Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs Daniel Jacobs Preview May 4th
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez of Mexico will be putting his WBC and WBA Super World Middleweight titles on the line against IBF Champion against Daniel Jacobs of Brownsville, New York at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday, May 4th. The 12-round bout can be seen live in North America on DAZN while fans in the UK can catch it on the Sky Sports Main Event and Action channels. Alvarez last fought in December when he stopped former WBA Super Middleweight Champ Rocky Fielding in the third round. Jacobs last fought in October and earned a 12-round split decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko for the vacant IBF Crown.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Alvarez vs Jacobs Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Daniel Jacobs +378
- Saul Alvarez -453
My Pick
Alvarez lifted Gennady Golovkin’s IBO,WBC and WBA ‘Super’ World Middleweight Titles last September, but took quite a bit of punishment in doing so. His first fight against Triple G, which ended in a highly-controversial draw was no walk in the park either. Alvarez is 28 years old and owns an excellent record of 51-1-2 along with 35 Kos. His only loss was a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather in September of 2013 while his other draw was a four-round affair against Jorge Juarez back in 2006. Alvarez stands 5-feet-9-inches tall and has a reach of 70.5 inches.
Alvarez has a wealth of experience for his age since he turned pro when he was just 15 years old in 2005 and has 379 rounds under his belt since then. He’s taken on and beaten some tough opponents over the years such as Golovkin, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Amir Khan, Miguel Cotto, James Kirkland, Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, Shane Mosley, Josesito Lopez, Kermit Cintron, Carlos Baldomir, and Alfredo Angulo. He’s really fought only one top middleweight so far and that was Golovkin as he’s been fighting below the 160 lb. limit or at catchweights.
Alvarez has above-average power and enters the fight with a current knockout ratio of 64 per cent with a granite chin and quick hands. However, as Golovkin, Mayweather and Khan to some degree showed, the former world super welterweight and middleweight champ can be outboxed as he has difficulty handling a quick, stiff jab. Even so, Alvarez is a good boxer-puncher who likes to go to the body, but has a bit of difficulty with boxers who are mobile, such as Jacobs.
The 32-year-old Jacobs is a former WBA Middleweight Champion who overcame bone cancer a few years ago. He climbs into the ring with an impressive record of 35-2 along with 29 Kos. He defended his WBA title four times before running into Gennady Golovkin and losing it by unanimous in March of 2017. Jacobs stopped Caleb Truax in the 12th round in his first title defence in April, 2015 then stopped Sergio Mora in the second round later later that year before stopping Mora for the second time in September, 2016. In between, he stopped Peter Quillin in the first round.
Jacobs had won the vacant WBA Title in August, 2014 by stopping Jarrod Fletcher in the fifth round. His other defeat came at the hands of Dmitry Pirog in July of 2010 when he was stopped in the fifth round. Jacobs is known for his boxing skills, speed and power, but his chin could be somewhat questionable after being stopped by Pirog and dropped by Golovkin. Jacobs stands 6-feet-1-inch tall and has a reach of 73 inches. Which gives him a four-inch height advantage on Alvarez and a 2-5-inch edge in reach.
Jacobs has 157 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2007 and has a very impressive knockout ratio of 78 per cent but has gone the distance in his last four fights. He’s faced several top-ranked opponents so far in his career such as Derevyanchenko, Maciej Sulecki, Pirog, Quillin, Golovkin, Mora and Caleb Truax. He’s hoping to take Canelo’s world titles here and then land a few more big-money bouts and an eventual rematch with Golovkin.
Prediction…
Jacobs is a fine all-round boxer with power but may own a somewhat questionable chin and that could be a problem against a banger like Alvarez. It’s also close to impossible to earn a decision against Alvarez as Golovkin found out. I can’t see Jacobs stopping Alvarez, but I can see Alvarez topping Jacobs if he lands enough clean, hard shots. Jacobs has quite an edge in height and reach and if he can use them he could win some rounds. He’ll need speed and power to keep Alvarez off of him or a very solid chin. If this ends up being a boxing match then Jacobs has the edge but if it turns into a slugfest then it will favour Alvarez. Anything could happen here so don’t be shocked at any outcome, but history tells us Alvarez has the edge.
Alvarez is younger with a better chin.
Play: Alvarez -453 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Daniel Jacobs betting • Saul Alvarez betting