WBC and WBA middleweight champion Saul Canelo Alvarez takes on IBF champion Daniel Jacobs on Saturday, May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a three-belt unification. This will be the best boxing matchup you will see all year, with Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 KOs) being one of boxing’s brightest stars, and a win in this match would make him the undisputed champion.
To accomplish the feat, he will have to overcome a man who has literally came face to face with death. Daniel Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs) was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2011 and was not expected to walk again, let alone return to boxing.
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"For what I've overcome and am still overcoming, and accomplishing, says a lot," Jacobs says. "To not only be a cancer survivor, but to return to the sport of boxing, because, I mean, this is not basketball, this is not baseball, this is not a sport you play. This is a sport where you can die in the ring. So, it says a lot to me to come back and be a world champion in that aspect.”
However, Alvarez is still the favorite in this fight with -485, coming off a fight against Gennady Golovkin in which he won the majority decision along with the WBC and WBA belts. He had another fight at super-middleweight in December against Rocky Fielding, which he won in three rounds. He returns to middleweight for this Saturday’s match against Jacobs.
Jacobs has both height and reach advantages over Alvarez and his odds are +385. He is four inches taller and extends three inches longer than his opponent, giving him an advantage with his long jab. If Jacobs can manage distance well, he can create problems for Alvarez, who will need to take risks in order to get inside.
Further, the only fighter who has ever defeated Alvarez is Floyd Mayweather Jr, and he did so by utilizing his footwork. Jacobs may not be as fleet of foot as Mayweather, but you better believe that he was studying tape of that fight and working on methods of controlling distance with his feet. Combined with the reach advantage and effective head work, Jacobs could have a winning formula for limiting Alvarez’s ability to attack.
Still, Alvarez is the favorite for a reason. Pound for pound he is probably the best active fighter in the world, with an incredible arsenal. With a fighter as well-rounded as Alvarez, Jacobs will have to execute to perfection in order to have a chance. Canelo is a great defensive boxer, and has remarkable power in his jabs, crosses and hooks, which he combines in devastating fashion. He is also adept at jabbing at the same time as his opponent, a tactic that proved very effective in his fight against Fielding. In his fight against Golovkin, he was not only able to avoid getting hit by GGG’s combinations but would typically come back with effective combinations of his own.
No matter who comes out on top, this fight has all the makings of a great battle between two top boxers.