Gennady Golovkin escapes Daniel Jacobs via decision

Gennady Golovkin faced his sternest test to date against the powerful and athletic Daniel Jacobs in front of a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden. In a tense, tactical fight, Golovkin escaped via unanimous decision (114-113, 115-112 twice).

Daniel Jacobs (32-2, 29 KOs), in gallant defeat, altered the narrative of his career; no longer is Jacobs simply the fighter who survived cancer. In pushing Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) to his limits — through slick boxing, tactical stance shifting and committed power punching — Jacobs confirmed that he’s an elite fighter.

Jacobs actually seized the initiative early as Golovkin adopted perhaps overly respectful early tactics. The challenger jabbed effectively and used his athleticism to keep Golovkin slightly out of range over the first two rounds, and he even tested the waters by switching to southpaw. In fact, in the third, Jacobs landed the stanza’s most eye-catching shot: a flush counter left hook on the inside.

In the fourth round, however, Golovkin, who had been playing possum, finally committed to his punches and floored Jacobs with two straight right hands after the Brooklynite had turned southpaw for the second time. Galvanized by his success, Golovkin pressed the initiative in the following frame, landing a series of overhand rights that rocked the challenger.

Give Daniel Jacobs credit, though, for absorbing some of Gennady Golovkin’s most hellacious shots and staying composed. Jacobs began to befuddle a surprisingly passive Golovkin, who rarely threw to the body, with slick movement and timely flurries. He consistently out-hustled Golovkin until Triple G connected with a head-rattling right uppercut in round nine; Jacobs answered with a counter hook, only to have his head swivelled by yet another uppercut.

Round 10 featured torrid two-way action, but Jacobs asserted himself in the following stanza with a booming left hook and follow-up flurry. Golovkin, however, closed strong, battering Jacobs for much of the final round before the Brooklynite, his left eye nearly swollen shut, unleashed a fusillade of hooks that Golovkin matched punch-for-punch. One could argue that it was a mixed performance from Golovkin, although full credit is due to Jacobs and his impeccable strategy.

Bluechip prospect Ryan Martin (18-0, 11 KOs) kicked off the telecast by bludgeoning an ultra-game Bryant Cruz (17-2, 8 KOs) with stinging left hooks and crisp right hands for a TKO 8. Carlos Cuadras (36-1-1, 27 KOs) may have punched his ticket to another title fight after winning a unanimous decision (96-94, 97-93 twice) over David Carmona (20-4-5, 8 KOs) in a solid, if somewhat overzealous, performance. In fact, Carmona hurt Cuadras on multiple occasions in the fight’s second half, but the former champion rallied and closed with aplomb.

In an upset, Roman Gonzalez (46-1, 38 KOs) nearly overcame getting dropped in the opening stanza, as well as a cut above his right eye due to a headbutt in round three, to wage a hellacious, seesaw battle against stone-fisted Thai Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (42-4-1, 38 KOs). However, in a mildly controversial verdict, Rungvisai, who suffered a point deduction in round six, won a majority decision via scores of 114-112 (twice) and 113-113 in what could stand up as Fight of the Year by the end of 2017. A rematch is absolutely necessary.

Next: David Lemieux scores massive KO of Curtis Stevens

Opinions will surely be divided regarding Gennady Golovkin’s win over Daniel Jacobs. Triple G, though, can look forward (hopefully) to a showdown against Canelo Alvarez, although a rematch against Jacobs in the near future would surely be compelling — and perhaps necessary.