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Miracle Man Danny Jacobs returns to Brooklyn

Jacobs Set to Defend Middleweight Crown Aug. 1 at Barclays

June 17, 2015 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Brooklyn’s Danny “The Miracle Man” Jacobs will defend his middleweight titles on Aug. 1 at the Barclays Center against Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora. Photo courtesy of Hogan Photos
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There’s no place like home, especially for Danny Jacobs, Brooklyn’s “Miracle Man”.

The Brownsville native and Erasmus Hall High School graduate will defend his WBA, NABO and NABF Middleweight belts against former world champ Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora as the co-feature to the much-anticipated Danny Garcia-Paulie Malignaggi headliner at the Barclays Center on Aug. 1,

“I’m just excited to be on this great card and to be able to perform at Barclays Center is an honor,” said Jacobs (29-1, 26 KOs), who will look to improve to a perfect 4-0 at Downtown’s home for professional boxing, which will be hosting its 14th fight card.

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Jacobs, whose well-chronicled battle to overcome bone cancer thrust him into the national spotlight back in 2011, has won seven consecutive bouts, including three right here in Brooklyn, since returning to the ring following his fight against the career- and life-threatening disease.

He made his comeback bout at Barclays on Oct. 20, 2012, dropping Josh Luteran in the opening round, and took Keenan Collins out in four rounds here on June 22, 2013.

But the biggest moment of the 28-year-old pugilist’s career thus far also took place in the friendly environs of the state-of-the-art arena on Aug, 9, 2014, when Jacobs, formerly known as the “Golden Child”, completed his miraculous run to the middleweight crown by stopping Jarrod Fletcher in five rounds.

Though he’s already fought once since capturing the belt, scoring a 12th-round TKO of Caleb Truax in Chicago this past April, Jacobs confessed that fighting in front of the Brooklyn faithful as a world champion will be quite different, and even more special.

“I’m looking forward to making the best out of this opportunity, and most importantly, I want to give the Brooklyn fans a great show,” noted Jacobs, whose lone loss came against Dmitry Pirog back on July 31, 2010 in his first shot at the middleweight title.

Of course, Jacobs didn’t know then that he was actually fighting against  osteosarcoma, a life-threatening form of bone cancer, as well as his opponents in the ring.

The winner of NBC’s “The Contender” series, the 34-year-old Mora is a former world champion at super welterweight and looking to add a middleweight crown to his name.

The Los Angeles native owns victories over Ishe Smith, Peter Manfredo Jr. and Vernon Forrest, and enters this marquee matchup on a five-fight win streak.

He most recently defeated Abraham Han in February of this year and will make his first pro start in Brooklyn on Aug. 1.

But Mora (28-3-2, 9 KOs) will be up against Jacobs and a partisan crowd of Brooklynites who are eager to see their local fighter’s continued rise among the best the sport has to offer at the middleweight level, and beyond.

He insists, however, that playing spoiler is something he embraces.

“I went back to the ‘drawing board,’ worked hard and now I’m blessed to be a part of this great event,” said Mora. “I don’t plan to let this opportunity get by me. On August 1, I’m coming to Brooklyn to win.”

So is Danny Jacobs, who has already won the biggest fight of his life against cancer, making a bout for the middleweight crown in front of his family and friends here in Brooklyn feel like just another day at the office.

“I get to go to work in my own backyard,” he said.

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Ring Notes: Jacobs’ bout against Mora will kick off ESPN’s primetime coverage of the Premier Boxing Champions Series from Barclays Center on Aug. 1 before Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) makes his much-anticipated return to the ring against the undefeated Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs) in the main event. … Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Swift Promotions, are priced at $250, $150, $75 and $45, not including applicable service charges and taxes, are on sale now. Tickets are available at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com and at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Thursday, June 18 at noon. To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. For group tickets, please call 800-GROUP-BK.

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In other local sports news, the LIU Brooklyn men’s outdoor track & field team was honored by the Northeast Conference with its Team Sportsmanship Award on Tuesday after a record-breaking year that saw a pair of Blackbirds and two relay teams advance to NCAA Championships,

Under the direction of USTFCCCA East Region Coach of the Year Simon Hodnett, the Blackbirds were recognized after finishing second at the NEC’s Outdoor Championships behind Central Connecticut in May.

Less than two weeks after the runner-up showing, LIU put together one of its best all-around performances in winning the program’s first IC4A Championship.

The Blackbirds defeated four conference champions at the meet and qualified six individuals and a pair of relay teams to NCAA East Prelims in Florida.

At the regional meet, LIU’s 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relay teams broke school records en route to earning trips to Oregon for nationals.

Senior Brendon Rodney, who was named USTFCCCA East Region Track Athlete of the Year, tied his school mark in the 200-meter dash at 20.27.

Rodney and junior Mica-Jonathan Petit-Homme were named Second Team All-Americans after their performances at nationals, while the two relay squads picked up honorable mention accolades.

Over at St. Francis College, seniors Sarah Benedetti and Katie Fox, members of the first-ever Terriers team to qualify for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, were named two of the thirteen recipients of the prestigious Victory Scholarship.

The Victory Scholarship, in partnership with the Sports Changes Life Foundation, offers post-graduates the opportunity to continue their education and play the sport they love in Northern Ireland and Ireland.

“This a great honor for both Katie and Sarah,” said SFC head women’s basketball coach John Thurston. “In addition to getting the opportunity to travel and experience a different culture, they will have their graduate educations paid for. They can continue to play the game they love and they will be able to impact the lives of children in Ireland. To have two women from the same program chosen for this honor makes us very proud.”


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