Daniel Jacobs vs. Gabriel Rosado: How one meeting helped build a fight

Super middleweight boxer Daniel Jacobs recounts specifics of what set off the friction between him and current opponent Gabriel Rosado.   

Boxers Daniel Jacobs and Gabriel Rosado have traded words over the years, and they ready to finally step into the ring on Friday, Nov. 27.

Jacobs (36-3, 30 KOs) is eager to regain a world title. He last held the IBF middleweight title in 2018 but lost it in a very close decision to Canelo Alvarez. Jacobs campaigns as a super middleweight for the second time against longtime adversary Rosado.

Rosado (25-12-1, 14 KOs) has never won a world title, and his record contains some losses, but even in defeat, Rosado has won a large following due to his willingness to trade punches and his iron will to fight through severe cuts, blood, and serious injury.

Although the two have never fought before in the ring, they’ve had plenty to say to each other outside of it.

The viral video of their 2019 confrontation has more than 200,000 views. They were fighting in separate fights on the same card yet managed to rekindle their war of words.

While talking to Rosado leading up to his long-awaited meeting with Jacobs, he briefly discussed the origin of their mutual contempt with FanSided.

“I know our first confrontation was at the hotel lobby at the Cosmopolitan,” Rosado told FanSided. “I think it was the Canelo, GGG rematch. We had some words at the lobby. I think it’s been two years now where we’ve just been kind of getting at each other.”

Daniel Jacobs and Gabriel Rosado will turn their verbal jabs into the real thing

Jacobs remembers that moment and offered FanSided some details to fill in the gaps during a fight week media call.

“It was one of those situations where he had said some things that he was physically going to do to me if he ever seen me in person,” Jacobs told FanSided. “I seen him in person and gave him the opportunity to do just that. His energy wasn’t the same. I kind of questioned him why he make those statements, and overall, it was just pretty much to get a fight.”

It took two years, but if Jacobs’ statement is true, Rosado’s plan to get a fight with Jacobs worked.

“I respect any fighter who can be honest, but I can’t respect a fighter who is saying disrespectful things to me as a man,” added Jacobs. “This is why this fight is being made because of his past comments and the blatant disrespect that I’ve been taking over the years, honestly.”

From Rosado’s perspective, he feels like Jacobs has gone out of his way to avoid him. Jacobs doesn’t see it like that. To him, Rosado is just bitter.

“I just think he’s bitter,” said Jacobs. “Now he has an opportunity to get everything that he wanted.”

Jacobs is the clear favorite when comparing his accomplishments to Rosado’s, but the shared animosity makes this a fight to watch.

Daniel Jacobs and Gabriel Rosado do battle on Friday, Nov. 27, at  8 p.m. ET on DAZN.