Former heavyweight boxer David Jaco spent his career stepping into the ring with some of the biggest names of his era. Now his story is being developed for the screen.
Jaco has teamed with filmmaker and author Evan Jacobs on Spontaneous Palooka, a new screenplay inspired by Jaco’s life, boxing career and the reason he kept taking difficult fights in the first place: providing a better life for his two young sons, Aaron and Adam.
It is a career that came with no shortage of recognizable opponents. Jaco fought Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Buster Douglas, Tommy Morrison, Tony Tucker and Oliver McCall, among others, and handed future heavyweight contender Donovan “Razor” Ruddock the first loss of his professional career in 1985.
Jaco finished his professional career with 50 fights, compiling a record of 24 wins, 25 losses and one draw, with 19 of those victories coming by knockout. He became known as the kind of fighter willing to step in with almost anyone, a reputation reflected in the title Spontaneous Palooka.
But Jacobs says the names on Jaco’s record are only part of what drew him to the story.
“David Jaco has an incredible story,” Jacobs said. “I saw him fight as a 15 year old boy and I was astonished at how much punishment he could take. He literally never stopped getting up! The names of the fighters he faced are fascinating, but the story behind those fights, the core of which was his determination to provide for his family, is what makes Spontaneous Palooka a universal story worth telling.”
To introduce the project, Jaco and Jacobs have also released a short promotional documentary in which Jaco recounts his career in his own words. The mini-documentary is available now on YouTube and serves as a first look at the story they hope to bring to the screen.
Jacobs already has some history with boxing films. He previously co-wrote Knockout, starring “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and wrote and directed Boxing Time. Both films are currently available to stream on Tubi. He is also the author of the upcoming young adult fiction series The 12 Rounds and contributes to Fightnews.
For Jacobs, Spontaneous Palooka also continues the kind of resourceful, independently minded filmmaking he has pursued for years through Anhedenia Films. His work has covered horror, drama, comedy and documentaries, often built around stories and characters that can be developed outside the traditional studio system.
The screenplay is currently in development, with Jaco working directly with Jacobs on bringing his story to the page.
