During a recent teleconference call in anticipation of the fight, Golovkin was asked about fighting Floyd Mayweather?
Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood, California, WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs), from Los Angeles by way of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, defends his title against capable but overmatched Willie Monroe Jr. (19-1, 6 KOs), from Ithaca, New York, in a fight scheduled for 12 rounds.
Triple G needs no introduction. He?s one of the bright stars in boxing?s constellation. Before each fight he promises ?big drama show.? True to his word, after each fight he smiles at having delivered ?big drama show? and the world, or at least that slice of the world that follows boxing, smiles with him.
The knock on Golovkin, insofar as there?s a knock on Golovkin, is that he hasn?t fought the best of the best. Of course the best of the best that he ought to fight have been already been installed in the hall of fame. Those who are still fighting understand this all too well and for the most part want nothing to do with him.
The lineal middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, for example, has avoided Golovkin like the plague. The other viable candidates, assuming viable is not too strong a word, know that Golovkin, if given the chance, will hand them their heads, and it won?t be on a silver platter.
There has been talk (aka wishful thinking) about Floyd Mayweather moving up in weight to take on Triple G. But Mayweather Sr. more or less put the kibosh on that when he declared, ?He ain?t fighting no damn giant.?
Say what you will about Money May, but he?s no Mickey Walker.
That leaves us with Saturday?s fight between Golovkin and Willie Monroe Jr. Monroe is ranked #2 by the WBA, #5 by the WBO, and #9 by the WBC. He is a southpaw. He is crafty and moves well. He won the Boxcino tournament. He is also confident.
?On May 16, I will shock the world,? Monroe said.
If that makes him a suitable opponent for Golovkin, call me Maish Rennick.
During a recent teleconference call in anticipation of the fight, Golovkin was asked about fighting Mayweather.
?Of course, it is my dream fight,? he said. ?Obviously, Floyd, he is a great champion, and a little bit different style. Floyd, he?s a smart guy. He does a lot of moving. For my style, a little bit different, I like drama show, I like real fight, like close fight. I want show, big show; big drama show!?
That particular big drama show is a pipedream. Perhaps we can expect a big drama show with Canelo in the future. In the meantime we get to watch Triple G get it on with Willie Monroe Jr., which will be fun while it lasts.
?It?s very important for me, this fight with Willie,? said Golovkin. ?This fight is really important for my career, and for everybody, for my people, for my team. Thank you very much for my people. Right now my focus is on Willie Monroe because he?s a great champion, he?s a great challenger for me and he may be next champion. He?s not like an open fighter. He has like Cuban style. He?s a good boxer, like Rigondeaux and Lara. This is very good for me. Maybe it?s good for my fans because maybe it won?t be two rounds.
?I want to fight a southpaw because I want to show everybody that I can beat any style, it doesn?t matter?anybody, strong guy, tall guy, short guy, just anybody. I?m very anxious. This is a big test for me. I remember a lot of fighters, like Canelo, Cotto, and a lot of great champions have had problems with southpaws. So why not test myself??
There is speculation that Golovkin may move up in weight and fight Andre Ward before he retires.
?That?s not my focus,? said Triple G. ?My focus is on who is number one in the middleweight division. It doesn?t matter how many fights per year, five, six. I remember, like Chavez Sr., a lot of great champions, every second month he had a big fight. For me, right now I?m ready for big fight, I?m ready. I know I have just maybe couple years, maybe three years, maybe four years, I?m ready for six fights per year. I?m ready for anybody.?
Golovkin was asked if Chavez was his favorite Mexican fighter.
?Yes, Chavez Sr. is,? he replied, drawing a distinction between father and son. ?I love great champions from Mexico. I like Chavez Sr.?s style, like moving, and the strategy, I like this. I like the style because he will fight anybody and anytime. It may only be five, six, seven times per year. Same for me, I?m ready. Welcome to my Big Drama Show.?
