Daniel Jacobs wins in dominating fashion against Luis Arias at Nassau Coliseum

For the first time in nine months, Daniel Jacobs walked into a boxing ring and put on a show. The crowd at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum were on their feet as Jacobs (33-2-0) won a one-sided affair over Luis Arias. The judges scored the fight in favor of the Brooklyn native (120-107, 199-108, 118-109), who played the aggressor all 12 rounds to get him closer to a title opportunity.

While it wasn’t the way everyone thought it would go, a knockout by Jacobs, it was certainly a moving display of athleticism. He did seem a bit rusty, but the last time we saw him fight was in March after a controversial loss to Gennady Golovkin. Jacobs put the past behind him and started walking towards the future. Well, he actually marched straight past Arias (18-1-0), who held his own despite the one-sided affair.

The match started off with Jacobs putting Arias down to the ground early. The one consistent thing that carried Daniel Jacobs was his jabs and swift hooks to Arias. All throughout the night, Arias couldn’t handle the pressure that was being thrown at him. At several points throughout the fight, he would clinch Jacobs and continue to run away from the fight. At the post-fight conference, Arias admitted to having a blister that was affecting his foot work.

It was round six where Arias showed some life as he was trading blows with Jacobs. It appeared it was all for naught, as Jacobs kept on attacking Arias whenever he wasn’t trying to run from him. Shot after shot, Jacobs was playing a methodical game of cat and mouse. Which each swing the roar of the crowd increased. Jacobs also attempted to go southpaw late in the fight, which punished Arias further. After the 12th round, the crowd was elated, knowing the New Yorker would be called the victor.

It was a great return for the “Miracle Man”, who had a night of firsts. This was his first fight with new promotion Matchroom Boxing and promoter Eddie Hearn. The English promotion succeeded on their first night on the job, and hope to continue to grow with Jacobs. His new multi-fight deal with HBO will certainly help their client and their cause.

What’s next for Daniel Jacobs? He plans to fight again in March in New York. While he would love to face GGG again, it is unknown who will be signed to face him. Until then, Jacobs can smile knowing he is back, while the rest of the middleweight division will need to fear for their safety.