It's been a good year for boxing fans so far, with a lot of excitement, a host of upsets, some great match ups still being announced and fight fans generally seeming a lot more up beat about the sport than they were this time last year. That's not to say the sport's perfect but it's just that things seem much better than they have been in recent times, with the focus of numerous fighters being unification and legacy, rather than bank balance and avoidance. This coming Saturday we get a bout that is essentially all about legacy and proving who the best fighter in the Middleweight division really is. In one corner we have the WBC, IBF, IBO and WBA “Super” champion Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33) whilst in the other corner we have once beaten WBA “regular” champion Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29). Essentially we have the two best Middleweights facing off, two of the biggest punchers in the sport and two men who each have the belief of being the best. Of the two men it's fair to say that the unbeaten Golovkin is the more proven fighter. He was a stand out amateur before turning professional in 2006 and has held a WBA “world” title, of some status, since 2010. In fact since first winning the WBA “interim” title Golovkin has ripped through many of the top fighters in the division whilst going 17-0 (17) in title defenses. Whilst some of those defences were of the interim title, and some were against limited foes, he has take out the likes of Kassim Ouma, the then touted Grzegorz Proksa, the highly regarded Matthew Macklin, former champion Daniel Geale, top contenders like Marco Antonio Rubio, Martin Murray, the then IBF champion David Lemieux and the then unbeaten Welterweight champion Kell Brook. Blessed with naturally heavy hands and impressively solid chin Golovkin has added boxing skills and a high ring IQ to his natural gifts. Unlike many punchers he doesn't usually come out of the blocks looking for the KO but knows it will come with his boxing,and the fact that every shot he throws seems to be a damaging one. It's his learned traits, including his amazing balance and control of distance, which has made him one of the sports top fighters, and there is little a fighter can do to avoid the extreme pressure that the Kazakh brings to the ring. Although a brilliantly talented fighter, who can box or bang, Golovkin does have a few flaws. He's not the quickest fighter on the planet, with either his hands or feet, he can be made to look a bit stationary at times and his defense is certainly not the tightest. Whilst he has the chin to hold up to shots, and the timing to neutralise quicker man, there are flaws that are being shown for fighters to look into exploiting in the future. Exploiting them may not be the most difficult thing in the world to do, but doing so for 12 rounds looks to be one of the toughest tasks in the sport today. Although less proven than the Kazakh it's hard to not respect Jacobs, who has over-come cancer and scored notable wins against the likes of Ishe Smith, Sergio Mora and Peter Quillin. Like Golovkin it's fair to say that Jacob's is a powerful puncher, though it a much more “explosive puncher” than the heavy handed Kazakh. With Jacobs the punches are fast, the combinations are throw with intent and the American is certainly an impressive offensive fighter. Like Golovkin however his defensive issues are the major problem, and unlike Golovkin the American doesn't have a granite chin. He has been hurt a number of times during his career, suffering a 5th round TKO loss to Dmitry Pirog in 2010 and being dropped by Sergio Mora in 2015. The 30 year old American has been around the pro scene for close to a decade, and was a decorated amateur himself before turning professional. Once tipped as one of the brightest young talents in the sport Jacobs has failed to live up to the expectations many had of him in the ring, though he has also proven doctors wrong by having such a great career after beating cancer. Whilst Jacobs does have a chance, anyone with the power and speed he has has a chance, that chance is a slim one. His questionable punch resistance, his lack of defensive skills and the fact he leaves himself open is a curse here against a more rounded fighter than Golovkin. We think Jacobs will have his moments, every fighter seems to have some moments against Golovkin, but with the Kazakh taking this bout seriously those moments will be limited and Golovkin's jab will be the early controlling shot. As the bout wears on, and as Jacobs slows himself he'll begin to taste the meatier shots of Golovkin's before being stopped in the middle to late rounds.
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The most notable of three world title bouts featuring Asian fighters this coming weekend sees unbeaten Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31) defending his WBA “super”, IBF, and WBC “interim” Middleweight titles against unbeaten IBF mandatory challenger Dominic Wade (18-0, 12). The bout will see Wade attempting to claim his first win at world level, whilst Golovkin will be hoping to score a 22nd straight stoppage, and 17th at “world” level. The Kazakh destroyed has, over the last few years, become a staple on HBO and on the mythical “pound for pound” lists. Whilst he has his detractors, who comment on his level of competition and the media hype, Golovkin is with out a doubt one of the most exciting and destructive forces in boxing with a long list of frightening KO's that are stacking up. Whilst the comments on his competition, so far at least, do have some merit he has taken out the B-tier contenders repeatedly in an active schedule. Those contenders have included the likes of Kassim Ouma, Nobuhiro Ishida, Grzegorz Proksa, Matthew Macklin, Curtis Stevens, Daniel Geale, Martin Murray and David Lemieux. All good, solid, respectable fighters. Listening to some talk about Golovkin you'd think he was just a crude banger, but the reality is that the Kazakh is a brilliant boxer-puncher who has shown so many facets to his game that he has actually looked like a man who can do it all. He's often shown that he's a pressure fighter, with brilliant offensive footwork and a wonderful control of distance, he's also shown, more recently, that he can be a back-foot boxer, using his jab and movement to control a world class fighter. He may not be the most slippery or the slickest but there is certainly more to him than just his power. Whilst Golovkin is certainly a known quantity the same cannot be said of Wade who is stepping up in class massively. To date Wade's best wins have been a controversial decision over Sam Soliman, a close decision over Nick Brinson and a stoppage over Marcus Upshaw. Notably he has been drown before, with Dashon Johnson dropping him just a few fights back and there is little in his history to really get too excited about. In the ring the 26 year old American challenger does have power, and did “drop” Soliman on route to his victory over the Australian, but his technique is sloppy, his movement is limited and it's very hard to see what he has in his arsenal to worry Golovkin. In fact it may be a case that Wade needs some absolute miracle to over-come the Kazakh. What we expect to see is for Golovkin to stalk, patiently, early in the bout before upping the heat in round 4 or 5 and seeing off Wade soon afterwards. Wade may surprise us by lasting a little bit longer, but we really can't see anyway in which he gives Golovkin a serious fight. Sadly. Hopefully however the near future does bring a big name to Golovkin who really does need that top level win before some fans will be won over by his ability and style. When punchers collide fan fights get excited knowing that they might end ups with either a modern classic or an early blow out. Even when the bout is a supposed mismatch the power of the under-dog prevents fans from ignoring the fight knowing that a clean shot could totally change the momentum of the fight and see the under-dog rip up the script. We get one such bout on October 16th when Kazakhstan's monstrously hard hitting Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30) faces off against popular Canadian David Lemieux (34-2, 31). Not only is the bout an exciting one on paper with two big hitters but it will also be for the position of “unified” Middleweight champion with Golovkin putting his WBA “super”, WBC “interim”, and IBO titles on the line against Lemieux's IBF belt. The winner will not only hold the highest level of titles from the WBA and IBF but will also be the mandatory challenger to the WBC title and will only need to hunt the WBO if they are hoping to become the undisputed champion. On paper Golovkin is the clear favourite. He's unbeaten and looks to be the dominant force in the division having swept aside the likes of Grzegorz Proksa, Gabriel Rosado, Nobuhiro Ishida, Matthew Macklin, Curtis Stevens, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio and Martin Murray, all of whom have been stopped by Golovkin. The Kazakh has found himself racing through the proverbial pound-for-pound rankings almost as quickly as he's been going through his opponents and he's already regarded in the top 5 fighters on the planet by Boxrec.com, ESPN, Ring whilst the TBRB rank him inside the top 10. Whilst he has had 33 fights to his name he was a relative unknown to the US market 3 years ago, when he made his US debut, and has swiftly become a fan favourite Stateside. Blessed with devastating power it's easy to describe Golovkin as “just a puncher” but the truth is that he's so much more than “just a puncher”. He's technically a solid boxer, helped by an incredible amateur background with more than 340 wins, his foot work is criminally under-rated as he cuts off the ring with ease and he always look in position to throw a shot. He does have chinks in his armour, notably in his defense, but he appears to have a very solid chin which makes him very difficult to discourage. Worryingly he has also proven his stamina, and despite never going 12 rounds he never looked all that bothered with stamina during his recent 11th round TKO win against Martin Murray. What perhaps makes Golovkin stand out more than many other punchers is that he's willing to try new things. At times he has thrown some punches, including a punch that could be described as an “under-cut” or “reverse uppercut”, that certainly aren't in the text book for the sport. His variety of punches is incredible and he hit's monstrously hard with both hands causing real issues for fighters who have to worry about every shot in his arsenal. Whilst the 33 year old Golovkin is unbeaten the same cannot be said of his 26 year old Canadian rival. In Lemieux has suffered two notable losses to opponents that perhaps were over-looked in some ways. The first of those came against Marco Antonio Rubio, who saw off an early storm from the Canadian before an exhausted Lemieux was stopped by his then corner man Russ Anber. Lemieux would lose his return bout decision to Joachim Alcine, who was considered a safe option though took a decision win over Lemieux. Those set backs, both in 2011, saw Lemieux go from one of the hottest rising fighters to a man who was written off as being little more than a Canadian pretty boy. Since suffering those losses Lemieux has rebuilt, brilliantly, with 9 straight wins including 7 inside the distance. The first few of those wins were easy ones, designed to rebuild his confidence but over the last 18 months he has scored 3 solid wins, destroying Fernando Guerrero and Gabriel Rosado before taking a clear decision over Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam to claim the IBF title, and his biggest scalp. Early in his career Lemieux was known for blasting opponents out. He looked sharp, powerful and very destructive with his 23 of his first 24 wins, and his first 20, all coming inside the distance. There was however question marks about his stamina and chin and it was the stamina issue that cost in his first loss, his second loss was mostly down to confidence with the fighter feeling ill effects of his first loss. Since then however he has learned how to go rounds if necessary, he wastes a lot less energy and his footwork has improved markedly. He's still a man who relies on his power but he has polished his delivery of that power. Whilst Golovkin is a heavy handed boxer who can cut the distance distance with ease Lemieux is more of a natural fighter, a brawler a man who wants to jump into a fight and finish it with out necessarily show casing his boxing ability. There is however some good boxing in his arsenal, even if it's not show cased a lot. Interestingly both men not only posses title belts and power but in terms of stature both are almost identical, there is just 1” separating their heights. Saying that however Golovkin is a naturally small Middleweight whilst Lemieux seems to be a man who could, or rather will, end up fighting at Super Middleweight somewhere down the line. This is likely to mean that whilst both will look a similar height Lemieux will be the heavier man. That weight may be his key to winning with it perhaps allowing him to take a shot better and lean on Golovkin on the inside. Having watched both men we're expected to see both men trade heavy shots, the difference however will be the variation of Golovkin who we think will be able to create the distance that he wants to put full leverage on his shots. Whilst we think Golovkin will win, we do suspect this could be among his most difficult fight, along with the Kassim Ouma fight. Lemieux may not last as long as Ounma did but will ask serious questions of Golovkin's toughness and punch resistance. When fighters reach the world level they tend to become inactive with many world class fighters fighting just twice a year. It's frustrating to see top fighters being so inactive but thankfully we do have an occasional fighter who is willing to buck the trend, remain active and,more importantly, do it in style. One such fighter is Kazakh Middleweight destroyer Gennady Golovkin (32-0, 29) who has been one of the more active champions in recent years, and holds a nice collection of titles including the WBA “super”, and WBC “interim” Middleweight belts. On May 16th we see Golovkin return to the ring for his second bout of the year, his 4th bout in a the last 12 months and his 7th bout in less than 24 months. That type of activity is rarely seen by contenders never mind champions. One of the reason's Golovkin has been so active is because he's been so destructive. His last 3 bouts have lasted a combined 16 rounds with 11 of those coming against the tough Martin Murray in a very one sided bout that saw Murray surviving without posing too many problems. Golovkin's last 7 bouts have gone 34 rounds. He's wiping out opponents in a manner that allows him to be active and none of the bouts are really putting miles on the clock. What makes Golovkin so destructive isn't just his power, which is a great asset, but also his shot selection and his intense and very calculated pressure. He applies frightening pressure that forces opponents on to the retreat, he cuts the ring off marvelously, corners his foes then lands clean, hurtful shots. He finds gaps that other fighters don't, he lands shots that opponents don't see coming and he neutralises his foes offense with his own pressure. Arguably the greatest trait Golovkin his is calmness. In his 32 professional bouts and copious amateur bouts we've never seen Golovkin look flustered. Instead he looks calm, relaxed, and like a natural born fighter. Few fighters look as calm as Golovkin, even when he's being tagged himself on what appears to be a very granite chin. A chin he certainly believes in. In the opposite corner to Golovkin will be the once beaten Willie "The Mongoose" Monroe Jr (19-1, 6), a man who really made his name last year when he won the Middleweight “Boxcino” tournament on ESPN. Prior to that tournament victory he was a relative unknown with a win over journeyman Michael Walker and a loss to Darnell Boone being his only notable results. Impressively Monroe scored 4 wins last year and has scored 7 wins in the last 24 months, albeit at a much lower level than Golovkin's been competing at. Whilst Golovkin is an intense pressure fighter with thunderous Monroe is more of a boxer-move who lacks the power on his shots but does have nice light movement, quick hands and the ability to get in and out of range with out problems. He's shown an excellent ability to use the ring and a brilliant ability to box on the move whilst keeping opponents off balance and preventing them from setting their feet. It that's ability that helped him over-come decent opponents like Brian Vera, Brandon Adams and Vitaliy Kopylenko. As well as being a tricky mover Monroe is also a southpaw. That makes him doubly tricky at the level he's been competing at. Sadly though he likes real power, his competition, whilst being solid, is several levels below that of Golovkin's and so far he has the record of a prospect rather than a future world champion. He's got a great story and a fantastic attitude but it's really hard to see what he has to really trouble Golovkin. In terms of styles, and just styles, this is interesting. On paper it's pressure fighter against tricky southpaw boxer-mover. Sadly however styles don't over-come a massive difference in ability and there really is very little for Golovkin to be worried about. The champion has the better skills, the more power, the more proven ability, the better chin, the better amateur pedigree, the better footwork and the better shot selection. In many ways all Monroe has that Golovkin doesn't is speed, though that will be neutralised by Golovkin's amazing timing, chin and footwork. What we're expecting is to see Monroe try to make the most of his abilities early on. He'll get on his bike whilst jabbing and moving. After a round or two however Golovkin will get his range, cut the ring off and start to pin Monroe against the ropes. With Monroe on the ropes Golovkin will start to land his body shots and by round 5 or 6 Monroe will become slower, more ragged and eventually be broken down from the sheer relentless pressure of the champion. *Note Monroe will not be fighting for the WBC "interim" title as he's chosen not to pay the sanctioning fees requested. Golovkin however will be defending the title. (Image courtesy of http://www.iboboxing.com) On the international scene there are only a handful of Asian fighters that American fans, at the moment, are really interested in. One of those is arguably the most intimidating man in boxing and one of the most destructive with the power and skill to leave a division trembling in fear. That man is Gennady Golovkin (30-0, 27) the current WBA Middleweight champion. Golvokin is so fearsome and terrifying that it often seems that getting opponents for him is a bigger battle than the ones he actually has in the ring and the way he has mowed through the contenders and pretenders in the division has been nothing short of fantastic. It's almost like he has cut through the division and left only a small handful of foes left to conquer. The next obstacle in Golovkin's way to becoming the undisputed king of the Middleweight division is Mexican veteran Marco Antonio Rubio (59-6-1, 51), himself a massive puncher and a full signatory to the "who needs him?" club. Golovkin is a fighter who really has almost everything a fan can want to see in a fighter. He's technically very well schooled and his amateur pedigree speaks for it's self, he doesn't fight like an amateur however and instead of pot shotting looking for "scoring blows" he seeks and destroys with a technically astute aggressive style dependent on applying constant but calculated pressure. He combines his pressure with thunderous, lights out and soul destroying power to head and body and a very solid chin that has shots bouncing off it like a pistol to a tank. That's not to say Golvokin is perfect. Defensively he has holes, as shown in his fight with Curtis Stevens, and in many fights he has started slowly giving away the opening round, as he almost did against Japanese fighter Makoto Fuchigami, Also he's not the quickest with his hands or feet, although he does make up for that with intelligent footwork that sees him cutting off the ring in an amazing fashion. It's that cutting off of the ring that makes Golovkin such a great fighter and although his power is his calling card it's the footwork that really impresses us as he immediately forces an opponent on to the ropes and into survival mode. It's genuinely amazing. As for Rubio, the Mexican is a tough guy with solid power of his own and a lot of experience. He's also one of the Middleweight division's most under-rated fighters and unfortunately he's often been a fighter with more risk than reward. Had Rubio been given some of the chances he had earned there is every chance that he would have been the man to have beaten Sergio Martinez and he would currently hold the WBC world title. Things in boxing however don't often go as they should and instead he was still chasing a bout at the WBC title prior to agreeing to fight Golovkin. Rubio is one of the division hard nosed challengers. In his 66 fights he has suffered just 3 stoppage losses with only one of those, a defeat to Kelly Pavlik, coming in the last decade. Although an avoided fighter he has battled against the likes of Pavlik, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Kofi Jantuah, Kassim Ouma, Zaurbek Baysangurov, Enrique Ornelas, David Lemieux and most recently Domenico Spada. With mixed results against those guys it's clear to say that Rubio is a qualified world level fighter, even if he's never actually held a true world title. For this fight what we're expecting is what we expect every time Golovkin fights. His opponent will look confident though with in a round we're expecting Rubio to be on the back foot throwing shots which are more about trying to prevent Golovkin coming forward than actually winning the round. As with most fighters however Rubio will soon discover that that strategy doesn't work against Golovkin and mentally he'll crumble as Golvokin tags him with dynamite shots that appear moderately show but like a shot gun have real staying power. Rubio is tough and won't be taken out by the first clean shot like some fighters have been but there is no doubting he will be Golvokin's 28th stoppage victim from just 31 fights. A win here should see Golovkin adding the WBC silver Middleweight title to his collection and taking a huge step towards a big money break out fight against Miguel Cotto, a win there and Golovkin will almost certainly go down as the divisions #1 fighter, at least until he decides to mount an assault on the Super Middleweight division which we suspect may come in the next 12-18 months. (Image courtesy of http://wbcboxing.com) Occasionally in boxing we come across a fighter who is simply box office in terms of skills and excitement. A fighter who can out box most or can dismantle them with a combination of placement and power. Whilst it's all great being skilled the casual fight fan loves knockouts and if a fighter can score knockout after knockout after knockout whilst using skill then they appeal to both the casual fight fans and the hardcore fights fans. One of the very few who does combine world class class skills with frightening power is Kazakhstan's Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26), AKA "GGG". Golvokin has been the long reining WBA Middleweight champion and although he has looked sensational in wiping out swatches of the Middleweight division many do question how he copes when he fights a championship level fighter. In fact many deride his competition as not just second rate but third rate, a harsh criticism when the opposition has included European champions, former title contenders and even a former world champion, albeit at a lower weight. This weekend's fight however sees Golvokin facing a genuine world class fighter in the former of former unified IBF and WBA Middleweight champion Daniel Geale (30-2, 16). Geale is a fighter who has proven his value with notable wins over the likes of Roman Karmazin, Sebastian Sylvester, Felix Sturm and Anthony Mundine, all of whom were world champions. He may not possess thundering power but he's skilled, very hard working and refuses to just lose, in fact both of his losses have been controversial with many feeling he got the bad end of split decisions. When you consider his career so far he's unfortunate not to be 32-0 and still a double world champion. For Golovkin this is a clear step up in opposition. For the first time in his career he's facing an indisputable world class opponent at the weight that suits them. Despite this "step up" from the likes of Osamu Adama, Gabriel Rosada and Curtis Stevens we still don't see Golovkin really being tested, and it's a view shared by many, including the bookies who have "GGG" as a clear favourite. For Geale to win he will have to out work Golovkin and to do that he will need to get inside the Kazakh. There are three problems there for Geale. The first is getting inside of Golovkin, a feat that often looks nigh on impossible despite the fact that Golovkin is often happy to apply constant calculated pressure. The second problem is working on the inside with out being tagged whilst he's there, sadly for the challenger he will need to avoid the power of the champion on the inside just as much as he will coming in. And thirdly Geale will need to get back out of range with out being tagged, a feat that is difficult even with footwork as good Geale's. From Golovkin we're expecting the usual tactics that he uses to great effect. The first part of that is his constant pressure, whether he throws a lot or not his pressure can take an effect, this was shown in his fight with Makoto Fuchigami. In that fight Golovkin threw next to nothing in the opening round but applied so much pressure that Fuchigami was already crumbling at the end of the round and through the following rounds Golovkin slowly amped up the output. What allows Golvokin to apply so much pressure is his exceptional footwork and understanding of distance both of which are under-rated skills that he has down to a tee. As well as the pressure Golovkin will also be looking to utilise his excellent shot selection and heavy hands. Every shot of Golovkin's hurts. His jab is like a ram rod, his straight is concussive, and his shots on the inside are utterly destructive. Whilst we would like to pretend that we will see Golovkin actually tested here we really don't see anything but a stoppage victory for the champion who is hunting his 17th successive stoppage, a truly remarkable number! Hopefully a win here will be followed by Golovkin fighting against another top Middleweight. A bout with Miguel Cotto would be top of the list though bouts with Sam Soliman or Martin Murray would certainly be acceptable fights given their standing in the division. It seems however that Golovkin himself wants either Cotto or Mexican star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and we wouldn't complain if it did end up being Canelo next time out. (Image courtesy of thegarden.com) This weekend's biggest fight takes place in the US in what promises to be nothing short of explosive. It's rare that two massive punchers face off but that's exactly what we have as WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24) takes on Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18). Between them they have 42 stoppage victories from just 55 contests and their average fight goes just a little over 4 rounds. Yes this is a bout that truly falls under the idea of "not going to go the distance". For many this is a huge step for Stevens, an American who is untested near this level. In fact "Showtime" Stevens is viewed by many fans as a man who is merely a stay busy opponent for Golovkin, albeit one who has some hype behind him and is one of America's few contenders in the division. A lot of the hype for Stevens has come due to his links to "Main Events" a promoter which has done him the world of good. Less than 4 years ago Stevens seemed an unlikely title challenger. He had been out pointed by Jesse Brinkley and his record had fallen to 21-3 (15) and any career momentum he had had hit a wall. Surprisingly a 2 year break following the loss to Brinkley seemed to revitalise the career of Stevens who has gone from a man on the brink of retirement to the man looking to claim a world title. Surprisingly his rise has only seen him defeating B rate opponents, such as Elvin Ayala and Saul Roman though the hype of the Brooklyn man has been huge due to the eye catching manner in which he has scored those victories, Aged 28 Stevens is some 3 years younger than Golovkin, though the Kazakhstan fighter is viewed as a near unbackable favourite. Despite being the older fighter, the man known as "GGG" is also viewed as being the superior fighter in every since way. As a former amateur standout Golovkin was always expected to reach the pinnacle of the sport. He showed things in the amateurs that seemed to suggest a future professional superstar. The potential now seems to be coming to the fore. Golovkin has shown not only the great power that has helped him score highlight real KO's over Lajuan Simon, Nobuhiro Ishida and most recently Matthew Macklin, but also skills, balance, timing, control of distance, toughness and startling footwork. In fact from watching Golovkin you seem to be able to see an almost complete fighter with incredible power and the perfect shot selection. Devastating. Although Stevens is a hard hitter himself, having scored 3 opening round stoppages in his last 4 contests, he seems to be less of a rounded boxer. He hits hand and seems to have fast hands but he looks cruder, less technical and seems less able to set his punches up properly. Sure he's explosive with his shots but against a skilled and tough opponent it would seem likely that he's going to be tagged back. If you get tagged by Golovkin you tend to go in to a shell or go to sleep. We think that when Golovkin connects with Stevens he may take the first shot or two but never really recover mentally from them as he gets broken down physically and stopped inside 4 rounds. Hopefully if Golovkin takes out Stevens, as expected, he'll fight Sergio Mertinez to decide the true Middleweight champion of the world. The Golovkin/Martinez bout, is one of only a small handful that fans seem to be clamouring for, and arguable the easiest to make due to Peter Quillin, another hard hitting fighter, being exclusively signed to fight with rival network Showtime in what could have been a genuine firecracker of a contest. The video below is courtesy of HBOsports
Courtesy of Boxrec.com
It's taken a while for the mainstream boxing public to get to know the destructive Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (26-0, 23) but the hard hitting Middleweight champion is now starting to get the attention he has thoroughly deserved. At the end of June Golovkin, the WBA Middleweight champion will be facing his toughest fight yet as he faces the popular and often exciting Matthew "Mack the Knife" Macklin (29-4, 20). For Macklin this will be his 3rd world level bout having lost to both Sergio Gabriel Martinez and Felix Sturm (though the loss to Sturm was highly controversial). Born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan Golovkin has been blessed with all the traits that can make a boxing star. He's talented, he's charming, he's memorable and more than anything else, he has truly concussive power. The sort of thing a highlight reel is made of. It's the power of Golovkin that has endeared him not only to fight fans but also television networks who have started to show more and more of his bouts whilst pushing him as one of the best fighters (at least stylistically) on the planet. It's with the help of the TV network HBO that Golovkin finds himself on US TV for the 3rd time in 4 fights and in what will be his 9th "world" title bout. In Matthew Macklin we have a determined and skilled challenger who himself has heavy hands, a good (but not great) skillset, a lot of heart and a fun to watch style which usually involves throwing plenty of leather often up close. What we have, at least on paper, are 2 of the top 10 Middleweights clashing in a bout that truly looks like it was made with the fans enjoyment first and foremost. At his best Golovkin, 31, is an excellent counter puncher who sees an opportunity and lands with dynamite power from either hand in the blink of an eye. He applies pressure, forces a mistake and connects cleanly. What makes him so impressive however is that he's always perfectly balanced for the big shot, whether he's going forward or backwards his body is always in the position to take advantage of a slip up. At his worst the champion is defensively questionable often taking a shot or two that he doesn't really need to take when he's forced to make the fight. Unfortunately for his opponents he takes a shot as well as he delivers one and is rarely in any trouble at all. Macklin, also 31, is usually a more aggressively minded fighter than Golovkin. His fights with both Jamie Moore and Felix Sturm show just how fun he can be, despite losing both of those fights. Though against Martinez, Macklin did show that he was a very capable boxer and was holding his own against the then #3 Ring Magazine ranked pound-for-pound fighter. Whilst Macklin is capable on the back foot and very solid on the front foot, he was dropped twice by Martinez who whilst a crisp puncher lacks the lights out power of Golovkin. This is a worry for the fighter from Birmingham, England who knows the dangers of being tagged by Golovkin. On paper the bout looks like a sure fire barnstormer. Aggressive-come forward power puncher (Macklin) against a murderous punching counter puncher (Golovkin) the problem however could come if Macklin decides not to play ball and elects to box rather than fight. If the challenger does decide to box it could force the champion to turn aggressor, something he can do well. Sadly for Macklin trying to box with Golovkin is unlikely to be successful as the Kazakh is himself an excellent boxer who had amazing amateur success. If Macklin tries to boxing with Golovkin, the champion will cut the ring off, use body shots to slow Macklin's legs before eventually breaking him down. It really does seem like a no-win situation. With Macklin aware that boxing Golovkin isn't a smart move, we may well see the Englishman (with Irish roots) electing to just go to war and put on a show for the fans. Doing so may not help his chances at winning but will help him once again win over the fans. Don't be shocked if this is very short lived but very fun whilst it lasts. In preparation for this bout we've included a highlight video of Golovkin courtesy of HBOsports. |
World Title Previews
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