‘Golden Child,’ 23, ready for title bout

He has been dubbed "The Golden Child," and Daniel Jacobs has done nothing to tarnish the nickname Golden Boy Promotions has bestowed upon him.

Jacobs (20-0, 17 knockouts) is one of the brightest stars in Oscar De La Hoya's company, and the middleweight from Brooklyn, N.Y., will fight for a world title Saturday at Mandalay Bay when he meets Dmitry Pirog of Russia for the vacant WBO belt. The fight will headline the undercard to the main event rematch between junior welterweights Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz.

"We've probably moved faster than my imagination," said Jacobs, 23, who started boxing when he was 15. "When you think of somebody turning pro, you think about that long road that they have to go to get to that championship level.

"With my manager (Al Haymon) and Golden Boy pushing me and getting me the right fights and moving me up the ladder accordingly, everything has been going great."

Jacobs doesn't think it is too soon in his career to get a title shot.

"If I had my choice, I would have fought for a world title at 17-0," he said. "But that's just from a boxer's standpoint because I fight. This is what I do.

"If I can get an opportunity quicker, why not? I have the skills. I have the youth. All we had to do was get a little bit of the experience, and, with each fight, I'm getting more experience to take it to the next level."

Pirog (16-0, 13 KOs) will fight in the United States for the first time.

■ LOPEZ-MARQUEZ SET -- Undefeated WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez will defend his title Sept. 18 at the MGM Grand Garden against veteran Rafael Marquez to headline a Mexican Independence Day weekend card.

Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs) is coming off an impressive performance July 10 when he knocked out Bernabe Concepcion in Puerto Rico to retain his belt. Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) looked equally impressive in his most recent fight, a third-round KO of Israel Vasquez on May 22 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Tickets will go on sale Aug. 2 at the MGM Grand box office and all Ticketmaster outlets.

■ GAMBOA-ROJAS AT PALMS -- Yuriorkis Gamboa will defend his WBA featherweight belt against WBC champ Elio Rojas on Sept. 11 at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms.

Gamboa (18-0, 15 KOs) originally was to face IBF champ Orlando Salido on Saturday. But when Salido suffered a cut while training last month and the cut hadn't sufficiently healed in time to keep the date, Gamboa made a deal to face Rojas (22-1, 13 KOs).

Gamboa will make his Las Vegas debut. He has fought four times in Nevada, all at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm.

Tickets, priced at $50, $100 and $200, will go on sale Saturday at the Palms and all Ticketmaster outlets.

■ SILVER NUGGET AMATEURS -- North Las Vegas Center Ring Boxing will host an amateur card at 6 p.m. Friday at the Silver Nugget's Event Center. Fourteen to 20 bouts will be on the card, which will feature several local amateurs.

Tickets, priced at $10, will be available at the door.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.