Brooklyn’s “Miracle Man” scores KO

Brownsville native Jacobs wins headline bout in Times Square

August 20, 2013 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Bloodied but certainly not beaten, Danny “The Miracle Man” Jacobs knew he had to dig deep Monday night at Manhattan’s Best Buy Theater to re-establish himself as one of the middleweight division’s top attractions.

The Brownsville native and cancer survivor did just that, shaking off a nasty cut under his left eye to score an impressive third-round stoppage of Giovanni Lorenzo in the headline bout of the new Golden Boy Promotions’ Monday Night Fight series, telecast nationally on Fox Sports 1.

“I knew I had the skills over [Lorenzo], but I knew he had the experience,” Jacobs admitted after improving to 26-1 with 23 career knockouts. “I know for a fact, he was getting me in the ring and trying these Bernard Hopkins moves, trying to get inside my head. I didn’t let it get to me. I knew he was strong, but once he hit me with a good left hook, I said, ‘OK, let’s go.'”

Jacobs, who improved to a perfect 4-0 since overcoming a rare form of bone cancer that threatened his promising career as well as his life, saw blood in his eyes for the first time since his well-chronicled return to the ring.

He responded by stunning Lorenzo with a big left hook off the ropes, then finished him off with a thunderous right hand, forcing the referee to halt the bout at 2:05 of the third round.

“The Brooklyn came out of me,” boasted Jacobs, who can now place his name alongside those of current middleweight champions Sergio Martinez, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and Gennady Golovkin as must-see fighters on the 160-pound circuit.

After scoring a pair of impressive victories at Barclays Center last October and this past June, Jacobs got his first taste of the big time in Times Square on Monday night. He was the feature attraction in what promoter Oscar De La Hoya hopes will be an early week staple on boxing fans’ viewing itinerary.

But Lorenzo (32-6, 24 KOs) was eager to steal the spotlight from the Brooklynite, drilling Jacobs with hard shots in the first two rounds until opening up the cut and landing a low blow that momentarily halted the proceedings in the third.

With his comeback, as well as his career, on the line, Jacobs found a way not only to navigate the assault, but to devastate his rival just over eight minutes into the biggest fight of his 26-year-old life — at least inside the squared circle.

“I wanted to make a statement and I felt I made a good statement tonight,” Jacobs gushed with his new WBC Continental Americas Championship belt draped over his shoulder.

“I know Brooklyn came out in support and it fueled me,” he added. “I know a lot of people are looking up to me because I’m a cancer survivor. I want to be inspirational to people. I want people to know that if you work hard, you can fulfill your dreams.”

Up next for Jacobs is a likely return to the corners of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues in the next, as-yet-unannounced Barclays Center card.

Considering how far he’s climbed in the middleweight rankings since the lone loss of his career to Dmitry Pirog three summers ago, the “Miracle Man” could have a big enough following to merit a co-feature appearance in that event.

“I owe it all to the man above. God has gotten me through a lot in my life,” noted Jacobs.

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Ring Notes: In Monday night’s co-feature, Eddie Gomez (15-0, 10 KOs) stopped Steve Upsher Chambers in Round 4 to remain unbeaten, while former U.S. Olympian Marcus Browne (6-0) of Staten Island needed less than a minute to knock out Robert Hill. “It was a short upper cut to the forehead,” Browne said of his decisive blow. “I was surprised he went down from that punch. I’m ready to progress as a professional. I want to go full rounds and hope to learn from those type of fights in the future.” … In other local boxing news, local fighter Dmitry Salita’s Star of David Promotions will present a “Brooklyn Brawl Bragging Rights” card on Thursday night at Fight Factory Arena. “The show features fighters from different parts of New York that are fighting to climb up contender status. With the return of world championship boxing to Brooklyn, fan enthusiasm is at an all-time high,” noted Salita. “The talent pool in New York is tremendous. The goal for the series is for fighters to show their skills and connect with fans on a grass roots level.” For more information on the event, call 646 -401-5657 or visit www.Dsalita.com or www.fightfactoryny.com. “The New York theme is very strong. All of our fights are local rivalries for Bragging Rights. Great fights top to bottom,” added Salita.