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In reply to the discussion: Boxing (4-27) [View all]

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
2. "The Golden Child"
Fri Apr 26, 2013, 10:09 AM
Apr 2013

When I was young, my friends and I used the description “Golden Boy” to describe our contempt for a certain breed of pampered athletes. Per the sport of boxing, they were the guys we sought to fight. As a rule, they were arrogant snots, with inflated records secured by hometown advantages. I remember one in particular -- a blonde golden boy who entered the ring to the theme song from the first “Rocky” movie. His manager would never let him fight me, even though he was two weight classes heavier. So I trained a kid that I had defeated twice, and that fellow put the first defeat on that golden boy’s record.

Fast-forward several decades, and I’m suddenly an old man, bringing his young fighter (my son) to amateur cards in eastern New York. One of the kids we watch is nicknamed “The Golden Child.” But this youngster is as far from pampered as he is from being arrogant. It’s Daniel Jacobs, from Brooklyn, who wins his first national title at the age of 15. In the next three years, he will win six more national tournaments. We would bump into this extremely talented young man several times over the years, and he was always so friendly and well-mannered that he seemed almost unreal -- a perfect example of the goodness of the guys who participate in the most crooked and violent of sports.

Danny made his pro debut on the 12-8-07 undercard of the Mayweather vs. Hatton fight. He knocked his opponent out in 29 seconds. His next fight lasted a few seconds longer, until a vicious body punch left his opponent on the canvas. He continued winning, until he faced Dmitry Piroy (16-0) in a televised bout. Jacobs’ grandmother -- who he was particularly close to -- died days before the fight, and he seemed distracted. He was stopped in five rounds.

He won two fights after the lose, but did not seem the same. Then, we learned that he was near death, battling a cancer that would end his boxing career, if not his life.

But Danny survived the life-saving surgery, and was determined to return to the ring. Now, miracles do happen -- they just require a heck of a lot of hard work. Last October, Danny faced Josh Lutheran (13-1) in the first step of his come-back. He scored a first-round knockout. Two months later, he faced Chris Fitzpatrick (15-2), and took him out in five rounds.

On Saturday, he fights journeyman Keenan Collins (15-7-3) on the Brooklyn undercard. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds. I’m really looking forward to this one.

Boxing (4-27) [View all] H2O Man Apr 2013 OP
Chris Arreola H2O Man Apr 2013 #1
"The Golden Child" H2O Man Apr 2013 #2
"Kid Chocolate" H2O Man Apr 2013 #3
Khan vs Diaz H2O Man Apr 2013 #4
Martinez vs Murray H2O Man Apr 2013 #5
Garcia vs Judah H2O Man Apr 2013 #6
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