The multi-time Middleweight world champ Daniel Jacobs will fight against the British world-rated Super-Middleweight boxer John Ryder at the popular Alexandra Palace in London on Saturday, February 12. The Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder match will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN. Former IBF and WBA middleweight boxer Jacobs got a split decision victory over multiple-time world title challenger Gabriel Rosado the last time in Hollywood. This was just a year from his stoppage victory against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. from Mexico. These victories came after the boxer from Brooklyn was defeated in the unification match with the pound-for-pound star Saul Alvarez a couple of years ago. But even after that loss, the boxer has a great desire to go face-to-face with the best in the world.
Ryder got a points defeat to Callum Smith, the former world champ, in his only world title challenge in Liverpool. But the boxer returned with victories over Jozef Jurko and Mike Guy in the past couple of years. In the Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder match, the former will be fighting outside of the country for only the second time in his career and the first time in a very significant match. He defeated Jesse Orta in Canada more than a decade ago. It was a silent comeback from his defeat against Dmitry Pirog that year. He also traveled to Puerto Rico to victory over Milton Nunez nearly eight years ago.
Jacobs has not fought since his victory against Gabriel Rosado. It was a somewhat debatable decision in a very dreadful matchup. That fight came nearly a year after the wild scene in Arizona. In that match, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr quit after the middle rounds against Jacob, leading to a small riot in the Phoenix venue. Now, Ryder will have a home-field advantage in London. The boxer is a dangerous and viable rival for sure. But he does not come in with much more career momentum than his opponent in the Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder match. He had a very disputed decision defeat to Callum Smith a couple of years ago. Many fans thought he deserved to win. After that, he has only fought in a few club-level matches, defeating Jozef Jurko and Mike Guy. The heavyweight Johnny Fisher will also make his comeback on the night.
Matchroom putting together this match will help increase subscribers to the app in the United Kingdom. But it will probably not work that well for the boxing fans in the United States. Ryder is not high on the priority list for US boxing fans who would like to watch the super middleweight matches on DAZN. For that matter, Jacobs is not a very popular boxer right now either. He has looked unmotivated and played out in his matches in the past couple of years. If he gets back to the division, the matchwinner between Ryder and Jacobs will be in a good position to challenge the undisputed super-middleweight champ, Canelo Alvarez. Out of both the boxers, Canelo would probably like to fight the light-hitting Ryder because it would be an easy match similar to the champs the Mexican star defeated to become the undisputed champ at his weight class.
Jacobs said, “I’m super excited to be returning to the ring. It has always been my dream to fight in London as a professional, and I’m looking forward to fighting in front of a great crowd. I’m putting my best foot forward.” Ryder said, “This is the fight I need to really bring the best out in me. Jacobs is a great fighter, but he has had his time, and now it’s my time to shine! My dreams are at stake, and destiny awaits. It’s time to get right back to where I need to be.”
Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn has said that the upcoming Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder match could be the last match of the former if he loses it. The experienced boxer Jacobs has had an underwhelming and lackluster split decision victory against the rugged contender Gabriel Rosado. Jacobs has been facing tough rivals for most of the previous eight years. He has defeated the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Peter Quillin, and Sergio Mora. He was defeated by Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. More than a decade ago, the cancer survivor’s initial career defeat came against Dmitry Pirog via knockout. Talks of the retirement of Jacobs, of which Hearn is alluding to, can be a little premature. However, the boxer has not mentioned he is even thinking about retirement. Ryder is also a former interim titlist at his weight class. He mostly fought overseas and came up short against rivals such as Billy Joe Saunders, Rocky Fielding, and Callum Smith whenever he fought against quality opposition.
Hearn said, “For Danny Jacobs, it’s a must-win, and for John Ryder, it’s a must-win. That fight is likely to be an eliminator for the WBA [168-pound] world title, and it’s a really, really good fight. Jacobs has a chip on his shoulder. He’s coming to the UK to do a job, and this is career-defining for Danny Jacobs because if he loses to John Ryder, I think that’s the end of his career. [Jacobs] really underperformed [against Rosado], and he’ll be looking to make a big statement. Look, Danny Jacobs’ performance against Rosado was under par, but Danny Jacobs is an elite super middleweight. He’s a world-class fighter, and he’s a two-division world champion. He’s a top, top, amateur pedigree, and everything. John Ryder will need to put on the performance of his career to beat Danny Jacobs that night because I think if you would have got Daniel Jacobs that came after the Chavez fight, the one that turned up for Rosado, John might be the favorite going into that fight. So, he’ll be coming to put on a spiteful performance and looking to win.”
The Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder match tickets are available for sale. Besides this match, several other matches listed on the fight card will occur on the night. The event is going to be hosted at the Alexandra Palace in London. The Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder predictions regarding the odds are not yet out. The streaming of the Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder match will happen on the DAZN app, which also is the official broadcasting partner. The fights will also be streamed on the digital application.
Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder Fight Card