Daniel Jacobs
The doctors misdiagnosed me at first - they told me I had a pinched nerve. But my situation was getting worse. The tumor was cutting off the circulation in my nerves. And in two weeks' time, I was left paralyzed. I went from a cane to crutches to a walker to a wheelchair.
You know, I'm a man, and men are proud and stubborn. We don't go running to the doctor when something's wrong. We let it play out a little bit.
Fighting cancer taught me more than I ever could have imagined, but I've beaten it.
On October 20, 2012 - 17 months and two days after I was diagnosed with that rare form of bone cancer - I stepped back into the ring at the Barclays Center to fight Josh Luteran. He didn't make it out of the first round. Just 1:13 in, it was over. Knockout. I was back.
The opportunities that I've been allowed to have just keep getting better.
To not only be a cancer survivor, but to return to the sport of boxing, because, I mean, this is not basketball, this is not baseball, this is not a sport you play. This is a sport where you can die in the ring. So it says a lot to me to come back and be a world champion in that aspect.
For what I've overcome and am still overcoming, and accomplishing, says a lot.
I don't work out at all on Sunday. It's amazing. I look forward to every Sunday.
For me, being world champion, you have to put your body through these extreme tests, day in and day out. So when Sunday comes around, that's the day when I pamper myself. I might get a massage or go to a spa.
I get to eat what I want on Sundays. You still can have a cheat day up to two weeks before the fight.
I might have a snack before bed. We have healthy cheat snacks. I might eat some apricots or veggie straws.
There's not a lot of things to look out for in amateur boxing. Once the headgear comes off, once the 10-ounce gloves come on and you're fighting men and you're doing all these different things, that's where the experience comes.
I think it's a true blessing and great opportunity for me to represent, not only New York boxing, but coming from Brownsville where boxing has been the essence of the neighborhood.
I'm the guy who sings in the shower, more than anything.
I have so many memories, and I love music because you can listen to a song when you're at a certain place or doing something special and that particular song will always remind you of that thing.
Well, 'Titanic' is probably my second favorite movie.
I don't want to be in a stable of guys that have to fight for the spotlight. I want to be with a promoter who is solely focused on me.
I'm a fan of the sport and I like to see the best in the ring together.
I remember being on my death bed, and I found out in the newspaper that the Barclays Center was opening and that they were going to have fights here and me not knowing if I would ever be able to box again, let alone perform here.
When you are defending your title at any point in your career, a loss can be fatal.
At one point, I didn't really consider myself as a puncher because it was more so that the speed created the knockouts. People were getting hit with punches they didn't see and they were going down.
I'm not out to knock anybody out, even though knockouts are cool.
Any time a fighter is in a championship fight, he will bring his best.
I just use my platform as a boxer to reach the masses.
It's always been important for me to do things in the community, it's part of my upbringing.
Being bullied is the reason I got into boxing. When I was 14, I was being bullied by a kid in junior high school. I wanted to do this the right way. So we went to a boxing gym. We boxed, I beat him up in the ring. He never bullied me again and I found my passion in the sport of boxing.
The cancer battle, it helped me put a lot of things in perspective and gave me time to reflect and think.
This thing, boxing, is a mental battle.
Going in with one of the best middleweights, I can take experience and the mental capacity to know I can and do belong, and bring a mental edge you can have every time in the ring.
I'm super proud of myself, not because I can throw punches inside a ring but just because of my journey and who I proved that I am.
In 2007, I dreamed of Olympic gold but got outpointed in the Olympic trials.
I won four 152-pound Golden Gloves titles.
What I bring to the table is that I'm a boxer-puncher.
I wanted to show people the sweet science I have, from my amateur background.
Two-time champion, it feels great.
I wouldn't give me a rematch, too, if I was Golovkin, to be honest with you.
I'm a Triple G fan.
So many people are affected by cancer, whether you have it, or a family member.
When you're from Brooklyn, you've got to rep, and you've got to perform, like it's your last fight on earth.
I had to have 25 counts of radiation, and the radiation was an obstacle I had to get over, in and of itself. It took away my appetite completely, it changed my mood swings, it would make me feel nauseous all the time.
The determination that I have to be a champion - whether it's in or out of the ring - is just so amazing.
Mentally, I don't think there's anything that can discourage me.
I had a hard time growing up, and boxing kind of served as my second family.
When I was making my way to the ring and when I fight, to see people cheering for me, it makes me feel that I'm somebody special.
The little things I used to take for granted before I don't take for granted anymore. This whole situation has evolved me into a better person. Mentally, I'm much stronger, I'm more loving. I'm a man now. Cancer has played a huge role into making me into this person.
With any opponent there's always a challenge and something to watch for.
I've had the dream of being a world champion since I put on my first pair of gloves.
Obviously I've had my setbacks, but those have enabled me to be the man I am today.
Most of the guys I grew up with let the streets and the gangs influence them. Maybe one or two of them made it to college. All the negative things were all around me.