Gennadiy Golovkin (26-0-0, 23 KO) is set to take on Matthew Macklin (33-4-0, 20 KO) on HBO tonight at 9:45 p.m. The fight between the hard-punching Kazakhstani and the gutty, veteran from Great Britain can be live streamed here.
Golovkin is widely considered the best puncher in the sport of boxing, recently knocking out everyone in his path. In his last fight, a decimation of Puerto Rican fighter Gabriel Rosado, Golovkin's opponent said following the bout, "He has this power man, that's like whoa."
According to Yahoo! Sports, Golovkin's trainer Abel Sanchez said his fighter entered the ring that night with a severe head cold, and lacked his typical "snap" on his punches.
That "snap" is what has boxing diehards eager for Golovkin's ascension to the forefront of the sport, and a spectacular knockout of a respected veteran like Macklin would set Golovkin up for big money fights.
Macklin represents a special rung in the ladder Golovkin is climbing to stardom. Golovkin, nicknamed "GGG," has been criticized for feasting on subpar fighters, or super welterweights moving up to middleweight, and padding his gaudy record. While Macklin wouldn't be confused for a superstar, he has been in the ring with champions like Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm.
His promoter, Tom Loeffler, addressed the concerns about GGG's competition. "There has been some criticism as far as [Gennady] only fighting junior middleweights or not the top-level competition," Loeffler said. "But that's certainly not from his standpoint. ... There is no name we've turned down for Gennady."
Martinez, who has been knocked down by Macklin, is the opponent boxing fans are clamoring for Golovkin to face, but the Argentine is currently injured and will be unavailable to fight indefinitely.
Macklin is a punishing fighter, who enjoys mixing it up. This leads many to expect a firefight, or cause Golovkin to box a bit more. GGG disagrees.
"I'm not thinking about making many changes," Golovkin said. "My strategy is my strategy."
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