Daniel Jacobs, boxing’s Miracle Man, announces retirement from sport

After 17 years as a pro, Daniel Jacobs has announced his retirement from the ring.

The 37-year-old from Brooklyn, N.Y., who had first burst on to the scene as “The Golden Child” before his remarkable comeback from cancer saw him christened as “The Miracle Man,” has hung up his gloves for good in the wake of his ten-round unanimous decision loss to Shane Mosley Jr. on July 6.

Jacobs, whose final record is 37-5 (30 knockouts), took to social media to reflect on his journey through the sport. He credited boxing with helping him become something greater than what his surroundings growing up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn would have groomed him for.

“Boxing made me the man I am today,” wrote Jacobs.

“It has always been my dream to be a champion in life and when boxing found me, I was a poor kid growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn with not much to look forward to. As a young black kid I was being forced fed an identity that I wasn’t important or wouldn’t [amount] to anything substantial in life. I was told the ghetto that I grew up in was was full of criminals with no future and I will be a statistic just like my peers and the ones that came before me; dead or in jail with no potential to make it out or to make a success of myself. I am now proud to say I’m the Rose that grew from concrete in Brooklyn. I’ve proven so many people wrong. Proud to say I’m a living example of what it looks like to take your destiny in your own hands. And when you embrace yourself and God-given talents, what all you could achieve.”

Jacobs first shined as an amateur, winning four New York Golden Gloves titles – plus two National Golden Gloves championships – and falling just short of making the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, losing to Shawn Estrada. Jacobs won his first 20 fights as a pro but was stopped in five rounds by Dmitry Pirog in his first title attempt in 2010. Jacobs’ career was thrown into serious jeopardy the following year when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that nearly paralyzed him.

Against the odds, Jacobs returned to the ring the following year, winning his next ten fights, picking up the WBA “regular” middleweight belt and retaining it with a first round stoppage of Peter Quillin and two stoppages of Sergio Mora. His win streak ended with a close but unanimous decision loss against Gennadiy Golovkin in 2017, getting off the canvas once in a tough stand that saw him outperform expectations.

Jacobs won the IBF middleweight belt in 2018, defeating Sergiy Derevyanchenko by split decision at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. That win earned him his biggest payday in a middleweight title unification bout against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, which was part of a reported $10 million deal with DAZN.

Jacobs lost that fight by unanimous decision and fought sparingly after that, going 2-2 in his remaining four bouts. The loss to Mosley came 29 months after his previous fight, a split decision loss to John Ryder, hinting that Jacobs was winding down.

In his post, Jacobs thanked many of those who touched his life along the way, including the school teachers who helped educate him, plus the community at Starrett City Boxing Gym, the community gym in the East New York section of Brooklyn where he and many other top fighters got their start. He also thanked his son Nathaniel, whom he described as “the reason I fight and the reason I live.”

Keith Connolly, the advisor who helped guide Jacobs through his career, paid tribute to Jacobs in an Instagram post shortly after the Mosley fight.

“I spent 20 years in the boxing world with Danny Jacobs. I was with him from Day 1 and with him all the way to the finish. What an incredible fighter. He won 2 world championships AFTER beating cancer and AFTER coming back from being paralyzed for months from the waist down. It was the honor of a lifetime to represent you and also to be your friend. Thank you for all the thrills you gave me. What a career enjoy retirement,” wrote Connolly.

In a sport where few get out with their goals attained and faculties in check, Jacobs is a rare example of someone leaving the business on his terms.

“Through the ups and downs inside & out of the ring, I have manage to become 2x world champion and I’m able to say I’m the first cancer survivor to be a boxing world champion the biggest accomplishment I’ve ever could achieve. Being able to inspire others with my story has always made me feel like my life meant more than just fighting inside the ring. A true miracle man. Job well done,” wrote Jacobs.

Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler and The Guardian, and is part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2020. He can be reached at [email protected].