Budding middleweight attraction Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, a knockout artist who holds the WBA and IBO belts at 160 pounds, is set to face Osumanu Adama in Monte Carlo on February 1st. While "GGG" is sometimes criticized for fighting less than stellar competition, it isn't always easy to match him with willing opponents.
Golovkin prefers to stay active, having fought four times in 2013, and sought a bout with Daniel Geale that was scuttled by HBO according to reports. I know GGG wants to fight Geale. They offered us a fight for Monte Carlo but Geale wants to be on HBO," Geale's promoter Gary Shaw said.
"After the Barker fight, HBO said they wanted Geale back, but now there is silence. What could be a truer test for GGG than a former world champion, a true 160-pounder - unless HBO wants to put in a 154-pounder or move him up to 168."
Shaw may have hit the nail on the head. Following a Fight of the Year candidate with Glen Tapia, HBO may have eyes on Golovkin vs. James Kirkland, who is capable of moving up from 154 lbs. to face Golovkin. The likelihood of that match going the distance is next to nil. Golovkin is 28-0-0 with 25 knockouts in his career, while Kirkland is 32-1-0 with 28 knockouts.
Golovkin has shown more one-punch power in his dominance, while Kirkland has displayed a ruthless aggression that can't be curbed, even if he's tagged multiple times. Alfredo Angulo knocked him down in the first 30 seconds of a 2011 fight, then crushed him for two minutes of the first round only to punch himself out and suffer a knockdown in the same round.
Against Tapia, an up-and-coming 23-year old, he was on the receiving end of several barrages. Those punches did little to stop Kirkland from coming forward, and the referee eventually needed to stop the bout.
Golovkin is perhaps the most powerful fighter in the sport pound-for-pound right now, so matching that with Kirkland's endurance could make for a 2014 Fight of the Year contender.
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