Daniel Jacobs stops Sergio Mora in second round; ankle may be broken

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Daniel Jacobs did his part. Now Peter Quillin needs to take care of his end of the deal.

The middleweights are expected to square off later this year but first had to get past preliminary bouts. Jacobs, fighting in his hometown at Barclays Center on Saturday on ESPN, stopped Sergio Mora in Round 2 in a fun-filled fight after Mora was unable to continue due to an ankle injury following a knockdown.

Mora (28-4-2, 9 KOs) rose from the knockdown with a clear head - the result of a right hand to the temple - but told referee Gary Rosato that he was unable to continue. He had his right ankle heavily taped before he exited the ring and said he guarantees it's broken.

"I wanted to stop him," Jacobs (30-1, 27 KOs) said. "I didn't want him to quit on the stool. I wanted to beat him on my own. And I think he knew what the outcome would be a few rounds later anyway. I want Peter Quillin next. It's what fight fans deserve. Brooklyn always comes out and supports both of us, and it would be a great way to close out the year."

It was a disappointing end to a highly competitive middleweight title bout. Jacobs, 28, floored Mora in the first frame with a right cross and then went in for the kill. But Mora, although on shaky legs, reeled him in and dropped the WBA's regular middleweight titleholder with a massive counter left hook on the button seconds later, a surefire Round of the Year candidate.

The combatants traded leather in the second as well, but the injury brought matters to a sudden halt. Jacobs did big damage in Round 2, connecting on 18 of 39 power shots.

Mora, 34, left on a stretcher and was headed to a local hospital to undergo tests. The former Contender star said he heard a pop in his knee.

"I came here to fight, I told you I'm not backing up anymore," Mora of East L.A., stated. "He's a very strong champion, but I came here to take that championship. When I knocked him down my confidence went through the roof as well."

Jacobs, whose career was put on hold after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in May 2011, said he had no interest in a rematch and wants to move on to bigger and better. Now Quillin just needs to keep up his end of the bargain on Sept. 6.