By Norm Frauenheim-
LAS VEGAS – A fight in need of a buzz suddenly got some.
Daniel Jacobs literally shoved some buzz into the proceedings at a formal weigh-in Friday for the middleweight-title bout Saturday against favored Canelo Alvarez at T-Mobile Arena.
There’s debate about whether it was spontaneous or planned. There’s also a fair argument about what to call it. On the combat scale, it ranks somewhere between a fracas and a dust-up. A brawl, it was not, although it could have turned into one if the opposing corners had not intervened.
Whatever it was, it woke up a weigh-in crowd of a few thousand fans, who had not heard any trash talk from either camp until the fighters made weight, stepped off the scale and stood in front of each other for the ritual face-to-face showdown.
Jacobs leaned forward. Canelo leaned forward. They were forehead-to-forehead when Jacobs shoved Alvarez. Emotion woke up a napping crowd. Yawns became cheers, then jeers. Canelo angrily pointed at Jacobs. Then, he held up his hands, looking as if he wanted to throw a few bare-knuckled blows more the 24 hours before opening bell. Boxing is nothing if not tribal. Finally, the opposing tribes had something to talk about it. Something to anticipate.
No wonder, Jacobs promoter Eddie Hearn can be seen smiling in the background of all those photos that were immediately posted. It was just the kind of thing that might lead to some new subscriptions to DAZN, the streaming service that will carry the fight (6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET).
But pushing and threatening gestures were just part of the scene. Angry obscenities followed. There was talk about mothers from each fighter. Let’s just say that neither Jacobs nor Canelo wished the other guy’s mom a Happy Mother’s Day.
“I won’t back down,’’ said Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs), who was at 160 pounds.
“He’s scared,’’ said Canelo (51-1-2, 35 KOs), who was a half-pound lighter at 159.5
Both said a lot more, of course. And each word was a sure sign that pretense had finally left the building. Violence awaits.
The lingering question is how, or even if, the stormy exchange will affect the outcome. One big punch from either fighter could make the flare-up oh-so forgettable. But there a theory that Jacobs initiated it in an attempt to rattle Canelo. That’s hard to do. If anything, Canelo is unflappable. On the safe side and the dangerous side of the ropes, he is all business. Emotion is there. It was in a brief exchange with Gennady Golovkin at their weigh-in last September. Canelo won that one by a decision narrow enough to be controversial.
After the victory, there is video of Canelo gesturing toward the sound of scattered boos from the crowd. He places a forefinger across his lips. Silence, he says. The victory and the gesture were another reminder that he is fighter always under control. Jacob’s shove looked a little bit like a psychological play, an attempt perhaps to upset Canelo’s trademark poise. Lose control is a sure way of losing the fight.
One thing is certain: the fight began Friday at the weigh-in. For Canelo. For Jacobs. And for fans.
