Danny Jacobs returning to tick one last box in his career

When Daniel Jacobs disappeared from the fight scene following a split decision loss to John Ryder in 2022, many thought it was for good. After all, Jacobs had already won world titles, competed with the best of the best and made millions of dollars many times over. 

Jacobs (37-4,30 KOs), however, isn’t satisfied. The former two-time world champion is out to win one more world title, which he believes will guarantee him a place in the Hall of Fame. It’s what is driving him now, and why he will end a 29-month layoff against Shane Mosley Jr. (21-4, 12 KOs) in a 10-round super middleweight bout Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Jacobs-Mosley will be the co-main event on the Nate Diaz-Jorge Masvidal PPV but fight fans will likely be more interested in the former. 

“I’m extremely excited,” Jacobs told BoxingScene. “The reason why I’m excited is. because it is the sport I love and I give my all. To be back after a long layoff means a lot.”

Several years ago, a Jacobs-Mosley bout would have been viewed as a mismatch. Jacobs had hung tough with future Hall of Famers such as Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin and built an impressive resume that included wins over Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Peter Quillin and Sergio Mora. 

But at 37, and coming off a long-layoff, questions remain regarding one of the finest amateurs to emerge from Brooklyn, New York – particularly given how he looked against Ryder. 

“What I can say about him, Shane Mosley Jr., is that he’s had a four-fight winning streak,” said Jacobs. “I know he has a victory over Gabriel Rosado and I’ve seen some of his matches on YouTube, that’s all I know.

“I will say it is the perfect fight for me coming back. I won’t look at it as a tune-up. I would say I look at it as the fight that will test my ability.”

For this camp, Jacobs has re-enlisted former long-time trainer Andre Rozier. He’s also had a significantly longer camp than usual although he won’t say if it is due to his age and inactivity. 

“The way that it turned out was a longer camp but I’m not sure that’s what I need,” he explained. “But I’m sure that it is beneficial. It’s probably going to be my blueprint moving forward.

“I think I’m going to adopt it but I don’t think I necessarily need it because of age or because I’ve been out for long. Not with the way I’ve been looking in camp.”

Given Jacobs’ name and status, a decisive victory over Mosley will probably set him up for a big fight sooner rather than later – and the opportunity to cement his name in Canastota.

“The only thing left for me to accomplish is Hall of Fame status,” said Jacobs. “Being able to hopefully win another championship in another division and become a three-time champ.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” back in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].

When Daniel Jacobs disappeared from the fight scene following a split decision loss to John Ryder in 2022, many thought it was for good. After all, Jacobs had already won world titles, competed with the best of the best and made millions of dollars many times over. 

Jacobs (37-4,30 KOs), however, isn’t satisfied. The former two-time world champion is out to win one more world title, which he believes will guarantee him a place in the Hall of Fame. It’s what is driving him now, and why he will end a 29-month layoff against Shane Mosley Jr. (21-4, 12 KOs) in a 10-round super middleweight bout Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Jacobs-Mosley will be the co-main event on the Nate Diaz-Jorge Masvidal PPV but fight fans will likely be more interested in the former. 

“I’m extremely excited,” Jacobs told BoxingScene. “The reason why I’m excited is. because it is the sport I love and I give my all. To be back after a long layoff means a lot.”

Several years ago, a Jacobs-Mosley bout would have been viewed as a mismatch. Jacobs had hung tough with future Hall of Famers such as Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin and built an impressive resume that included wins over Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Peter Quillin and Sergio Mora. 

But at 37, and coming off a long-layoff, questions remain regarding one of the finest amateurs to emerge from Brooklyn, New York – particularly given how he looked against Ryder. 

“What I can say about him, Shane Mosley Jr., is that he’s had a four-fight winning streak,” said Jacobs. “I know he has a victory over Gabriel Rosado and I’ve seen some of his matches on YouTube, that’s all I know.

“I will say it is the perfect fight for me coming back. I won’t look at it as a tune-up. I would say I look at it as the fight that will test my ability.”

For this camp, Jacobs has re-enlisted former long-time trainer Andre Rozier. He’s also had a significantly longer camp than usual although he won’t say if it is due to his age and inactivity. 

“The way that it turned out was a longer camp but I’m not sure that’s what I need,” he explained. “But I’m sure that it is beneficial. It’s probably going to be my blueprint moving forward.

“I think I’m going to adopt it but I don’t think I necessarily need it because of age or because I’ve been out for long. Not with the way I’ve been looking in camp.”

Given Jacobs’ name and status, a decisive victory over Mosley will probably set him up for a big fight sooner rather than later – and the opportunity to cement his name in Canastota.

“The only thing left for me to accomplish is Hall of Fame status,” said Jacobs. “Being able to hopefully win another championship in another division and become a three-time champ.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” back in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].