Danny Jacobs of Brooklyn needed a signature victory to announce he was a contender in the middleweight division. He got that victory last night with a devastating third-round knockout of Giovanni Lorenzo at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square.
The debut main event of the Golden Boy Live series of Monday Night Fights, televised by Fox Sports 1, did not disappoint.
After two close rounds, Jacobs hurt Lorenzo with an overhead right hand in the third and finished him with a flurry of punches that dropped Lorenzo to the canvas. Referee Steve Willis counted out Lorenzo at 2:05 of the third round.
It was the fourth straight win for Jacobs since returning to the ring after battling bone cancer that wrapped around his spine and briefly left him paralyzed. He improved his overall record to 26-1 with his 23rd knockout and now must be mentioned among the top contenders in the middleweight division.
“I owe it all to the man above,” Jacobs said. “God has got me through a lot in my life. I know I made a statement. Brooklyn came out and supported me and it fueled me up and got me so excited. I knew I had the skills over him.”
Lorenzo landed a good left hook early in the first round that got Jacobs’ attention. Working off his left jab, Jacobs answered with a hard right.
The jab was Jacobs’ best weapon. He used it to keep Lorenzo off-balance and would follow his touches with a right hand. Lorenzo was determined though often swung wildly, looking to land a big punch.
Jacobs ducked most of Lorenzo’s wild hooks and landed counters. He finally landed the heavy leather when he rocked Lorenzo with an overhand right midway through the third round. Lorenzo’s legs buckled and Jacobs went in for the finish. He landed a solid left hook that dropped Lorenzo to the canvas. It was the first time the New York-based Lorenzo (32-6, 24 KOs) had been stopped in his career.
In the co-feature, Bronx junior middleweight Eddie Gomez improved to 15-0 with a fourth-round TKO over Steven Upsher Chambers (24-3-1, six KOs) of Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, Staten Island’s Marcus Browne improved to 6-0 with six KOs, stopping Robert Hill of Monroe, La., 59 seconds into the first round. Browne, fighting at 175 pounds, wanted more work.
“I spar with great pros and great amateurs,” Browne said. “I do all that in the gym. I just want to showcase it on this stage.”