Daniel Jacobs vs. Maciej Sulecki Elevated To WBA Middleweight Title Eliminator
Daniel Jacobs’ upcoming HBO fight against Maciej Sulecki at the Barclays Center has been given a special incentive for the winner.
The fight, scheduled to headline an HBO Boxing After Dark card on April 28, is now a title eliminator for the WBA middleweight title currently held by Gennady Golovkin. Jacobs, currently signed to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, could get a rematch with Golovkin with a win over Sulecki. Jacobs previously fought Golovkin last year at Madison Square Garden, narrowly losing to Golovkin by unanimous decision on pay-per-view.
Should Jacobs win, he’ll be on the short list of fighters set to challenge for Golovkin’s middleweight titles, but it could be sometime before he can get that world title opportunity and rematch against Golovkin. Golovkin is currently scheduled to face Canelo Alvarez on May 5 with Golovkin’s WBA “super,” IBF and WBC middleweight titles on the line, but that fight might not end up taking place. Alvarez potentially faces at least a six-month suspension by the Nevada state Athletic Commission for testing positive for traces of clenbuterol in two tests in February. Jacobs is the No. 2 middleweight in the WBA rankings.
Jacobs also has to contend with the fact that he’s not the only fighter that could have the right to challenge for the middleweight titles. Jermall Charlo and Hugo Centeno Jr. will fight for the interim WBC middleweight title on April 21 with the winner essentially being the No. 1 contender for Golovkin’s WBC title. Sergiy Derevyanchenko is currently the IBF’s mandatory challenger.
Sulecki is no stranger to fighting in big title eliminators. Sulecki’s last three fights took place at junior middleweight with his last bout being a win over Jack Culcay on a World Boxing Super Series card in Newark, New Jersey. That fight was a title eliminator for the IBF junior middleweight title, currently held by Jarrett Hurd. Sulecki is currently ranked as the No. 5 middleweight in the WBA rankings.
