After the fight: Daniel Jacobs and the end of a boxer’s road

Daniel Jacobs lost to John Ryder, but should that be enough to walk away from boxing? Contemplating Jacobs’ future and when it’s time to say goodbye. 

It’s usually clear when an elite prizefighter has seen their best days in the ring go by. The signs unfold in a sad drama in front of millions watching at home on television. Even then, the boxers themselves often have a hard time accepting reality. Daniel Jacobs isn’t the boxer he once was, but he isn’t shot either, which makes sorting out his future even more difficult.

Jacobs (37-4, 30 KOs) enjoyed a lot of success as a boxer. He was a two-time champion who inspired others by beating cancer and becoming the WBA middleweight champion in 2014. That feat earned Jacobs the well-deserved nickname as the ‘Miracle Man.’

Jacobs didn’t lose a bout from 2010-2016 and scored some impressive knockout victories in the process. Even when Jacobs lost to Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez, he performed well and pushed both future Hall-of-Famers to the limit. Jacobs was on their level and deserves everlasting respect in the sport for those two performances alone.

Every athlete will inevitably hit a point when their physical gifts begin to decline. Wear and tear, along with age, are the typical culprits, and no two athletes react the same when their previous superhuman abilities start to wane.

For a boxer, longevity is in a shorter supply than other athletes. Getting punched for a living carves away at a competitor’s health and capabilities. Some fighters recognize the cues of their reduced competency in the ring, while others plunge into denial.

Daniel Jacobs looked past his prime against John Ryder in a competitive, yet mediocre boxing bout

A boxer’s dropoff can be gradual, or it can be swift. In jacobs’ case, it’s gradual. His 2020 split-decision win over Gabriel Rosado was the first indication his talents were receding. Jacobs was unable to react to Rosado and couldn’t put together his punches. When he did throw, his speed and sharpness looked halved from previous performances.

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He had a built-in excuse in that fight. Jacobs wasn’t working with familiar trainer Andre Rozier, so he brought Rozier back when he fought John Ryder on Feb. 12. Ryder surprised some by beating Jacobs via split-decision, but it wasn’t a convincing victory.

Ryder was less active but more accurate according to CompuBox statistics and landed slightly more punches than Jacobs in a very competitive and hard-to-score contest. Some felt Jacobs deserved the decision. There’s an argument to be made for Jacobs, but it still goes down as a loss.

Even though Jacobs boxed adequately against Ryder doesn’t mean that he is what he once was. Jacobs’ speed and reaction time are diminished. He possesses power but lacks the explosiveness that helped win him two world titles. Ryder is a good boxer, but he’s not on the same level as a Golovkin or Alvarez.

Jacobs has a hard decision to make. He’s 35 years old, and his age shows in the ring. It’s not making it unsafe for him to continue as a fighter, but he no longer has the ability to become a world champion. If he wants to move on due to the pure love of the sport, then more power to him. He has earned the right to go out on his terms.

But if he’s still holding onto world-title aspirations, then some of the people he trusts the most need to level with him and deliver sound advice that those hopes should be abandoned. Sometimes the ego of a formerly great boxer is their worst enemy headed into the tail end of their career.

Some dangers lay ahead for Jacobs if he receives more opportunities to face champion-caliber opponents. We’ve seen the tragic long-lasting damage that has been done to boxers when they can’t say goodbye to boxing.

Hopefully, Jacobs sees the writing on the wall. He has nothing left to prove. Jacobs won two world titles, which is more than most can say. There’s no shame in losing when you’ve given it your all, and time becomes your biggest enemy. Jacobs has come to that point, and it’s his choice on how his boxing fate plays out.