Are we over the Andy Ruiz Jr. shellacking of Anthony Joshua yet?
Man, what a great moment in time and what a reminder that, really, despite all the machinations and maneuverings involved in the business of boxing, the sport is still, ultimately, about one human being vs. one human being.
But, still, we all know that big, big upsets are not commonplace at all. In boxing, scripts seldom get flipped, the plucky challenger rarely pushes his way to victory on the weight of two flying fists and a superhuman dose of self-belief. It just doesn?t happen all that often and that?s why, when it DOES, everyone explodes in excessive ?can you believe it? talk for days/weeks/months/years afterward.
So, with that in mind, let?s make it clear that we won?t be seeing an Andy Ruiz Jr. moment at Madison Square Garden for a second straight weekend when unknown, unheralded Steve Rolls meets Gennady Golovkin in Golovkin?s DAZN debut.
Rolls, a Canadian amateur standout, is every bit the earnest, likable underdog that Ruiz was. He?s got some skills and is all-around ?good,? but that ?good? is more of a ?Canadian amateur? good or an ?I?m undefeated against club fighters and journeymen? good.
Streaming service DAZN didn?t pony up reportedly as much as $120 million in a six-fight deal for the Kazakh KO machine to have their down-the-road big fight plans ruined by a plucky challenger with half-a-chance at victory.
Stylistically, the 35-year-old Rolls seems to have been hand-picked as someone likely to be the concussed half of a highlight reel knockout. Often tentative in letting his hands go, he has a bad habit of lunging in and leaving himself susceptible to counters once inside. He?s athletic, but not elusive and doesn?t respond all that well to pressure. He?s also not particularly heavy handed, with just 10 KOs in 19 pro fights.
Consider this fight GGG?s signing bonus from DAZN?a $20 million gimme before moving on to a third Canelo bout, a Demetrius Andrade clash, and/or a rematch with Daniel Jacobs. Anyone expecting the 37-year-old Golovkin?a man who bathed in blood from stylistic mismatches for years before taking on a complicated task?to be matched tough this first time out, with a new broadcast deal just kicking off, clearly hasn?t been paying attention to boxing business in this new age.
?Make no mistake about it: I don?t think Golovkin?s people take the fight if they?re not confident in the fight,? Rolls? promoter Lou DiBella told the Toronto Star. ?But I think we have a guy who?s a lot better than the people dismissing him believe. I don?t think he?s a walkover for anybody. Steve?s going to make it a fight.?
Rolls, himself, is firm in his self-belief.
?I have such a strong belief in myself and I believe I?m going to win,? Rolls declared. ?I have been preparing my whole life for this opportunity and it?s an opportunity I?m going to take advantage of on Saturday.?
Meanwhile, Golovkin, to his credit, has never been one to underestimate an opponent, even the ones absolutely tailor-made for destruction. Part of the GGG appeal has been the heavy hand he?s shown in dealing with all levels of opposition. It would be truly surprising to see Golovkin ever carry or play around with prey tossed his way.
?My motivation for training for Steve Rolls is the same as for any fight,? Golovkin said. ?To me, every fight I have is my biggest test. I know Rolls can be dangerous because earlier in my career, I used to be Steve Rolls. I was an unknown challenger. It is the unknown fighters who can end up being the most dangerous. Andy Ruiz just showed us that an underdog should not be underestimated?I trained so hard for this fight. Everything is at stake.?
Old-timers like to call boxing ?The Theater of the Unexpected,? but that?s only true every once in a while. Most of the time, everything plays out according to plans.
This Saturday, one week after the biggest upset since Douglas over Tyson, Madison Square Garden will settle back down and deliver some lukewarm business as usual.
