The Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs predictions have been tallied, and the stories of Golovkin?s rise to global marketing star and Jacobs? brave fight against cancer have been told.
Now, it?s time to see if Jacobs, a 7/1 underdog, can derail Golovkin, the No. 2 fighter on the Forbes Pound-For-Pound Moneymakers list, and his supposed shot at Canelo Alvarez later this year.
Jacobs? side is sure the 30-year-old with a 32-1, 29 KOs record can beat Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs).
?We have been working really hard and Danny has been an excellent Class A student in preparing for this much anticipated confrontation,? Jacobs? trainer, Andre Rozier, said in a prefight teleconference. ?We will be victorious. We will be sharp as razor blades. I am looking forward to Danny shining like a bright light.?
Said Abel Sanchez, Golovkin?s trainer: ?I think that all of these fighters like [Sergey] Kovalev and Andre [Ward] and Gennady, they need a challenge. Not just a physical challenge but also a mental challenge and he presents that for us. He is the first guy in a while since maybe [David] Lemieux and [Curtis] Stevens that got Gennady fired up. Not that he trains any harder because he trains hard for all of his fights. But [he’s] mentally motivated to have a guy across from [him] that is going to be a great challenge that could outbox him.?
It?s most likely going to be an intense confrontation. But still, if you need more compelling reasons to watch the HBO PPV card (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), here are three more.
1) Jacobs is the most dangerous opponent Golovkin has faced. While Golovkin has been one of the most avoided fighters of the past few years, he has faced a few legitimately difficult opponents like Kell Brook, David Lemieux and Daniel Geale ? all former world titlists. But he?s never fought anybody on Jacobs? level. “I feel like GGG has fought fast guys, he’s fought strong guys, he’s fought guys with good ring IQ. But he’s never fought all those guys in one,? Jacobs said, via Fight Hub TV. ?And I definitely think I bring all those attributes to the table … I’m just looking forward to exploiting what he does wrong and what he does bad and his flaws, and bringing the best foot forward, because at the end of the day it’s all about skills, mentality, and heart.”
