NEW YORK -- Danny Jacobs is one big step closer to a possible rematch with Gennady Golovkin.
Jacobs (34-2, 29 KOs) won a WBA world middleweight title eliminator on Saturday night, defeating Maciej Sulecki (26-1, 10 KOs) via unanimous decision at Barclays Center.
It wasn't as easy as many people expected -- Sulecki hung tough, and several of the early rounds were close. But Jacobs finally knocked Sulecki down with a straight right hand less than 30 seconds into the 12th and final round to cap off the performance.
The margins on the three scorecards were 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112.
Jacobs gave himself a B-minus for his performance.
"I think there's definitely another level that I can reach," Jacobs said.
But he also credited his opponent. "[Sulecki] proved that he was a tough customer and belonged in here," Jacobs said.
What's next for Jacobs remains to be seen.
"Well, ultimately, we want the guys with the belts," Jacobs said.
But one thing's for certain -- he's now a mandatory challenger for Golovkin, the unified middleweight champion who defeated Jacobs via a controversial decision in March 2017.