Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) offered another big show this past weekend. Danny “Swift” Garcia squeaked out a decision win over Lamont Peterson, and Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillen knocked Andy Lea down twice, and came away with a draw. A notch lower comes Friday the 24th, on Spike TV when fans will see Anthony Dirrell battle Badou Jack.
The co-feature pits Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs 28-1-0 (25KO) against Caleb “Golden” Truax 25-1-2 (15KO). A check of PBC’s premierboxingchampions.com website provides profiles for each of the fighters, with the exception of Caleb Truax? Undoubtedly, it was just an oversight, but Caleb merits at least a few words.
Filtering through local copy (MN) and Wikipedia, it appears Caleb has been blessed with a strong family unit. He has a twin sister and younger brother. Caleb graduated from Osseo Senior High School in MN, where he was an all-conference football and baseball player. He continued his education at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Sociology, minoring in Africa American Studies and Politcal Science. He also enjoyed a successful amateur boxing career, winning the USA Boxing State and Upper Midwest Golden Gloves Championships. In 2007, he turned pro, and has compiled a record of 25-1-2 (15KO).
The nitty gritty of his career shows Caleb fought and beat the best in the state. However, Minnesota currently is not exactly a household name in the world of boxing. Beating the best won’t get a fighter many cudos on the national level. He did beat two veterans in Antwun Echols and Jonathan Reid. But, on 4-20-12 he managed to win only two or three rounds against former middleweight champion Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. The highlight for Caleb came in the ninth when he managed to get Taylor to walk into a right hand. That punch dropped Taylor, but It wasn’t enough to win the fight. However, it did keep interest in “Golden” alive.
Caleb bounced back with a few more wins, including one against veteran Matt Vanda. Then he got his second big opportunity, a match against Donavan “Da Bomb” George. The matchup was going to be ESPN’s Friday Night Fights (FNF) feature, taking place in Caleb’s backyard at the Minneapolis Convention Center. George had the bigger name and kayo reputation. Odds were George would end up with another kayo. After all, Caleb hadn’t yet ventured out of MN. In such cases, boxing hall of famer Teddy Atlas likes to point out what he calls padded records. He insinuated as much concerning Caleb’s record.
However, that night Caleb jumped on his opportunity, and put together his best effort to date. He backed up George and never let “Da Bomb” get back on track. He surprised many by pulling off a 6th round TKO. Certainly the win was going to propel him on to more television exposure and bigger paydays. His next big opportunity again came on ESPN. This time he was to face a last minute substitute named Ossie Duran. The two met in the Target Center, Mpls. Caleb was expected to come away with the win, probably by decision. But, Caleb couldn’t get it out of second gear. He was tentative, definitely not busy enough to get the win. He came away with a disputed draw, which was disappointing to his fans and FNF.
Since then Caleb has tried to stay active, racking up two more wins, both at the UIC Pavillion in Chicago. The first happened on 7-25-14, resulting in a UD win over Derek Ennis 24-4-1. The second was an 8th Rd TKO win that took place on 11-01-14 over Scott Sigmon 24-5-1. Now, in what is his biggest opportunity yet, he is pitted against Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs for the WBA world middleweight title. It too will be at the UIC Pavillion in Chicago, a place that should now seem like a home away from home for Caleb.
So, how do these two matchup? On paper they are similar in size, but Jacobs moves better and is faster.
He has a good jab and throws good combinations. If he hurts a guy, he will swarm all over him and get the kayo. He was flying high up until his 7-31-10 fight with Dmitry Pirog. Dmitry brought a higher level of attack, something Jacobs hadn’t yet seen. Daniel expected the Russian to bring the typical stand up straight eastern european style, assuming he would be someone he could hit. Dimitry had different ideas. He pressed the action behind a jab and hooks, and more importantly he moved his head. He slipped punches, stepping to the side after landing shots. He generally made Daniel miss. In the fifth, Dimitry backed Daniel up, and then pulled a shift, which enabled him to land a powerful right to the jaw. The fight was over. Daniel has come roaring back, though, chalking up eight more wins over tough competition.
So, where does that leave Caleb? Is he capable of putting together a Pirog kind of attack? Probably not, but he has other strengths, and as the old saying goes “there’s more than one way to skin…..”. The mistake he can’t make is to lose early rounds with the mistaken idea Jacobs will tire. He has to start fast and press hard. Can he put together another attack like he did against George? Again the answer is probably no. George was pretty much a one dimensional fighter, and one who possibly had outgrown his weight class. Does that mean Caleb has no chance? What assets does Caleb bring to the fight?
Caleb is big, strong, and even though he was soundly outpointed by Taylor, he was not beat up. The fact is he hasn’t been seriously hurt by any of his opponents and he brings that confidence with him against Jacobs. He also has what Emanuel Steward emphasized as the fundamentals, beginning with footwork and balance. Every fighter is taught the proper stance, and which foot to lead with, etc. But, the simplicity of the basics is somehow lost once movement is added. You see it over and over again. That’s why fans marvel at fighters such as Triple G, who almost never seems to be out of position. He’s always ready to punch. Caleb has more than just a little bit of that ability or trait. He is solid and hard to trap or muscle. He understands leverage, and can move guys around.
He came up short against Taylor, primarily because he wasn’t busy enough. That enabled Taylor to pile up points. Even with the ninth round knockdown of Taylor, the hole Caleb dug for himself was just too deep. It would seem Caleb, as an intelligent fighter, has learned an important lesson. He cannot simply rely on a tight defense, the kind where a fighter goes into a shell, and fails to punch until the other fighter stops throwing. It’s no secret, then, to understand that Caleb has to punch “with” Jacobs. He has to move in behind his jab. He has to move his head, move his head, move his head. When he gets under Jacob’s combinations, he must go to the body. Fighters are told to double up on their jabs, and to hook off of it. Good advice, but in this fight Caleb also needs to double up with his right hand, like he did in the George fight. He is not a one punch knockout guy, but he does have sufficient power to break his man down and stop him. Back in Minnesota, that’s what they would love to see.
