Daniel Jacobs vs. Peter Quillin: The Miracle Man Breaks Kid Chocolate in One Round

Photo credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

By Peter Silkov

Daniel Jacobs arrived last night as a serious force in the middleweight division.  Although he has held the ‘regular’ version of the WBA world middleweight title for over a year, there was always a question whether Jacobs had real merit as a world class fighter.  Quite simply, he had not fought anyone of note at world class level, until last night, when he faced Peter ’Kid Chocolate’ Quillin.

The fight turned out to be short and explosive. Both men started off cautiously, probing with jabs as they each looked for an opening. It wouldn’t be a long wait. A sudden over-hand right rocked Quillin, and Jacobs wasted no time jumping upon his fellow Brooklynite.  Jacobs unleashed a vicious two-fisted barrage, which drove Quillin across the ring, and into the ropes. The best Quillin could do is cover up and vainly try and ride out the storm. Those hopes crashed down when Jacobs landed a right hand flush upon Quillin’s temple. Kid Chocolate reacted to the punch as if he had been given an electric shock, jumping up in the air, before staggering across to the other side of the ring with his hands down at his sides. It looked as if he was going to fall, but somehow he didn’t. Instead, Quillin came to rest against the ropes, with his legs still giving a weird hop-like stagger, as referee Harvey Dock looked at him for a tense moment or two, before decisively stepping forward and calling a halt to the fight.

Photo: Rich Schultz/Associated Press

It was all over in less than 90 seconds. The stoppage was controversial for many in the immediate aftermath of the fight, but when looked at for a second or third time, it seems clear that Quillin was in no condition to defend himself, and referee Dock stopped the fight at just the right time. 

After a fight with such sudden, yet brief brutality, the post-fight interviews were almost as shocking for the friendship, and sportsmanship of both men.

“I told him I love him. Me and Peter go back to the Golden Glove days. I respect him to death, but I knew this fight would be my night. There are no lucky shots in boxing.  Obviously, I caught him with a shot. Once I knew I had him hurt I kept going,” Jacobs said at ringside after the fight.

Quillin was equally magnanimous in defeat, as Jacobs was in victory.
“This is a time you sit with your family and figure out what you have to do. I have a lot of options, maybe a rematch is the best option. I can’t think of a better person to lose to than Danny Jacobs.”

Both fighters have a lot of options now, especially Jacobs, who as a genuinely proven world class fighter, has finally arrived. His next fight looks set to be against the winner of the December 12 showdown between Chris Eubank Jr. and Spike O’Sullivan. Jacobs is also looking at attractive future matches against the likes of Andy Lee, Billy Joe Saunders, and of course, Gennady Golovkin, and not forgetting, Saul Alvarez, unless he decides to restrict himself to fighting ex-light-middleweights at 155-pounds.

Photo: Esther Lin/Showtime

For Quillin, his first career defeat will be a huge blow, but if ever a fighter has emerged from defeat with a huge increase of respect, then that man is Peter Quillin. 

There are many ways to prove you are a champion, sometimes even in defeat, but Saturday was Daniel Jacobs’s night, and the middleweight division suddenly exploded. 

Watch the post-fight conference here:

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes towww.theboxingglove.com

Daniel Jacobs Vs. Peter Quillin: The Miracle Man Takes On Kid Chocolate at Barclays Center

 By Peter Silkov

Daniel Jacobs (30-1, 27koes) defends his WBA world middleweight title against Peter Quillin (32-0-1, 23koes) on Saturday night, in a fight that fans are hoping is a early step towards the middleweight division gaining a unified world champion.  The situation with the world middleweight titles is confusing to say the least.  Jacobs is the ‘Regular’ WBA world middleweight champion, while Gennady Golovkin is the ‘Super’ WBA world middleweight champion (in addition to being the IBF title holder.)  Then you have Saul Alvarez who holds the WBC middleweight title. His future opponents have not been addressed, whether he will face Golovkin, or what weight he will be allowed to fight, is still a mystery. Most people view Golovkin as the world number 1 at middleweight already, but an official unified title with all the belts remains Golovkin’s goal.  

Both Jacobs and Quillin have so far kept away from any path that would lead them to a fight with the GGG man. The winner on Saturday night will have the option of finally going ahead and taking part in a series of fights, which will conclude with an undisputed World middleweight champion. There are already plans for whoever wins Saturday’s fight to take on the winner of the upcoming clash between Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders, on December 12, for Lee’s WBO world title. Before that will happen, Jacobs and Quillin have to sort out their differences on Saturday night, December 5, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Aside from the question of the world ‘title,’ which Jacobs is defending, this is a genuinely even contest between two well-matched middleweights, who may well deliver one of 2015’s better fights.  Quillin and Jacobs are evenly matched in height and age, and have similar boxer-puncher styles. They also both reside in Brooklyn, New York, although Quillin originally hails from Chicago.  One of the biggest differences between the two boxers is experience, while it is Jacobs who is the defending title holder, Quillin, who formerly held the WBO title before vacating it, has fought at the higher level.  Having already faced fighters such as Antwun Echols, Roland Wright, Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, Gabriel Rosado, and Andy Lee, with his only career blemish coming with a draw against Lee in April this year.

Jacobs’s biggest test so far has come against Sergio Mora in his most recent contest.  Unfortunately that fight was cut short in the 2nd round, when Mora was unable to continue due to an injured ankle, but not before both men had hit the deck in the 1st round.

This is one of the reasons why this fight has the makings of a good scrap, both Jacobs and Quillin have been floored in previous fights.  Quillin, most recently in his fight against Lee.  With each man possessing a dangerous punch, this is a fight that could break out into a slugfest. With the recent big middleweight match-ups of Gennady Golovkin vs David Lemieux and Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez falling short as competitive attractions, fans will be hoping that in the case of Jacobs vs Quillin, the fight will surpass its rather muted build up.  This is one of those fights which could end early or go into the later rounds. Both fighters are likely to start off using their boxing skills, before going for the power punches. We may see a chess match for a couple of rounds before things get really interesting.

Daniel Jacobs has a compelling life story after recovering from cancer and winning his WBA middleweight title, but the odds seem to be against him this Saturday.  This is certainly a fight that either man can win, but with both men so well matched, Quillin’s extra experience against higher quality opposition is likely to be a crucial advantage.

The Boxing Glove’s pick for this fight is a Quillin win either by points, or a late KO.

Also sharing the bill with Jacobs and Quillin are featherweights Jesus Cuellar (27-1) and Jonathan Oquendo (26-4) who will be fighting for Cuellar’s WBA World Featherweight title.  This is another evenly matched fight, which might steal the show.

The under card to Jacobs vs Quillin, has some interesting fights, including the returns to the ring of former world champions, Chris Algieri (20-2) and Yuri Foreman (32-2.) Algieri, having his first contest since his competitive defeat at the hands of Amir Khan, takes on Eric Bone (16-2) at welterweight, while Yuri Foreman returns to the ring after a two year absence, against Lenwood Dozier (9-9-1.) 

Watch the weigh-ins and face-offs here:



 Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com