Jacobs talks of perfect strategy to beat Golovkin

By Allan Fox: Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) says he has the perfect strategy to deal with what IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) will be bringing to the table on March 18 on HBO pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden in New York. Jacobs is going to be training with light heavyweight champion Andre Ward’s trainer Virgil Hunter in his gym in Oakland, California for this training camp to get ready for Triple G.

There’s a possibility that Jacobs could do some sparring with Ward, who recently beat the hard hitting Sergey Kovalev by a 12 round unanimous decision last November to take his IBF/WBA/WBO 175lb titles. The strategy that the 29-year-old Jacobs will be using for Golovkin is his secret.

Jacobs isn’t going to give up the secret, but having his training camp in Hunter’s gym gives a big hint what he may be choosing to do against Golovkin. Ward used a lot of smothering tactics to beat Kovalev by holding, and not letting him get his shots off. Ward would throw a shot, and then grab Kovalev to keep him from throwing anything. Every round involved a lot of holding from the 3rd round on.

If Jacobs is able to use that strategy against Golovkin on March 18, then it’s anyone’s fight. Jacobs could tire Golovkin out the same way that Ward tired Kovalev out with his mugging tactics on the inside.

Jacobs said this to Ring TV.com about his fight against Golovkin:

“I give him credit. He applies a lot of pressure, which is mentally and physically draining and wears guys out and breaks them before he spectacularly puts them away,” Jacobs said. “Unlike anyone he’s faced before, I have the perfect strategy and style to combat that along with the size and strength to deal with what he brings to the table,”

Golovkin has fought a lot of different fighters that have tried to move a lot to keep from getting trapped into a fight. Golovkin has also fought a fighter that used a great deal of holding against him in Martin Murray. The holding worked for Murray for several rounds, but Golovkin was able to adapt by taking a step back when Murray would reach forward looking to hold him. That strategy might not be the best for Jacobs if he plans on using it.

Jacobs has some good punching power and excellent hand speed. It might be his best interest to use his natural tools to try his best to beat Golovkin by fighting him. Jacobs might be selling himself short if he chooses to follow Andre Ward’s recent blueprint that he used to defeat Kovalev by a controversial 12 round unanimous decision.

Jacobs doesn’t need to go that length to try and spoil his way to victory. It’s best for Jacobs to use the tools that got him to where he is today. Jacobs never used holding and wrestling to win fights in the past, and he shouldn’t start now. Ward had an advantage with his smothering and grappling tactics that he used against Kovalev. He’d been using those tactics for many years in his fights. It wasn’t just something that Ward and his trainer Virgil Hunter came up with during training camp.

Ward had put his grappling tactics to experimental use in many of his other fights. If Jacobs tries to hold his way to victory against Golovkin to nullify his offense, he’s only going to hurt himself, because Golovkin is the better inside fighter and the shorter guy. Taller fighters need more room to punch.

That’s why it’s never a good idea for a tall guy to try and hold a smaller fighter for a prolonged period of time, because the short guy will be likely be better on the inside. We already know how good Golovkin is on the inside from watching his past fights. Jacobs shouldn’t even consider using mauling and wrestling to try and beat Golovkin. He should try and fight him from the outside, and hope that he can hurt him with a big shot the way that he did with Peter Quillin.

Jacobs doesn’t move well enough for him to win a fight against Golovkin. That strategy has been tried before by Jacobs against Dmitri Pirog, and it didn’t work. The only thing that Jacobs hasn’t tried is holding frequently. He might be able to follow Andre Ward’s blueprint to win a close decision if he can hold enough to tire Golovkin out, and if the referee doesn’t disqualify him.