By Eric Baldwin: Gennady “GGG” Golovkin’s habit of standing directly in front of his opponents without moving his head could give challenger Kell Brook a chance against him in their fight on September 10, according to former two division belt holder Paulie Malignaggi. Golovkin pressures his opponents by cutting off the ring and looking to set them up for big shots, notes Malignaggi. analysis
What he doesn’t know is if Brook is going to be able to handle Golovkin’s thunderous punches that he lands in the fight. That’s the big question for Malginaggi. He expects Brook to be able to land his own sharp punches in the fight, but for him to have a real opportunity to win the bout, he must be able to take the 34-year-old Golovkin’s best power shots.
Golovkin and Brook will be fighting on September 10 at the O2 Arena in London, England. The fight will be televised on HBO Championship Boxing in the U.S and on Sky Box Office pay-per-view in the UK.
“Kell has a chance, but you have to favor Golovkin,” said Malignaggi. “Golovkin presents himself in front of you all the time. He’s cutting the ring off on you. Besides the physical pressure, he’s mentally pressuring you. It makes you panic and it forces mistakes. Golovkin cuts off the ring and presents himself in front of you, but he never moves his head. Against a sharp puncher like Brook, that may cost him. Maybe Brook can land some shots. Is it going to affect him? I don’t know because Golovkin is pressuring and cutting off the ring on you. He doesn’t get wild. He positions you and tags you with hard shots. I don’t know if Brook is going to be able to take them. At the same time, if he does it without moving his head, Brook is also a sharp enough fighter, so he’s going to be landing. I think there’s some opportunities for Kell. I just don’t know if he can take the thunder from Golovkin,” said Malignaggi.
Brook doesn’t usually move around much in his fights, but he’ll likely be working on that during his training camp. However, no one is able to get away from Golovkin no matter how hard they try. Golovkin will cut off the ring on Brook and force him into a dog fight many times each round. It will be up to Brook to show that he can handle fighting Golovkin when those times arise.
Brook isn’t going to be able to tie Golovkin up each time he cuts off the ring to keep him from throwing punches. Brook will need to do his best to keep from getting hit hard with a big shot from Golovkin. Brook proudly says that he’s got the faster hands and nearly as good power. If that’s the case, then Brook shouldn’t have any problems with staying in the pocket and fighting Golovkin for as long as the fight lasts. Brook has to expect the worst. He’s got to think that he’s not going to be able to get away from Golovkin or keep him from getting his shots off by holding him.