WBA champ Daniel Jacobs wins battle of Brooklyn
Danny Jacobs celebrates after defeating Peter Quillin during their WBA Middleweight Championship bout on December 5, 2015. Credit: Getty Images / Al Bello
On paper, the Battle of Brooklyn looked as even a match as a fight possibly could be, with few in the boxing world feeling confident about picking a winner. But in the ring, it couldn’t have been more shockingly one-sided as WBA middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs staggered Peter Quillin with a series of power punches that forced referee Harvey Dock to call a halt at 1:25 of the first round last night at Barclays Center.
The feeling-out process lasted about a minute for the two power punchers before Jacobs faked a jab and hammered a right to Quillin’s jaw, sending him staggering back into the ropes. Sensing the damage, Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs) pounced and unleashed a barrage of power shots that had Quillin (32-1-1, 23 KOs) ducking and covering.
When Quillin opened up and tried to fire back, Jacobs banged a right off the challenger’s left temple, sending him hopping sideways on one foot. When he came to a stop, Quillin’s knees buckled but he remained upright.
Dock stepped back for a moment but didn’t like the vacancy in Quillin’s eyes and waved it over. Showtime announcer Jim Gray said Dock told him Quillin didn’t know where he was.
Jacobs said, “I’m not a referee, but if I was, I probably would have given him an opportunity.”
Quillin said he did know where he was, but when he watched a replay of the shot to the temple, he added, “You don’t know until you see it, but that was a good shot.”
At no point did Quillin protest the stoppage. Promoter Lou DiBella praised Dock’s actions. “That guy is a great referee,” DiBella said. “Peter was on his feet because of courage. He could have gotten killed. If he took a knee, he could have gotten his bearings, but he wanted to fight on courage. That was a righteous stoppage.”
According to Compubox, Jacobs connected with 27 punches, including 25 power shots, to two for Quillin.
Jacobs said he would not be opposed to giving a rematch to Quillin after the first loss of his career, but the former WBO champion sounded uncertain.
“Maybe a rematch is an option,” Quillin said. “It’s all about what the people want to see.”
The two fighters came up together through the Golden Gloves ranks, always have maintained a respectful friendship and were gracious afterward.
After the fight, Jacobs said, “I told him I love him. I respect him to death, but I knew it would be my night.
“There’s no lucky shots in boxing. I caught him with a shot. Once I knew I had him hurt, I kept going.”
Notes & quotes: Shirley’s Joe Smith (20-1, 16 KOs) scored a tough unanimous decision over former sparring partner Will Rosinsky (19-3, 10 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight bout . . . Argentina’s Jesus Cuellar (27-1, 21 KOs) defended his WBA featherweight title against Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo ((26-4, 16 KOs) by unanimous decision . . . Staten Island light heavyweight Marcus Browne (17-0, 13 KOs) stopped Mexico’s Francisco Sierra (27-10-1, 24 KOs) by TKO one second into the fourth round . . . Super welterweight Yuri Foreman (33-2, nine KOs) ended a two-year hiatus from the ring with a unanimous eight-round decision over journeyman Lenwood Dozier (9-10-1, four KOs).
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
