Jarrod Fletcher finished in five by Danny Jacobs

 
AGAINST the odds, a fairytale story came to life at the Barclays Center.

 
Unfortunately for Australia’s Jarrod Fletcher, he was on the receiving end, going down in five one-sided rounds as Brooklyn’s Danny Jacobs became the first cancer survivor to capture a world championship.

 
Although the legitimacy of Jacobs’ title can fairly come into question – given the WBA now have three champions of the one belt in one division – there is no denying the brilliance of both Jacobs and his heart warming story.

 
“I can’t believe it, it still hasn’t hit me,” said an elated Jacobs in his post-fight interview.

 
Jacobs, 27, had Fletcher in a world of trouble in the opening stanza, but admirely withdrew as the round came to a close, such was the respect that Jacobs had for Fletcher’s ability. Fletcher, 30, did remarkably well to recover from the opening round and fought courageously throughout.

 
“I thought he was holding himself back in those rounds,” Jacobs continued.

 
“I thought he was a little bit more seasoned than that. I gave him a little more credit than I should have. I should have kept up my game plan but as a smart fighter you want to pace myself a little bit more, not load up on punches which was hard because once I had him hurt I wanted to get him out of there.”

 
Fletcher (now 18-2, 10 KOs) found his senses shortly after being hurt and fought strategically in both the second and third rounds, which were clearly his best rounds of the fight. When Fletcher sat down on his punches and threw with variety, the switch-hitting Jacobs struggled to predict where they were coming from.

 
This was highlighted in the third round, when Fletcher temporarily buzzed Jacobs with a short right hand that split the hometown favourite’s guard. But aside from those fleeting moments, it was all one way traffic.

 
With that said, it looked as if Jacobs (now 28-1, 25 KOs) expected more from Fletcher, as the Brooklynite often was patient in his approach and was methodical when attacking Fletcher. In previous fights against both Milton Nunez and Giovanni Lorenzo, Jacobs aggressively pursued the knockout when he hurt his opponents.

 
The end came towards the closing stages of the fifth, when Fletcher’s brave title challenge was ultimately halted. With only seconds remaining, Fletcher was stung by a short hook before falling into the corner. Jacobs trapped the Australian and unleashed a barrage of punches before referee Michael Griffin called the contest off.

 
It appeared to come down to do critical factors, the first being Fletcher’s inability to hold or protect himself when he was hurt, something which the Showtime commentary team also highlighted. In addition to this and through no fault of his own, the Australian was able unable to earn Jacobs’ respect with his punching power.

 
Make no mistake, Fletcher was the underdog in a fight that few expected him to win. However, if he is able to regroup before launching himself towards another title tilt, possibly against fellow Australian Daniel Geale – it won’t be the last time the Queenslander will find himself in a marquee fight.

 
 
Photo: Naoki Fukuda