Daniel Jacobs-Peter Quillin: Post-Fight Report Card

by Cliff Rold

Immediately after referee Harvey Dock called a halt to Saturday’s anticipated middleweight showdown between Daniel Jacobs-Peter Quillin, the call looked like one sure to be debated.

Anyone who has watched the slow motion replays, who was able to get a good look at what prompted Dock’s call, should come to one conclusion:

Dock got it right.

And Jacobs got it done.      

Let’s go the report card.

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Jacobs B; Quillin B+/Post: B+; C

There isn’t a ton to break down from the fight. It lasted six seconds shorter than Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting. It was the sort of fight that hits the adrenaline like an electric charge, the instinct to stand up there for fans in the arena or watching at home. 

Jacobs blinded Quillin with a blocked left hook, Quillin closed his eyes to brace, and Jacobs landed a right hand he never saw coming.

That’s what got Quillin in trouble and Jacobs never let him get out of it. Quillin tried to hold, tried to throw back. Quillin kept getting tagged. Sometimes a fighter gets caught cold and it happened Saturday. Jacobs was the fighter with better technique going in. He applied it quite efficiently.

The closing sequence saw Quillin’s legs weaving wildly even if he never went down. Replay viewings showed Dock taking a critical look. What he saw was a fighter whose eyes were as blank as his legs were rubbery. Quillin wasn’t looking at him, he wasn’t looking at Jacobs; he was staring into the abyss.

It stared back.

Jacobs still has question marks about his chin and durability but neither of those was tested Saturday. One question mark that is answered is on his power. He came in with a high knockout percentage but his opposition was just okay. Saturday he knocked a fighter silly who had seen pretty good foes and been sturdy. He is a serious knockout threat to anyone in the class.

Anyone probably won’t mean Gennady Golovkin. Boxing’s politics are what they are. Both men hold WBA titles. Golovkin’s is the ‘higher’ title in that silly organization’s pecking order. They only occasionally force showdowns between ‘super’ and ‘not super’ champs. It’s idiocy before we even get to the split between HBO and PBC/Showtime.

There are other good fights they can make for Jacobs. There could be a bidding war between factions for the winner of Andy Lee-Billy Joe Saunders. Erislandy Lara has talked about moving to 160 lbs. and a fight with Jacobs would be solid in-house matchmaking.

There is also a rematch with Quillin. There is often a feeling that a first-round ending can be a bit of a fluke. Quillin will probably need to rebuild with a win or two to make it the most sellable fight he can.

The best thing can be said is we saw it, along with several other clashes of top ten middleweights this year. Where it all leads will continue to play out in two weeks at Lee-Billy Joe Saunders and into 2016.

Report Card and Staff Picks 2015: 86-25

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at