By Dan Ambrose: WBA middleweight champion Gennedy Golovkin (29-0, 26 KOs) is hoping that he can become the first fighter to officially stop Daniel Geale (30-2, 16 KOs) when they face each other this Saturday night on HBO.
Geale has been fighting 10 years as a pro, but no one during that time has ever come close to knocking him out during that entire time. But then again, Geale has never fought Golovkin before. This is going to be a whole new experience and test for Geale.
If he can survive the full 12 rounds, he’ll be the first guy in the past 5 years that has survived 12 rounds against Golovkin. Winning probably isn’t an option for Geale, but if he can just make finish on his feet, it would be saying a lot about him.
“It’s a big test for me, Golovkin said. “I hope so, maybe not last 12 rounds.”
Golovkin says he previously fought Geale many years ago in the Asian Games when they were both in the amateur ranks. He beat him by a 4-round decision in that fight, and he says it was a tough bout for him. “I remember not an easy fight; not a close fight,” Golovkin said. “4 rounds decision.”
Golovkin went onto say that it’s a much different situation now that it’s a professional bout.
Geale is going to need to bring his A-game on Saturday for him to last some rounds against Golovkin, because with the way that Geale was manhandled by Darren Barker last year, I don’t think it’s going to be close fight on Saturday. Barker is someone that would have likely been destroyed by Golovkin if that fight were to have ever been made. But the fact that Barker had his way with Geale, it tells you how over-matched he is with Golovkin. Of course, styles make fights and Geale might in theory give Golovkin some problems on Saturday with his bouncing around the ring, but it’s not looking likely that Geale will be able to do more than just survive if that’s his goal.
Golovkin wants to move past fighting ex-world champions and start unifying the titles one by one if he can get any of the world champions at 160 to fight him. “Right now there are 4 champions, Miguel Cotto, me, Peter Quillin, and the Australian guy Soliman,” Golovkin said. “I want unification fight. For me it’s very important.”
Getting the likes of Cotto and Quillin to agree to a unification fight might be like pulling teeth. Quillin says he’d be up for a fight against Golovkin, but then the next thing he mentions is that he fights on HBO while he fights on Showtime. The message is clear. The fight isn’t going to happen. Cotto doesn’t speak of Golovkin at all, and it’s unlikely that he’s going to start talking of him anytime soon, if ever.
Cotto will likely fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and possibly Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2015, but definitely not a dangerous puncher like Golovkin. The one guy that Golovkin can fight is IBF champion Sam Soliman, because that guy wants to fight him. But a Golovkin-Soliman fight is no bigger than Golovkin-Geale. Golovkin can definitely pick up Soliman’s IBF title, but it’s not a fight that will interest the casual boxing fans in the U.S.
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