Golovkin in March 2017.
Jacobs became a two-time champion three fights later in October 2017 by claiming the vacant IBF title by beating Sergiy Derevyanchenko, but then ran into a prime Canelo Alvarez in his second unification bout and lost the belt on points.
One of the most accomplished fighters of his generation, Jacobs’ career, and more importantly his life, were placed in serious jeopardy when he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma in 2011.
‘Ultimate Goal Is To Become World Champion’
Months of radiation treatment and surgeries, including tumor removal and a spinal fusion, ultimately saved his life but he was warned he would never box again. As history would show, Jacobs proved the experts wrong and appropriately adopted the nickname ‘Miracle Man’.
So it perhaps comes as no surprise that he is defying expectations once again to return to boxing, and he has world champion glory as his target.
“I was at a point where I had actually accomplished everything I sought out to accomplish, and so there came a time in my mind when I [had to decide] if I wanted to settle and retire,” Jacobs said.
“But then, you know, that fighter spirit came back and it came kicking in, and I felt like there might be some more that I could do, because when it’s all said and done, I do want to have my name amongst the greats of my generation.
“The ultimate goal,” he added, “is to become champion.”
