Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, the WBA and IBO middleweight champion, is closer than ever to a star-making fight against a big name opponent. Canelo Alvarez earned a TKO victory over James Kirkland on May 9, and Miguel Cotto will defend his WBC middleweight title vs. Daniel Geale on June 6. Golovkin is the mandatory challenger to Cotto's belt, but he may opt to let Cotto and Alvarez duke it out before facing one of them in 2016.
Before all that, Golovkin must fight Willie Monroe Jr. on Saturday, and he's an opponent that may be trickier than meets the eye. Golovkin has knocked out 19 straight opponents, so he is a prohibitive favorite to walk out of the ring with a win, but here are three keyes to Monroe Jr.'s night that may help him pull off a stunner.
Stay The Hell Off The Ropes
Monroe Jr. isn't a familiar face to casual boxing fans, or even hardcore fans to be frank. He won the 2014 Boxcino tournament and most recently defeated Bryan Vera, whose best known for giving Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. all he could handle in a 2013 fight, then surviving a beating by Chavez Jr. in 2014. His greatest trait is his movement-hence his nickname "The Mongoose."
The common denominator among most of Golovkin's knockout victims are that they were caught against the ropes and thumped by his power shots from either hand. Monroe Jr. must be in the best shape of his life and ready for 12 rounds of intense cardio. If he can keep the fight in the middle of the ring, Monroe may be difficult to put down.
Keep A Jab In Golovkin's Face All Night
Golovkin is a classic pressure fighter, so Monroe Jr. must find a way to disrupt his approach. Getting on his bicycle isn't really an option because few fighters are better than GGG at cutting off the ring. Daniel Geale, a respected veteran and former champion, tried to elude Golovkin but wound up being knocked out by an off-balance shot.
Monroe Jr. must be more proactive than Geale was. It's possible Golovkin walks through Monroe Jr.'s jab and stops him, but it's better than running and being trapped.
Go To Golovkin's Body
Golovkin is tough and will come forward no matter what, but he's still human and body shots can slow him down. Monroe only has six knockouts, so he's no heavy hitter, but if he can pepper Golovkin's body with punches, and stay off the ropes, he might take some of the steam out of his shots. He also has to make sure he closes up the openings once he lets his hands go.
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