Danny Jacobs Takes a Step Up in Houston

At just 22 years of age and sporting a 17-0 record with 15 knockouts, there hasn’t been a whole lot to knock in regards to Middleweight prospect Danny Jacobs thus far. Throughout his early career Jacobs has shown very solid boxing skills and more than enough power to make several people take notice, with the only question marks surrounding his competition, or lack thereof, up until this point. The first noticeable step up in class for Jacobs will be this coming Saturday night when he faces off with the always brash Ishe Smith at the Toyota Center in Houston , Texas .

The Jacobs-Smith encounter serves as one of the HBO televised undercard attractions to the Juan Diaz-Paulie Malignaggi tripleheader and it goes without saying that this is a chance for Jacobs to make a serious impression against a different level of opposition. While Ishe Smith may be scathed by some critics for his less than compelling style and past trash talk, there is no denying the talent that the Las Vegas resident possesses and this will be a whole new puzzle for Jacobs to figure out.

Some of Smith’s bigger fights have been against the likes of David Estrada, Sechew Powell, Sergio Mora, and Julio Julio, with the results being mixed. Against Estrada he controlled the contest with his boxing ability and handed the Chicago native his first defeat. His bout with Mora was part of the first season of NBC’s ‘The Contender’ and he would lose a five round decision that some say he actually should have won. His fight with Powell was dreadfully void of much action and he ended up losing a close decision. Against Julio he showed a greater sense of urgency and at times an increased workrate, but again he was on the losing side of a ten round decision verdict.

Jacobs has shown great flashes of promise early into his career and his 6”1 size and overall length have served him very well. The Brooklyn native began his career with a 1st round knockout over Jose Jesus Hurtado on the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton undercard in Las Vegas in December 2007 and he began fighting all over the country from the get go. Jacobs is signed to Golden Boy Promotions and has also seen action underneath such bouts as the Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor rematch, Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Calzaghe, Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya, and much more. While he certainly isn’t a stranger to the bright lights, Jacobs will definitely be put in a whole new position when he faces off with Smith this coming Saturday.

This Saturday’s HBO triple bill hasn’t been getting everyone overly excited and the Jacobs-Smith fight in particular has a noticeable lack of interest from some observers. Even if this ends up being just a footnote in either man’s fighting story this is surely a fight that deserves some attention. Who knows just how far Jacobs will rise in his career but when looking back on August 22nd the date will likely serve as telling moment as to whether or not he was able to handle an experienced and cagey veteran like Smith.

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.Facebook.com/CRHarmony