Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs), the IBF Middleweight World Champion of Brooklyn, N.Y., hosted an international media conference call today to discuss his upcoming 12-round unification fight against WBC, WBA, Lineal and Ring Magazine Middleweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico. Robert Gasparri, COO of Golden Boy, and Eddie Hearn, Managing Director of Matchroom Sport, also participated on the call, along with trainer Andre Rozier and manager Keith Connolly. The event will take place Saturday, May 4, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.
Below is what today’s participants had to say on the call:
ROBERT GASPARRI: I want to thank everybody for dialing in today to the Danny Jacobs international media conference call. On May 4, IBF middleweight champ Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs will fight the most important battle of the year as he takes on WBC, WBA lineal And Ring Magazine, Middleweight World Champion Canelo Ãlvarez in a 12-round unification fight. The event will take place at the T-Mobile Arena.
We want to thank our sponsors: Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle” for the continued support of the fight game.
We’d now like to introduce the participants. Before we open it up for questions and answers to the media, first I would like to introduce a man we have worked with for many times at Golden Boy. He’s the promotor of fighters such as Anthony Joshua, and he’s also the promotor for Danny Jacobs under the banner of Matchroom Boxing, USA. Please, welcome Eddie Hearn, managing director of Matchroom Sports.
EDDIE HEARN: Thank you, Robert, and looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks. Thank you, everyone, for dialing in today. Can’t say enough about this fight.
I’m so excited as a fan to even be watching this fight, let alone being involved in the promotion and having one of our guys be in the fight and in it to win it.
I just think everybody in boxing right now, whether they are a fan or particularly even the people in boxing are talking about this fight, the outcome, the fact as this draws closer we don’t know who is going to win this exciting unification fight.
We want to thank Golden Boy, DAZN, our mutual partners who have done such a fantastic job right now. I think in a world where we talk about the price point of Pay-Per-View in the United States, and we see the last I think three Pay-Per-View fights just not delivering value in my opinion, here you have a legitimate Pay-Per-View fight that takes place on DAZN, away from Pay-Per-View, and I think it’s so refreshing for the sport of boxing and so exciting for the sport of boxing that DAZN can deliver these kind of fights on their platform. I think it’s going to do extremely well.
In terms of our side, our camp, this is absolutely everything. It’s meant so much to all of us involved in this fight. As every day comes closer and closer, we have more and more belief that Danny Jacobs is going to be victorious on the May 4; it’s written in the stars. The performances he’s put together the last two years have all led him to this moment.
I think Andre Rozier is doing a fantastic job, and I can’t wait to be in Las Vegas for fight week, see that man soak it up. See that man get ready for destiny because that’s what it is on May 4, destiny for Daniel Jacobs to fight Canelo, one of the biggest stars in the world of sport, and I have absolutely no doubt that one May 4 Danny Jacobs will become the unified middleweight champion. I think it’s going to be an amazing fight, the stars will gel incredibly well, and I can’t wait for the whole week.
This is exactly what big-time boxing is all about, the best versus the best, and I just cannot wait for the excitement, the fight week, the press conferences, the weigh-ins, fight night, that ring walk, the incredible Mexican fans that will be there, the American fans that will be there, and I can’t wait to be part of it.
Thanks everyone for dialing it and we look forward to just a couple of weeks to go now for the absolute fight of the year.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Eddie. Thank you. I would like to introduce an important member of Team Jacobs. He’s played an important role in the careers of many fighters. He’s done a tremendous job with Danny Jacobs, especially as he enters the most important part of his career. Please welcome Keith Connolly, manager of Danny Jacobs.
KEITH CONNOLLY: Thank you. Pleasure to join you guys today. The big fight is right around the corner. We’re less than two weeks away. I’m excited for Danny and Team Jacobs.
I’ve known Danny for a long time right now, and he is definitely at his physical and mental peak, and I don’t think this fight could have come really at a better time.
Thanks to Coach Farib (ph), his conditioning coach, David Honig (ph), and everybody else that’s involved with Danny has really put 100 percent in, and I know Danny has, as well.
We’re a few weeks away from Danny being I think if not the No. 1 pound-for-pound guy in the world, at least in the top three, because I think he’s really going to put on a show and I think he’s going to beat Canelo Ãlvarez convincingly, and if he does that, there’s no doubt he’s at the top of the boxing world. I look forward to it.
It’s right around the corner and I think it’s going to be a great event.
THE MODERATOR: I now want to introduce a man who has had a tremendous impact on the career of Danny Jacobs. He has worked with Danny throughout his amateur and professional career and guided him to two world titles, he’s now preparing Danny for the biggest fight of his career. Please welcome to the call, Andre Rozier, the trainer of Danny Jacobs.
ANDRE ROZIER: Good morning, and thank you to everyone who took the time for this conference.
This is actually a stage in Danny’s career that he has earned and prepared himself since an amateur to be ready to represent himself as the No. 1 middleweight in the world. This is no telltale issue; this is no streak of fate. This is Danny’s destiny. He was destined to be middleweight champion of the world, destined to be a Hall of Famer, and he is destined to show those that greatness comes from hard work and dedication.
So we are here to show the world what time it is.
THE MODERATOR: At 32 years old Danny Jacobs has overcome many obstacles that could crumble an average ban must he is not your average man. Not only is he a world champion in one of the toughest divisions of the sport, but he is an inspiration to us all.
Having beaten a rare form of bone cancer and returning to the ring to fight in one of the biggest events of the year, Danny is an example for people of all walks of life, both in and out of ring with a record of 35-2 and 29 knockouts, and coming from Brooklyn, New York, please welcome to the call, IBF Middleweight World Champion, Danny Jacobs.
DANNY JACOBS: First, I want to say thank you to everyone for being involved in this call today. I’m extremely excited to be at this stage in my career. I’m extremely excited to have these opportunities come my way. I know this is a big opportunity and I look forward to taking full advantage of it.
I’m already here in Las Vegas. I’m getting acclimated, preparing mind, body and soul and come May 4, I’ll be prepared and look forward to seeing everyone; and I look forward to being victorious and look forward to being the best middleweight in the world.
Look forward to answering these questions. Thanks everybody for being on board.
Q. When you watch Canelo Alvarez’s fights and you assess how you’re going to fight against him, what are the weaknesses you see in his game?
DANNY JACOBS: I definitely don’t think that it’s from his skill set because he has one of the best skill sets that’s out there. His sense of onslaught, his upper body movement, his defense is really good. There’s really not much that you can kind of, you know, battle through and say that, you can do this and you can do that.
What I know is that I have the physical advantages, and I look forward to using my physical advantage, my reach, height, range, and being that I also have speed, power, ring IQ, as well, that’s what I feel like is going to make me victorious.
Q. Who do you think — you don’t know for sure because you haven’t fought him yet. But he’s got a lot of knockouts and stopped a lot of guys and you do, also. Who do you think’s the bigger hitter?
DANNY JACOBS: Oh, I think I’m the bigger hitter. I definitely think I’m the stronger fighter, yeah.
Q. The bigger puncher?
DANNY JACOBS: Correct.
Q. This has been brought up, we all know it’s a top-level match up and one of the best that can get made in the sport today but there’s no animosity between you guys, no bad language, no insults. You’re not buddies but you’ve been cordial to each other. From your point of view, how hard is it to get out there and promote it and try to get attention to the fight when that is not part of the promotion, when it’s two good guys who don’t really have anything bad to say and aren’t looking to stir things up, but just want to get in the ring and put on a good show?
DANNY JACOBS: It’s never been my intention in my lead-up to any fight to sort of create this animosity to sell the fight or to bash my opponent. Never have I ever wanted to do that. It has never been in my nature.
I know that boxing is just a sport. So for me, this has been one of the best promotions and best lead-ups that I’ve been a part of because I share the same ideas with my opponent, which is strictly being professional and let our skills and let our — you know, what we actually feel inside as far as who we are and what we bring to the table and let that speak for itself inside the ring.
That’s not been hard. That’s not who I am to really go out there and try to bash fighters or say negative things.
I mean, it has happened in the past before because of some of my other opponents, but you know, this has been a breath of fresh air for me because I can just focus on taking care of business inside the ring and not having any animosity. I know that sometimes certain things, like you know, trash-talking and, you know, things that people look forward to saying that this is going to be a huge fight.
But I mean, from the notion of what the fans and what the boxing media is already predicting is that this fight is going to speak for itself. This is a can’t-miss type of fight. This is a Hall of Famer-type of fight.
I’m just grateful for that; that our skills can speak for itself and we don’t have to go out there and be goofy or, you know, go out there and be someone who we actually aren’t. So that’s a breath of fresh air for me.
Q. I wanted to ask Eddie about that. Eddie, are you there? Can you speak to that aspect of the fight, how difficult is it for you as one of the promoters of the event, when you have two main-event fighters who are terrific fighters but just wanting to in the ring and fight and there’s no trash talk, like Danny said, no animosity, just basically want to let their skills show in the ring. Is it more difficult to promote a fight when they don’t bring that attention to themselves by calling the other out or by doing goofy stuff?
EDDIE HEARN: Not when you are at this level, in my opinion. The trash talk and the hype is great and it helps to build a fight that might not be easy to build.
But when you have a fight like this where cave is certainly the biggest star in U.S. boxing and possibly in world boxing, and Danny Jacobs is a Middleweight World Champion, and his story is echoed around the world of sport; I think that when you have got these two coming together in a unification fight, I don’t really see the need for bad blood.
In fact, I think it’s an opportunity for the sport to blossom and I think it’s an opportunity to actually show people, young people, or people in the sport, or even fighters coming through the sport, how to actually behave par.
When you’ve got good guys usually, I don’t think you should change, and I don’t think you should change to sell a fight, especially when you are as good and as elite as these two.
Trash talk and fight is always good for promotion, but it’s always not needed when you’re talking about an elite or Hall of Fame fight. Because the winner of this fight I think is the No. 1 pound-for-pound in boxing, and when Danny Jacobs beats him, he will get his rights to call himself just that.
Q. You know, boxing is a year-round sport, but Danny, your thoughts on being a part of Cinco de Mayo weekend, historically at least in the past 20 years, it has become the Super Bowl Sunday of the sport. Your thoughts on now being a part of that?
DANNY JACOBS: I’m super grateful. Cinco de Mayo is definitely one of the biggest boxing events that is. So to be a part of that, especially against one of the biggest stars, arguably the biggest star in boxing, is just icing on the cake for me. It’s a breath of fresh air.
Getting to in there and be a part of the big of the event and I feel like all is at stake. There’s so much at stake with this fight, as well. I cannot only become the best middleweight in the world, but a future potential Hall of Famer in this fight, as well, pound-for-pound, etc., however you want to view it. There’s so much that I can gain from this fight on such a big weekend.
I’m looking forward to giving the fans ultimately a great show. Looking to prove that I am the best, and enjoying all of this weekend or the weekend of the fight, the lead-up to the fight.
I’m already in Vegas. So I’m here and I’m looking at the billboards and I’m looking at the promotion. I’m really truly loving it. I’m a fan of the sport of boxing, so to be a part of it is a blessing for me.
Q. As a fan, this is a big fight weekend for Oscar and Pacquiao; is there a fight that you remember watching at home?
DANNY JACOBS: There’s been a couple Cinco de Mayo fights I’ve watched at home. Probably a lot of time, it’s where I’ve had to prepare for a fight myself, so I couldn’t really indulge in maybe the festivities or celebrate or enjoy the way I wanted to. But this is my time and I look forward to celebrating after the fight with my friends and my loved ones.
Q. What is it like to see your picture? You’re in Vegas now. When you walk the Strip and see yourself up there, there’s nothing like a big fight there. Your thoughts on that?
DANNY JACOBS: I think it’s incredible. It never ceases to amaze me the opportunity that arises for me after my cancer care. I’ve been able to not only fulfill my dreams and become a world champion, but there’s been so many different opportunities that just blow my mind and opportunities that I never thought I’d had. I’ve always just wanted to get back into the ring and that was just my main goal.
Now there’s so much that is presenting themselves, I’m really blown away by it all, but I’m keeping myself humble and I’m keeping myself in the right mind frame to where I can just put it in a certain place in my mind and stay focused on the fight.
Q. Since both you and Canelo are the stars in boxing, what is in your mind, is different in this fight?
DANNY JACOBS: Yeah, I’m just extremely excited for this fight, thank you.
Q. I’m hearing more talk about the winner of this fight being pound-for-pound No. 1 or 2 or 3. From your perspective, Danny, who do you think you would be perhaps surpassing if you beat, if and when you beat Canelo? Is it Crawford? Lomachenko? Who is pound-for-pound the No. 1 that you would be supplanting?
DANNY JACOBS: I’ve never been vocal about where I place myself in the pound-for-pound. I’ve just been grateful that I’ll be able to be on the list. Because when you think about top pound-for-pound fighters today, I’m not sure if I make that list or I’m in the Top-10. I don’t care who I surpass.
As long as I’m on the list, wherever the fans choose to place me, that’s what I’m grateful for. But for everybody that’s on the list, I’m true fans of and I support; so to place myself over anybody, especially guys like — guys that you just mentioned, I mean, I won’t say it’s injustice, but that’s really not my job.
My job is to go there and be the best fighter that I can be and left the fan and the boxing public choose where they place me.
Q. I’m interested in this one from the perspective of the fans have been watching the Pay-Per-Views, and understand that this is a capitalistic enterprise for people, but this is being presented as a clear alternative to that. This question could go to Eddie. You watched the fight on Saturday. There was that interesting ending. Does that make it easier to compare and contrast this event, which is on the streaming platform, and there isn’t the hefty premium fee attached to it? Does that make it easier for you to do a compare and contrast?
EDDIE HEARN: Yeah, when you look at the last few Pay-Per-View events, particularly this year, Pacquiao, Garcia, Crawford, I don’t think I’ve seen an away-fighter win a round in hardly any Pay-Per-View event. Roman might have nicked a couple, but he’s on the undercard, especially Saturday in Texas.
Obviously the main market for us is the U.K. and you talk about our Pay-Per-Views are $25. Your Pay-Per-Views are anywhere between 70 and $100. It’s a huge amount of money for one night of boxing, especially if it doesn’t stack up.
Really, I look at this and say for one Pay-Per-View, you can get a whole subscription, within that you have Danny Jacobs against Canelo Alvarez. A couple weeks after that, you have Inoue and Rodriguez, and then you have Anthony Joshua and Golovkin, all within a month’s subscription.
I think it’s refreshing that someone is coming in to supplement the public’s money which is funding fights like this. We never want a show to do badly but I just think that U.S. fight fans are getting an unfair ride. And on May 4, they get to see the fight of the year without the 80 or $100, and I think that’s great for boxing.
Q. Andre Rozier, in your mind, is this a 50/50 fight? If no, what are the odds? How do you see this one? And if I’m asking you to choose one area where Danny is better and what the difference maker is going to be, what is it, sir?
ANDRE ROZIER: As always, we come from a neighborhood that defines you in surviving, being strong, taking no short, and this is how Danny has basically been living his life. And when there’s a conflict that he has to face, he rises to the occasion.
And he’s been places that none of us ever will — and I pray, not have to visit, but he has been very successful in his battle.
So when you fight the hardest fight that you ever can fight in your life, I’m sorry to say but these events don’t add up. Danny has been through the worst that anybody could be through, and this is just common fodder and Danny is going to once again rise to the occasion.
As for your question, what are some of the better things he does, well, basically, his heart and soul and his desire to win. He’s a fantastic athlete and a great talent, but talent alone does never reach the goal.
You have to have all the necessary traits to be special. We always talk about that talented guy that could fight, but didn’t have the heart to fight. Well, you have the whole package here. He can fight and he will fight, and a dogfight is nothing that he’s afraid of.
Q. I remember after you fought Golovkin, in the post-fight press conference, you were pretty calm saying you were going to wait for another big opportunity to come around, and lo and behold, here one has, arguably the fight of the year. What makes you so confident that you didn’t have to be so frustrated after a controversial decision and that you knew things would take a turn?
DANNY JACOBS: Because I know that real recognize real; I knew that because we didn’t get the decision from maybe the politics of boxing, I knew that it would be a popular demand that I would be back at this stage. And lo and behold, I got that great deal with HBO right after that Golovkin fight. We signed with Matchroom, and now here with DAZN.
So many opportunities have arrived from just that one fight with Golovkin where I proved to be among the best in the world.
I just knew this opportunity would present itself because I gave my very best that night, and I just knew that it wasn’t the end of me. Most times, guys, they reach that level, they lose and sometimes it may take a couple years for to you see them guys reach that level again.
I would owe it to my team, every one of Team Jacobs, especially my manager, Keith Connolly. I owe it to my team on the ground, Andre Rozier, all the guys who make sure that they support me and make sure I stay on the straight and narrow so that I can be at my best each and every time I go out to display my skills.
I just knew that it was a matter of time before we got to this level. But the fact that this happened so fast, just super grateful for it, but it’s one of those things to show you, not only with skill and preparation. But with a great team, you can achieve anything.
Q. My other question is for Eddie Hearn. A lot of talk this past weekend as far as having animosity with some of the game’s bigger power players. How easy is it for you to be working with Golden Boy? You seem to have a pretty smooth relationship.
EDDIE HEARN: Yeah, we always have done. Even before we were both aligned with DAZN, we always worked well on fights together and we had done — I’m quite close with Robert Diaz — you know, I think that right now, obviously I think that politics isn’t anything new. It’s quite straightforward. You have to look after your fight and your business.
If you’re with one particular platform, your job is to make the best fight and have the best fighters on that platform. Some people, in the case that you’re talking about — they are advising that their promoters would like to keep on their platform, so it’s hard to achieve.
But obviously with Danny signing with us and DAZN and Canelo doing his deal with DAZN, it was a game changer.
When we signed Danny Jacobs, there was only one thing I wanted to do, the winner of Canelo and GGG, and I felt I would have failed if I didn’t deliver that to Keith and Andre. And the stars aligned and when Canelo did his deal; it was a big help to us. And the reason Danny went to HBO was not just put his trust in us, but to get the GGG and Canelo winner. And obviously when Canelo went to DAZN, it was a natural move for Danny, as well.
Everyone did a great job, and Oscar and Eric and Robert, and we just come together. I wasn’t sure whether they would want to take the fight.
And Canelo deserves respect as well because this is the toughest fight out there for him many any opinion. This is the toughest fight out there in the division and he’s chosen to take it, and it was with help from DAZN. But ultimately the fighter is the one that takes the decision and he’s the one that takes the challenge and that’s great for boxing and we all give him respect for that.
KEITH CONNOLLY: It’s been a pleasure working with everybody and Matchroom and the team and everybody at Golden Boy, it’s a good working relationship, and it’s a pleasure working with Eddie and everybody at Matchroom.
Q. Danny, I want to know if you have studied the Canelo fight, and what did you learn about his skills and weaknesses?
DANNY JACOBS: I think ultimately what I talk from that fight is how uneducated Canelo’s feetwork are. He’s great as far as offensive — coming forward as much as punches and bunches and especially his body shots, but a moving target, he really has a hard time with. Looking to exploit some of those things come fight night, as well.
Q. You just alluded to my question. Do you think there’s a style out there that people are not realizing? If you look at the way he fought against Lara and the way he fought against Floyd, it seems to be a problem that he has fighting people that move, that are not stationary target. Do you think that’s something that’s going to be to your advantage?
DANNY JACOBS: Yeah, absolutely. Canelo, as recent for this fight buildup, he was posting social media videos of him hitting the bag and you know, him doing all different type of boxing training, and people are like: Oh! Oh! Wow! Whoa, he’s in stellar shape! He’s going to be a monster come fight night!
But I was simply looking at his knees and how he’s been having trouble with his knees and trouble with issues as far as guys being athletes, pure athletes inside the ring.
So I’m looking to exploit some of those things and I know that he’s going to, you know, bring the best that he can bring, but it’s inevitable to overlook some of his flaws.
And for my team, we’ve created not only Plan A, Plan B and Plan C, but a few game plans to exploit Canelo’s weaknesses.
Q. Do you think the GGG fight got you ready for this big stage? Do you think it was an appetizer — you were out there — a week and a half out, do you think being here before, kind of what you needed to be here at this point in time in your career and your life?
DANNY JACOBS: I definitely think it definitely gave me a lot more experience but I think it’s more mental than anything. I think the physical skills has always been there but it’s about knowing that you belong and knowing that you are the best and knowing that you can thrive in this type of round where, you know, all is high-stake.
It’s the biggest platform that you can be in in boxing. It can be really, really nerve-wrecking for the faint of heart but for someone who has the experience in the past, maybe not of this magnitude because the main goal, but very similar, were the past couple fights that I’ve had that have been huge fights and fights where, you know, I was predicted to lose or that, you know, that it couldn’t go my way and I prevailed.
So that mental battle to me is already — it’s passed me and I’ve gained experience from it and for this fight, I’m just looking to go in there and put the physical together to accomplish my goals.
Q. For the general person that doesn’t know who you are, we know you’re a great guy, champion of the sport. Why would I know your name come May 5?
DANNY JACOBS: They would have known my name is because the general consensus is Canelo is not only the face of boxing but he is probably pound-for-pound one of the best in the sport. He’s one of the most recognized fighters in all of our sport.
I think a victory over him, a convincing victory, as well, would definitely solidify my spot and it would be inevitable for people to know who Daniel Jacobs is.
Q. You have not fought in Las Vegas for quite a long time, almost nine years, and didn’t go so well. Do you have any concerns or any thoughts about being back in Las Vegas, and would a win be especially sweet revenge for you?
DANNY JACOBS: There’s definitely no concerns because if you know anything about the last time I fought in Vegas and how old I was, and the things that I was going through at that time, I’m a completely different fighter. And I’m also a completely different person, with a mature mind, with a lot more skills, with a lot more mental strength. So there’s not fear; there’s not a worry whatsoever when it comes to that.
But it definitely will be sweet but not to avenge a loss that I’ve had before, but just to capitalize and be victorious in the fights in where people predict it’s either a 50/50 fight or against one of the best fighters in the world, and for that reason and for that reason alone I’m just excited for it, not to try to overshine or put patches on anything that happened in the past because the past make you who you are today.
Q. A happier question. Is your son with you in Las Vegas?
DANNY JACOBS: No, he’s not at the moment. He’s in school at the moment. He’s taking some tests and I’m very supportive of him and I’m very proud of him because he already passed two or three of his tests already. He got one more test today that he’s going to take and I look forward to talking to him once school is over.
He is everything that I do all of this for, and he is going to be in Las Vegas for fight week.
Q. What do you think he’ll say when he says Dad 20 feet high on the side of a building?
DANNY JACOBS: I think it will be a very proud moment, not only for my son but for my family. I think that we all have gone through this journey together, and seeing me reach the pinnacle will make everyone proud and will make everyone happy and excited.
But I think ultimately everybody have one, you know, motive, and that’s to go in there and do work and come out and then we can celebrate after. But you know, this type of thing kind of comes with the territory. My son has grown in the sport of boxing and grown in support for his dad. He’s going to be ecstatic, but ultimately we won’t be happy until we go in there and get the job done.
Q. Canelo is widely seen as a much better fighter than the one who was out-boxed by Mayweather. Is that really true or were other guys maybe not busy enough or too mistake-prone to take advantage of the opportunity that you see on May 4?
DANNY JACOBS: I understand he’s gotten a lot better. He’s a lot younger back then, but I’m also a completely different fighter, as well. I think I plan on using not just the Mayweather blueprint, but I look forward to using the Daniel Jacobs blueprint to be victorious. I’m not like any other fighters that you just mentioned. In my mind, I believe that I can be victorious if I just become my best self that night.
Q. You alluded before that with the Golovkin decision, probably politics played a part in you not getting a close decision. We’ve seen in recent years Canelo gets the benefit of the doubt on a lot of the scorecard, particularly with one always being wise for him. Do you have any concerns, even with your improvement, you’ll get one close in Vegas?
DANNY JACOBS: I’m thought about this numerous times, and I don’t want to focus — we’re getting closer to the fight and just want to become headstrong and know that if I go in there and do my job, I’ll be awarded the victory with no added influence outside the ring.
I don’t really want to touch on it too much, but at the same time we know that the past has spoke for itself but for me, I have to block those things out and remain head strong to where I go in there and do my job and get the victory because if I go in there and get a knockout then all of that is out the window, anyway.
I just have to focus on our game plans, focus on being my best version, being the best version of myself that night and block out any entities that would play in my mind or that I would allow in my mind.
Q. I don’t want to say, is the moment going to be too much but going into the fight with GGG, did you feel like the moment was too much for you in that fight and if it was or if it wasn’t, how does that fight kind of help you with, you know, kind of what you’re expecting because the Canelo, fight, in my opinion, is bigger than the GGG?
DANNY JACOBS: No, I don’t think the moment with the GGG fight was too much for me. I think mentally I grew within the fight, as well and came out a completely different fighter mentally, but it definitely didn’t get the best of me as far as the moment and especially as far as the fighter and the fight itself.
But I think the experience with me, and going into this fight, I just know that I’m 100 percent in the best possible mind and head space that I could be in. Knowing that I am the better fighter; knowing that if I go in there and do my job, I would be victorious. That all played into my mind right now — Golovkin — that I’ve gained to place me at this point.
THE MODERATOR: This will conclude the question-and-answer period.
Danny, would you like to make any final comments to the media?
DANNY JACOBS: Well, to the media, I just want to say thank you, guys, for promoting this fight. Thank you guys for being a part of this. This is a dream come true. I look forward to taking advantage of this opportunity and prove that I am the best middleweight in the world. You guys are not going to want to miss the fight. Please, please, please be in attendance, if you can’t subscribe to DAZN, because this is a fight we are going to be talking about for many, many many years to come.
I have a spectacular opponent in Canelo Alvarez, and this is going to be fight of the year candidate for sure. Please, please, please, don’t miss it and thank you for all of your support and thank you for all of my Team Jacobs, friends, family that have supported me in my career. This is the moment I’ve always prayed to have, and now that this moment is here, I thank you, love you, peace, blessings — and shout out to Brooklyn — this victory is not only going to be Team Jacobs but we are going to bring the belt all back to Brooklyn, New York City. Thank you guys for the love.
THE MODERATOR: Just to add again, if you’re in Vegas, there’s still some tickets available. Come to the fight. It’s going to be in amazing in the arena, or watch it on DAZN. Thank you, all. This will conclude the Danny Jacobs international conference call. Thank you everybody for participating
Canelo vs. Jacobs is a 12-round fight for the WBC, WBA, Lineal, Ring Magazine and IBF Middleweight World Titles presented by Golden Boy in association with Matchroom Boxing. The event is sponsored by Tecate, “THE OFFICIAL BEER OF BOXING” and Hennessy “Never Stop. Never Settle.” The event will take place Saturday, May 4, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on DAZN.
Tickets for Canelo vs. Jacobs are on sale now and are priced at $2,505, $1,505, $1,205, $805, $605, $405, $305, and not including applicable service charges and taxes. There will be a limit of 10 per person at the $2,505, $1,505, $1,205, $805, $605, $405, and $305 price levels. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call 888-9-AXS-TIX (888-929-7849). Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.t-mobilearena.com or www.axs.com.
