Daniel Jacobs wins the title in a split decision, wants to get caught by Alvarez

Daniel Jacobs needed the big challenge, he wanted to fight a guy that even some of the best boxing players would not want.

Now, Jacobs knows what else he wants.

"I want Canelo to be next," he said.

Even a fight with Canelo Alvarez could not be much harder than the one Jacobs had on Saturday night at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Jacobs won the IBF middleweight title, making a dazzling decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko.

Jacobs scored a knock-down in the first round, which allowed him to set a sufficient lead to hold in a tight finish in which both fighters struggled wildly through the last few rounds.

He won 115-112 on the cards of Tom Schreck and Steve Weisfeld, while Judge Julie Lederman scored 114-113 for Derevyanchenko.

"Hat to Sergiy. I knew he was a real competitor, "Jacobs said. "I knew it was going to be difficult so I had to dig deep."

The Associated Press scored 114-113 for Jacobs.

Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs) took the belt that was released when Gennady Golovkin chose not to fight against Derevyanchenko, his mandatory challenger, this spring, pending his rematch against Alvarez.

Alvarez won this fight and switched to super-middleweight for his next. He should return to 160 pounds afterwards and Jacobs, who lost by a bit against Golovkin last year, wants to be the opponent.

"The fans want it," said Jacobs. "Now, I have the strap, let's do it, I'm coming back to Triple G but it's not a champion, I want the champions."

Derevyanchenko (12-1), who has participated in more than 400 fights as an amateur but struggled to find work as a professional, has simply lost his long-awaited first shot for a title.

He wanted it in the spring, but Golovkin would not have to face Derevyanchenko when he looked for another opponent after Alvarez's drug test failed, canceling the original date of their revenge.

Derevyanchenko showed why even Golovkin would not have wanted him, throwing big shots on Jacobs' body in the middle of the round and narrowly missing the lead that could have caused significant damage later.

"Sergiy is one of the toughest and most skilled men I've ever been with," said Jacobs. "He was avoided but I wanted to fight him for the strap. I needed this strap to get the biggest fights. It's a risk and a reward. "

He did just enough to prevent the Ukrainian from charging, finishing on a stride of 4,691 spectators inside the Madison Square Garden Theater, singing in the end.

"It was a very close fight," said Derevyanchenko. "I knew that the reversal could come back to bite me."

Jacobs' win has limited the activity of the 160-pound division over the last seven weeks. Alvarez has two of the main belts after defeating Golovkin last month and Demetrius Andrade won the other week.

Jacobs and Derevyanchenko share a manager, worked with the same coaches and fought in Brooklyn. Jacobs said it would be bittersweet to work against people he had known for so long.

Their familiarity may have led to a cautious start, as neither of them punched in the first half minute as they measured each other. Jacobs became aggressive later in the round and scored a reversal when Derevyanchenko's gloves hit the canvas after Jacobs tightened too tightly along the ropes.

Derevyanchenko rallied the attack and caught Jacobs with a good left hook in the second, was well beaten again in the third and both were well connected in the fourth. They both landed and punched wildly in a sixth round trip, each shaking their heads during the round to show that he had taken a good punch.

But Jacobs had the advantage of speed and was able to get away from some of Derevyanchenko's toughest shots when it seemed like he was going to be stuck in a corner, sometimes even going overboard. at the south leg position so as not to get lost.

Despite everything, Derevyanchenko continued to come and took over Jacobs again in the last rounds.

"It was a big fight. He's a great competitor and I'd like to fight him again, "said Derevyanchenko.

Earlier, Alberto Machado (21-0, 17 KO) of Puerto Rico remained undefeated in an overwhelming performance, beating Yuandale Evans three times in the first round to retain his 130-pound title. Evans (20-2) rose quickly after the first overthrow but appeared shaky after the second and Machado finished it with a right hand that sent Evans to the canvas and kept him for a few minutes before helping him get on a stool . .

In addition, Heather Hardy defeated Shelly Vincent for the second time, unanimously winning the decision to win the WBO featherweight title. She shook a notch that opened over her left eye after what seemed like a shock of the heads in the seventh round to reiterate her win in 2016.