By Dan Ambrose: A special presentation from HBO boxing called “Road to Golovkin/Geale,” will air on 7/12 to review the fight next month between the two fighters on 7/26 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The segment will air at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT on Saturday, 7/12. The premiere lasts 15 minutes rather than 30 minutes like many of the HBO 24/7 episodes.

Geale doesn’t match up well with Golovkin due to his lack of power. As good as Geale is, he doesn’t have much to keep a fighter like Golovkin off of him unless he moves continuously. That’s what we’re likely going to see a lot of on July 26th, because Geale isn’t equipped to trade with a fighter in Golovkin’s class. Geale didn’t do a great job of handling the power of Darren Barker in their fight last year, which is why Geale lost the fight.

This is a fight that brings the 33-year-old Geale from Australia to try and take Golovkin’s WBA strap. Geale had previously held the IBF 160 pound title from 2011 to 2013, when he lost a 12 round decision to Barker in August. Geale had briefly held the WBA Super World middleweight title in 2012 after beating champion Felix Sturm. But rather than face Golovkin back then, Geale chose to face fellow Australian Anthony Mundine in January of 2013. Geale won the fight, but he had to give up the WBA title before that due to World Boxing Association stripping him of the belt because he had failed to defend it against Golovkin at the time.

Golovkin has been destroying everyone he’s faced during the last 6 years, and It’s gotten to the point where he’s now being openly avoided by the top fighters in the middleweight division. Instead of guys like Miguel Cotto, Sergio Martinez and Peter Quillin fighting him, they’re looking for safer fights.

Golovkin isn’t popular enough yet to interest the top fighters in facing him like they are with guys like Floyd Mayweather Jr. With him, fighters know they’ll be getting a huge payday, so they don’t mind signing to fight him. But Golovkin doesn’t bring the huge PPV money yet. It’s hoped that he’ll be able to transition to the next level to become a PPV star in the future, but right now he’s short of that mark.
Here are the HBO “Road to Golovkin/Geale” dates:

July 12 (12:05 a.m.), 14 (9:45 a.m.), 16 (2:15 p.m. & 10:45 p.m.), 20 (11:45 a.m.), 22 (12:00 p.m. & 2:55 a.m.), 25 (5:30 p.m. & 1:00 a.m.), and 26 (8:45 a.m.).

HBO2 playdates: July 13 (6:15 p.m.), 15 (9:15 p.m.), 17 (5:45 p.m.) 19 (7:15 p.m.), 21 (2:50 p.m.), 23 (11:30 p.m.) and 25 (11:10 p.m.).