This morning, Unified Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN, (36-0, 33 KO’s) weighed in at 169.6 at the IBF same day weigh-in ahead of tonight’s highly anticipated divisional showdown against WBA Middleweight World Champion and Mandatory Challenger, DANIEL “THE MIRACLE MAN” JACOBS, (32-1, 29 KO’s) at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Jacobs did not appear for the IBF same day weigh-in. Golovkin is the holder of the WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO Middleweight World Titles.
Stated LINDSEY TUCKER of the IBF, “Golovkin is defending his IBF title, however Jacobs cannot acquire the title with a victory because he did not participate in the required IBF same-day weigh-in.
Stated TOM LOEFFLER of K2 Promotions, “Gennady is very excited to defend all of his titles tonight at Madison Square Garden and live on HBO Pay-Per-View against Daniel Jacobs in this matchup of the two best middleweights in the world.”
The Championship Event presented by K2 Promotions will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
Consensus #1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World and World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Flyweight Champion ROMAN “CHOCOLATITO” GONZALEZ, (46-0-0, 38 KO’s), fighting out of Managua, Nicaragua, defends his title against Mandatory Challenger SRISAKET SOR RUNGVISAI (41-4-1, (38 KO’s) of Si Sa Ket, Thailand
Former World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Flyweight Champion CARLOS “PRINCIPE” CUADRAS, (35-1-1, 27 KO’s) of Mexico City, Mexico returns to battle against cross-town rival and Former World Title Challenger DAVID “SEVERO” CARMONA, (20-3-5, 8 KO’s), also of Mexico City, Mexico.
Top Lightweight Prospects, WBC Lightweight Continental Americas Champion, RYAN “BLUE CHIP” MARTIN, (17-0, 10 KO’s) of Cleveland, Ohio via Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Port Chester, New York’s BRYANT “PEE WEE” CRUZ, (17-1-0, 8 KO’s) will battle in a scheduled ten rounder.
GOLOVKIN vs. JACOBS is presented by K2 Promotions. Tickets priced at $1000, $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com
Quick 3 with GGG!
1. How frustrating has been for you to get a star-caliber opponent every time you want to fight and how happy are you now that a world-class fighter like Daniel Jacobs, a middleweight title-holder with excellent credentials, has accepted the challenge?
“I can only fight who gets in the ring with me, not those who only talk. I’ve fought many great fighters over the last few years, Martin Murray, Kell Brook, Daniel Geale, Matthew Macklin and David Lemieux.
“I’m very excited to fight Daniel Jacobs, he is world class and will be a big test for me. He’s a great fighter and brings many new challenges to me on March 18, it’s a very interesting fight for me and my team.”
2. You are a power puncher, but Daniel Jacobs has 12 KOs in a row since his only loss. How do you deal with a fighter that has power but can also box and move and is perhaps the best opponent of your career to date?
“Daniel has great power, his knockout over Peter Quillin was very impressive. I know I have to be smart in the ring against Daniel and use all of my skills to win.”
3. What do you know about Daniel Jacobs? Any weakness you can exploit? What can fans expect to see on Saturday, March 18?
“I’ve seen Daniel fight many times, I know how good of a fighter he is. I can’t predict how the fight will go until we get in the ring, but I know it will be a great fight for the fans.”
“This is a great fight for both of us. We will put on a great show on March 18 for all the fans.”
HBO Sports to replay Golovkin vs. Brook 2016, Jacobs vs. Smith 2009
Leading up to the highly anticipated stacked world championship boxing card highlighted by the appearance of Gennady Golovkin, Danny Jacobs, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Carlos Cuadras on Saturday, March 18 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of three hard-hitting all-action encounters that highlight the remarkable skill and power of these ring warriors.
On Friday, March 10 at 12:05 a.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, March 11 at 10:50 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay back-to-back Golovkin vs. Brook 2016, Jacobs vs. Smith 2009 and “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Cuadras 2016. This past September at The O2 in London, Gennady Golovkin traveled to Kell Brook’s hometown and extended his consecutive knockout streak to 23 in a row with a fifth round stoppage against the then undefeated prize fighter. On August 22, 2009, top prospect Daniel Jacobs displayed incredible resilience and ring skills against Ishe Smith with a 10-round unanimous decision victory. Last September in a Fight-of-the-Year candidate, consensus #1 pound for pound fighter in the world, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez claimed a title in a fourth weight class against Carlos Cuadras in what was the toughest and roughest encounter of his career.
All three fights will also be available 24 hours a day on HBO NOW, HBO On Demand®, HBO GO® subscribers and affiliate portals beginning Monday, March 6.
Golovkin vs. Jacobs, “Chocolatito” Gonzalez vs. Rungvisai and Cuadras vs. Carmona takes place Saturday, March 18 from at the Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.