American boxing promoters will now have to make room for Matchroom Boxing now that the boxing promotional company based in the United Kingdom has signed Danny Jacobs.
The Brooklyn middleweight set the course for the next stage of his career by signing a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing promoter Ed Hearn as well as a multi-fight deal with HBO. Jacobs’ first fight under the new agreements will be against unbeaten Luis Arias on Nov. 11 at NYCB Live, home of the Nassau Veterans Coliseum.
“It was a matter of where do I see myself in the future and where I wanted to take my career and what I wanted for my life,” Jacobs said of his decision to sign with Matchroom Boxing. “This was the right move at the right time.”
Jacobs (32-2, 29 KOs) is hoping signing with Hearn and HBO will lead to a shot at another middleweight title. Most of the key names in the division — Gennady Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez, Billy Joe Saunders of Britain, and David Lemieux of Canada — are all tied to HBO.
“All the key players in the middleweight division are all on that network,” said Jacobs, a former WBA champion. “So with a young, innovative guy like Eddie as my promoter and with a permanent spot on the network, it should make it easier for me to have the fights that I need. I just thought that it made perfect sense.”
It will be the first USA card for Matchroom Boxing. The co-feature will pit unbeaten heavyweight Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller (19-0, 17 KOs) against Mariusz Wach (33-2, 17 KOs).
This will be Jacobs’ first fight since losing a 12-round decision to Golovkin in March at Madison Square Garden. It ended a streak of 23 wins by knockout or stoppage for Golovkin, who went on to fight Alvarez to a draw last month.
Jacobs figures if he can defeat Arias (18-0, 9 KOs), a rematch with Golovkin or a matchup with Saunders, the WBO belt-holder, could come sometime next year.
“I’m not going to take a step backward,” Jacobs said. “We feel I’m the best middleweight fighter in the world and we’re going to continue to climb that ladder. If I’m winning and looking impressive and being on the scene, the fans are going to start demanding bigger fights.”