Boxing-Golovkin edges Jacobs in rare decision to defend titles

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, the most fearsome knockout artist of this era, was pushed to the limit by Daniel Jacobs before retaining his world middleweight titles by decision at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Jacobs, known as "Miracle Man" since coming back from bone cancer five years ago, ended the unbeaten Golovkin's streak of 23 knockouts in a row in a battle that went to the scorecards for the first time since 2008 for the Kazakh champion.

Two judges scored it 115-112, with the third making it 114-113 in favor of Golovkin, who retained his WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO middleweight crowns.

Golovkin knocked Jacobs down in the fourth with a double dose of rights, but as the fight wore on Jacobs confused the Kazakh by sliding into a southpaw stance, scoring on stinging combinations, holding his own against the dangerous power of the champion.

After a cautious, feeling out in the first two rounds, the bout blossomed into a fascinating battle with the fighters engaging freely in a thrilling duel to the finish.

Golovkin improved his record to 37-0, while Brooklyn native Jacobs dropped to 32-2. (Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)