Jacobs to face Findley on Garcia-Judah card in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN - Middleweight Danny Jacobs tells THE RING that he will likely face durable journeyman Derrick Findley on the Danny Garcia-Zab Judah junior welterweight title card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Feb. 9.

Jacobs (24-1, 21 knockouts), who hails from Brooklyn, has won two straight on high profile New York undercards since winning his battle with a form of cancer called osteosarcoma that attacked his spine and left his legs partially paralyzed. Jacobs' return earned him the nickname "The Miracle Man." He has now won four straight since his lone defeat to Dmitriy Pirog in 2010.

Findley (20-8, 13 KOs) of Gary, Ind., has fought – and lost to – impressive competition like current super middleweight champion Andre Ward and contenders Andre Dirrell and Fernando Guerrero, but knocked out recent title challenger Ronald Hearns in his last bout in October.

Jacobs, 25, usually sets up camp in the Pocono mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, but has been preparing for this bout with trainer Andre Rozier at the Starrett City Boxing Gym in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Jacobs sparred eight rounds with fellow middleweight Curtis Stevens (22-3, 16 KOs), who is preparing for a January 19 bout with Elvin Ayala which will be televised by NBC Sports on Thursday afternoon.

"I've never really trained [in Brooklyn] for a pro fight so it's kinda different," Jacobs told RingTV.com during a gym visit. "We still want to maintain 100 percent focus and get in the work that we need to."

Jacobs reinforced his trainer's suggestion a few weeks earlier that he was considering a move down in weight to 154 pounds, but says it will be a gradual process.

"It's definitely an idea that we're trying to do," Jacobs said. "Obviously we're not going to jump right into it, we're going to do it gradually and see if my body would adapt to it. If not, we're going to stay at 160. 160 is a great division, 154 is a great division. So either one, I'm happy with it."

Jacobs also said he would be announcing a new foundation dedicated to supporting fellow cancer survivors called the "Get In The Ring Foundation" in the "next week or so."

Photo By Ryan Songalia

Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and contributes to GMA News. He is also a member of The Ring ratings panel and can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com. An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @RyanSongalia.