The Battle for Brooklyn ended up looking more like the invasion of Grenada.
Mild underdog Daniel Jacobs took out the top-ranked middleweight not named Gennady Golovkin Saturday night on Showtime. Peter Quillin never got started, despite being viewed as the more powerful boxer and in the ring against a guy who not that long ago got dropped by light-punching Sergio Mora.
It only took about 45 seconds for Jacobs to hurt Quillin with a right hand, then swarm him with punches. Midway through the round, still trying to right himself, Quillin got caught again, on the temple, and he was in rough shape. He stayed on his feet after dipping a couple times, and the ref stepped in and stopped it.
That was a call you can question. But Quillin didn’t question it himself. And his eyes did appear vacant. He might have hurt himself by staying on his feet; maybe he’d have looked better after an eight count.
Oddly enough, in the post-fight interviews, Jacobs appeared eager for a rematch, contrasting with his also-quick and more controversial win over Sergio Mora. Quillin didn’t sound like someone who wanted a do-over. So who knows what happens next for Jacobs. But it’s the best win of his career, something that puts the long-ago loss to Dmitry Pirog and the recovery from cancer fully in the rear-view mirror. In theory, he’s a natural opponent for Golovkin — speed plus good technique on Jacobs’ level are something GGG has yet to face — but GGG’s on HBO and we see how often HBO and fighters affiliated with adviser Al Haymon have happened of late (hint: almost never).
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The undercard featherweight clash between Jesus Cuellar and Jonathan Oquendo didn’t steal the show, as some hoped. Cuellar basically beat Oquendo to the punch throughout, scored a flash knockdown in the 4th and controlled most rounds until Oquendo’s late surge. Cuellar won a unanimous decision. He told Showtime beforehand that he wanted Leo Santa Cruz. Sounds good.
(Jacobs, left, Quillin, right; via)
