This Saturday night live from the O2 Arena in London, England, undefeated fighters Gennady Golovkin and Kell Brook meet in a pairing few expected. The matchup has been compared to Canelo versus Khan but judging by Kell Brook’s 30-day mandatory weigh-in, the issue of weight may not be the biggest problem for Brook. In fact, Kell’s ceiling at 147 is now tough to judge due to possible weight-drain and there’s a good chance we see a fresher, stronger, lighter on his feet Brook. Another point of emphasis is the amount of sparring & overall stamina he will retain being able to eat freely throughout the day. Amir Khan had never proven himself at the welterweight division, but that’s not to say Brook was accomplished at welterweight or in general. Let us not forget that Khan was stopped at 135 and in his last big fight against Danny Garcia, knocked out 140.
Two opponents come to mind when addressing the success or failure rate of ‘Special K’ versus GGG, Shawn Porter and Carson Jones. Both give minor insight for Kell’s capabilities and vulnerabilities. Many will point to his struggle with Carson Jones at times especially on the inside. Carson was able to apply pressure making it a difficult for Kell in the trenches. Kell was hurt by Jones punches, but also sustained an injury which may have been a legit reason for the uneven performance. Against Shawn Porter, Brook displayed a calm and effective game plan of being first and last. He would usually land the clean punch first, then clinch to control Porter as he came barreling in. Using range and a jab, potshot right hans, and clean two-punch combination from time to time, along with the clinch limited Porter.
Of course aggression is one of the only traits that Porter and Golovkin have in common on offense. Golovkin presents a whole different barrage of offense and defense. Triple G may be assertive but he does it with intelligence and cuts off the ring better than anyone Kell’s faced. Patience, as Golovkin showed versus David Lemieux proved the Kazakhstan native is not just a one-trick pony. The middle of the ring or of course coming forward is Triple G’s bread and butter. There are many reasons why Kell Brook could turn out to be Golovkin’s best opponent thus far. At the moment no-named middleweights seem willing to step in the ring and the outside skill and speed of Brook could present a real problem.
Look for this matchup to play out very similar to the first part of Canelo vs. Khan, with Khan scoring early and winning rounds. It will be very interesting to see if Brook can control Golovkin with the clinch after he gets off or when the action is on the inside. Golovkin rarely smothers his work like Porter and may opt to start conservatively with a hard jab in the early goings. Sooner than later Gennady will land something big after setting it up the jab and that’s when will see a turn in this bout. Golovkin will get hit throughout the rounds no doubt about it, but he will end up timing and catching up to Brook’s rhythm. How long this fight goes will depend on how good Brook is defensively and his ability to stick to his game plan.
My Official Prediction is Gennady Golovkin by late stoppage.
Roman Gonzalez vs. Carlos Cuadras will serve as the co-feature/main event live on HBO, from the Forum Saturday night in Los Angeles, Ca. Gonzalez is on top of many pound-for-pound lists and a win here at yet another weight class would be impressive. Juan Francisco Estrada represents the best fighter on Chocolatito resume but as on outside operator Carlos Cuadras looks to be the real deal as well. His lateral movement and overall defense may cause some issues for Gonzalez. Cuadras is busy with a good jab that he can smoothly pivot off of, all in motion. Left hooks will be a key for both men it’s just a matter of who consistently lands the bigger hooks throughout. Gonzalez will work the body as he cuts off the ring using defense and offense fluidly. Roman’s defense and counter ability is underrated and it’s likely he will need all his skills to secure the victory.
My Official Prediction is Roman Gonzalez by Unanimous Decision.
Side Note: Tonight on the PBC on Spike Daniel Jacobs finally gets back in the ring to face veteran fighter Sergio Mora in a rematch from August 2015. In that bout, in the first round both men hit the canvas from clean knockdown shots. Jacobs won by TKO because of an ankle injury sustained by Mora. Let’s hope this rematch gives us something to talk about. The co-feature is a good one matching two unbeaten fighters in Robert Easter Jr. (23-0) and (24-0) Richard Commey. Both guys have plenty of power and it will be a coming out party at the lightweight division for the winner. My Picks: Jacobs late TKO and Easter Jr. by UD.
Written by Chris Carlson Host of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast at blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio or Download on iTunes. Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio