Which Fighter was the Prospect of the Year in 2009?
The Prospect of the Year is always an exciting award in boxing. It gives a glimpse at some of the stars that the sport will have in the future. Of course, being a great prospect won’t necessarily see you immediately rise to the top of the boxing kingdom. After all, in the past year we saw uber-prospect Victor Ortiz get stopped by Marcos Maidana, Alfredo Angulo get handed his first loss and James Kirkland get sent to jail. Still, it’s always fun to take a peek at a fighter who may be one of the bright spots in boxing as time goes on.
2009 Boxing Prospect of the Year – Danny Jacobs
Danny “The Golden Child” Jacobs is the 2009 Boxing Prospect of the Year. At the end of the year he holds an impressive 18-0 record with 15 knockouts. While he didn’t keep up the insane pace he maintained in 2008, he still fought 5 times in 2009. He stopped 3 of his opponents, showing both one-punch knockout power and the ability to carry on offense and accumulate damage over the course of a fight.
He also gradually began taking on tougher challengers, his toughest to date being Ishe Smith. For that fight he made the middleweight limit of 160 lbs for the first time in his pro career. That signals that you can expect his dynamic attack to be honed and showcased at middleweight in the future. That’s not a bad idea either, as the division is largely void of talent and Jacobs could begin facing some of the best that the division has to offer in 2010.
Jacobs has been plastered all over the TV, being showcased on PPV undercards and fighting on a variety of networks. It seemed like we were seeing him every few weeks in the beginning of the year – he fought 3 times in about 2 months between the end of February and the beginning of May- but since the Smith fight in August he hasn’t had another bout.
He gets the Prospect of the Year award based not just on that exposure however, but also for the true promise that he holds. He has quick hands, power from both sides and decent boxing skills as well. As the quality of opposition continues to rise, he’ll need to work on adjusting his game plan over the course of a fight, being more defensive minded and keeping his form tight and focused at all times. Hopefully in 2010 we’ll get plenty more chances to see if he follows through on the hype he has been building for himself.
Make sure you check out the rest of the 2009 Boxing Awards from ProBoxing-Fans.com. It’s the best way to recap the entire up and down, crazy year in boxing. And if you agree or disagree with any of the recipients, let us know in the comments!
