By Barry Holbrook: In Wednesday’s lowkey press conference, a terribly worn-out looking Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin vowed to bring the “drama show” when he defends his IBF middleweight title against mandatory challenger Kamil Szeremeta this Friday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood. The fight will be shown on DAZN.
Golovkin, 38, looked like he was feeling the effects of weight loss, as he’s got one more day before Thursday’s weigh-in. He needs to make sure that he hits the 160-lb limit for his record-breaking 21st title defense.
Golovkin looking to break the record for title defenses
GGG and his Matchroom Boxing promoter have used his 21st title defense as the marketing point for the fight with Szeremeta because most fans have never heard of the Polish fighter.
This fight has largely been overlooked by fans, and not because they’re not eager to see GGG in action. It’s such a low-level fight, it’s failed to create any buzz.
The International Boxing Federation’s decision to give Szeremeta, 31, their #1 ranking and mandatory position based on his wins over obscure opposition is the real reason there’s no interest in this fight.
If Szeremeta had earned his #1 ranking by beating Sergey Derevyanchenko, Chris Eubank Jr, and Jaime Munguia, there would be more interest by boxing fans in the Golovkin-Szeremeta fight.
“I don’t care what people say. I’m prepared fr the best version of Golovkin and me and my trainer have been preparing for the best Golovkin.
“It’ll be one of the biggest victories for Polish boxing but in Polish sports. I’m going to show you everything on Friday. I’ve been training really hard. I don’t want to talk a lot, I just want to show you everything on Friday,” said Szeremeta.
It’s time for Golovkin to move up to 168 to go after the bigger fights against Canelo Alvarez, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant, and Callum Smith. GGG made a mistake in choosing to hold onto the IBF title and face Szeremeta, as there’s no interest in this fight.
Golovkin is hurting his career by draining down to fight at 160 against opposition that boxing fans have no interest in seeing him fight.
If Golovkin stays at 160, the fans are going to expect him to fight Jermall Charlo and Demetrius Andrade, and he might not be able to beat those guys.
Golovkin says he’s as good as ever
“It’s a great opportunity and a good fight,” said Golovkin. “I’m very proud to reach this step and this record will play an important roll,” said GGG about his 21st record-breaking defense he’s making against Szeremeta.
“I’m just one step away from setting this record that has been standing for so many years. It’s just exciting. You’ll see the best version of Gennadiy Golovkin. Certainly,” GGG said when asked if he’s still the same fighter he was.
“I do take this seriously, and I trained for this specifically. I do believe this will be a big drama show, and I’ve had a lot of time to get ready for that. You will see the best Gennadiy Golovkin on Friday,” said GGG.
As bad as Golovkin looked in his last fight against Sergiy Derevyanchenko, he may lose to Szeremeta. The Polish fighter has talent, and punch a little. He’s stronger than his KO percentage would indicate, and he’s faster than Golovkin.
In today’s news conference, the 31-year-old Szeremeta looked healthy strong, and a lot younger than Golovkin. That could carry over into the fight this Friday night, and we may see GGG struggle just like he did against Derevyanchenko.
Golovkin’s lack of hand speed, and his poor work it was caused him problems against Derevyanchenko. Also, Golovkin didn’t react well when he was getting hit with body shots, and he was getting hurt by those shots by Sergiy.
Szeremeta will be attacking Golovkin’s body
You can bet that Szeremeta will be focusing exclusively on attacking Golovkin’s body on Saturday, and we see a replay of the Derevyanchenko match. Golovkin fought like a washed-up fighter against the Ukrainian, and that’s not likely to change.
It’s possible that Golovkin’s body can no longer handle the stress of making weight because he’s looked ill during fight week for the last couple of years. He no longer looks fresh when cutting weight. That could be a sign that GGG needs to move up to 168 or retire.