Quillin seeks momentous middleweight win over Zerafa before Jacobs bout
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New York boxing promoter Lou DiBella recently outlined a middleweight showdown between Peter Quillin and Danny Jacobs as a headline bout later this year, with the two Brooklyn residents set to clash in what will be a hugely anticipated match-up.
Though, before taking to the ring against fellow New Yorker Jacobs, undefeated former WBO middleweight champion Quillin must overcome Australian Michael Zerafa when they clash at Foxwoods in a non-title encounter this weekend.
A meeting with rival Jacobs has been eagerly awaited since the beginning of August, when the 28-year-old marched past Sergio Mora at the Barclays Center, while Quillin previously drew with Ireland’s Andy Lee, and is 20/1 with Coral to be shocked by Zerafa.
The unbeaten 32-year-old shared the spoils with Lee in an inseparable contest last April, though the Cuban American shockingly lost his WBO middleweight belt beforehand on the scales after failing to make the necessary weight.
Aiming to bounce back and regain momentum ahead of a potential December showdown with Jacobs, Quillin will test himself against an Aussie competitor he is overwhelmingly odds-on at 1/200 to topple, but he still isn’t getting complacent.
“If he comes in there and beats me, then he would probably be pulling off one of the biggest upsets in boxing recently,” said Quillin, who is 33/1 to endure a second successive career draw against Zerafa.
“My job is to take everybody seriously, whether it’s Michael, whether it’s Danny Jacobs, whether it Gennady Golovkin or whether it’s any other name out there. I’m just staying focused on my guy that’s in front of me and Michael is that guy in front of me. My job is to try to win one round at a time.”
Promoter DiBella spoke highly of Quillin’s next possible showdown this Winter, providing he can impress against Zerafa, adding: “That matchup between [Danny] Jacobs and [Peter] Quillin figures to be one of the biggest fights you can make in New York. It’s for the pride of New York. It’s for who has supremacy in the middleweight division.”
Quillin’s next opponent Zerafa has welcomed the early build-up to that middleweight meeting, claiming it will work as a distraction to his upcoming rival, as he prepares for his chance to cause shockwaves in the division.
“It just puts more fuel on the fire,” said the Aussie. “It just gives me more spark to get out there and put on a big show.
“Quillin is a one of the best fighters in the world and I have huge respect for him. I am underestimated. I’ve beaten the best in Australia. I just haven’t had a shot at the big stage yet. Now I finally got my chance.”
During a weekend that was set to be dominated by Floyd Mayweather’s apparent last ever career fight against Andre Berto, Quillin has a platform to build momentum upon ahead of his end-of-year showdown with Jacobs, while Zerafa searches for a true upset.
