According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Daniel Jacobs will take on Dimitry Pirog for the recently vacated WBO Middleweight crown on July 31st in Las Vegas as part of the PPV undercard that will be headlined by the rematch of the 2009 Fight of the Year between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz.
“Whenever Al(Haymmon who is Jacobs advisor) calls me it’s usually with good news, so when he called me and he also had Richard on the line, too, I knew I was going to go crazy,” Jacobs told ESPN.com on Monday. “They gave me the word and I screamed. I was so excited. It was a really good feeling.”
They told Jacobs (20-0, 17 KOs) that he would be facing Russia’s Dmitry Pirog (16-0, 13 KOs) for a vacant title on July 31 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
“We are all done,” Schaefer said from London. “I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for Danny. He’s come along very nicely. He’s a well-spoken and charismatic fighter. He had a great amateur career and we have built him up nicely. We all feel he is ready to fight for a title. We are excited he will have the opportunity. We will see how he will do.”
“The WBO ordered negotiations since Danny and [Pirog] were the next contenders, and Artie Puello and me very quickly put a deal together,” Schaefer said. “We finalized it over the weekend.”
“I feel blessed,” said Jacobs, who is from the tough Brownsville section of Brooklyn, N.Y., that also produced former heavyweight champs Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe. “A lot of people in my position, coming where I come from, to get an opportunity like this is one in a million.”
“I feel like I am ready for a world championship fight,” he said. “I don’t think there are too many threats out there. I think if I get this world championship come July 31, I think we’ll have more improvements to do, like getting experience and such. But if anyone has an opportunity to get a world title I don’t think anyone would decline.”
“I know they’ll call me a paper champion when I win,” Jacobs said. “But look at it from the other standpoint — anyone in my position, they wouldn’t decline it if offered. Believe me, if I had the opportunity to fight Sergio Martinez and win the title from him, I would want to do it that way. I would want to take the belt from him, but the opportunity hasn’t been presented to me. This one was. I took it.
“I’m a fighter but I am also a boxing fan as well, so you never really like paper champions. You have to make a name for yourself and then I will get respect as a legitimate world champion down the line when I do fight those other top guys. I want to be a true world champion, but this is my opportunity to start down that road.”
