Former IBF/WBA middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs has announced his retirement on Instagram, wrapping up his 17-year professional career following his loss to Shane Mosley Jr. on July 6th.
The End of an Era
Fans had predicted the 37-year-old Jacobs (37-5, 30 KOs) would retire because he mentioned before his fight with Mosley Jr. that his goal was to win a world title at super middleweight, which was viewed as code talk for him wanting a lucrative rematch with Canelo Alvarez.
Jacobs fought Canelo on May 4, 2019, losing a twelve-round unanimous decision, but he made excellent money for that fight and with DAZN.
If that were the ultimate goal for Jacobs to get a rematch with Canelo, his defeat against Mosley Jr. made that impossible. It was a one-sided match, with Mosley Jr. winning by the scores 99-91, 99-91, and 100-90.
A Questionable Return
In hindsight, it was a bad idea for Jacobs to take the Mosley Jr. without first taking a couple of tune-up fights to get ready. The 37-year-old ‘Miracle man’ Jacobs has been inactive for two years after losing to John Ryder by a twelve-round split decision on February 12, 2022, in London.
Jacobs didn’t perform well against Ryder, gassing out after six rounds and getting outworked in the second half of the contest. After that fight, Jacobs sat inactive for two solid years before emerging to face Mosley Jr. and talking about wanting to capture a world title at 168. That was an unrealistic goal.
Career Highlights and Setbacks
Jacobs’s best career wins came against Peter Quillin, Sergio Mora x 2, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Caleb Truax, and Maciel Sulecki. The win over Derevyanchenko was a close one that could have gone either way, but the judge gave the win to Jacobs.
Jacobs’ notable defeats:
Gennadiy Golovkin
Dmitry Pirog
Shane Mosley Jr.
Canelo Alvarez
John Ryder
The loss to Pirog was strange for Jacobs because he looked out cold after getting dropped in the fifth. Then suddenly, Jacobs tried to get up, but it was too late. The fight took place on July 31, 2010. Some fans thought Jacobs quit in that fight.
Jacobs felt he deserved the win in his fight against Golovkin on March 18, 2017, but the judges felt differently; it appeared that Jacobs lost the first six and then rallied late when Golovkin coasted.
