The Forum in Los Angeles, California will host unparalleled Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) for the second time, as he faces Dominic Wade (18-0, 12 KOs) on Saturday, April 23.
By fighting Wade, Golovkin is fulfilling the mandatory obligations of the IBF. Golovkin unified his existing titles with the IBF championship in his previous fight, a stoppage win over David Lemieux in the eighth round.
Despite Wade not being a stellar name, Golovkin has adamantly stated that he would never vacate a title, as he bids to become the first undisputed Middleweight champion in over a decade.
Read on for a complete preview and prediction of Gennady Golovkin vs. Dominic Wade and let us know who you think will.
Tale of the Tape
Photo edit by RBRBoxing
Gennady Golovkin | Dominic Wade | |
---|---|---|
Record | 34-0, 31 KOs | 18-0, 12 KOs |
Age | 34 | 26 |
Height | 5’10½” | 5’10½” |
Reach | 70” | 74½” |
Weight | 160 | 160 |
Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
Hometown | Los Angeles, California | Largo, Maryland |
Rounds Boxed | 154 | 60 |
Sizing both fighters up, Gennady Golovkin and Dominic Wade share the same height. Though, Wade has a reach advantage of 74½”, as opposed to the 70″ reach of Golovkin.
Overall, there are no physical differences that are substantial. However, there is an obvious difference is Golovkin’s knockout ratio compared to Wade’s.
Golovkin boasts a 91 percent knockout ratio in 34 fights, whereas Wade has a 67 percent knockout ratio in 18 fights.
Golovkin also possesses another advantage, which is ring experience. Golovkin has been involved in 15 world title fights, and has boxed 94 more rounds than Wade, who has never been part of a scheduled 12-round bout.
Main Storylines
Originally, Tureano Johnson (19-1, 13 KOs) was the IBF mandatory challenger, before injury ruled him out. As a consequence, Dominic Wade replaced Johnson as the mandatory challenger to Gennady Golovkin.
As mentioned previously, Golovkin will be returning to The Forum in Los Angeles, where his reputation keeps ascending.
It is expected to be a sold-out crowd on April 23, much like his last appearance there in May 2015.
The fight also exemplifies the uncommon tendency of an Al Haymon client appearing on HBO. Wade is replicating Amir Khan, who fights Canelo Alvarez on May 7, by fighting on what is deemed a rival network.
Strengths for Each Man
Gennady Golovkin
Gennady Golovkin has shown that he possesses an excellent jab. This is an attribute that allows Golovkin to keep his opponent on the back foot, thus stamping his authority on the fight.
Complemented with his punching power, his jab helps in breaking the opponent down over time.
Golovkin’s smartness cannot be overstated either. On the front foot, Golovkin will duck his head, which allows him to evade the jab of his opponent.
He will then throw a hook on the inside, which the opponent does not see. This is useful against opponents who attempt to keep it on the outside and box.
Dominic Wade
One thing that is noticeable from Dominic Wade is that he has decent speed when throwing single shots, but also combinations.
He has a tendency to throw a quick left hook on the inside, which can catch the opponent by surprise. Speed may be a problem for Gennady Golovkin, particularly if Wade can utilize his reach advantage.
Additionally, Wade moves a lot in the ring, and refrains from being flat-footed.
As a consequence, he is less of a stationary target, and therefore will be harder for Golovkin to hit cleanly.
Whether he can keep the movement up if the fight goes into the latter rounds is still questionable, as it is possible he may fatigue from constantly being on the back foot from Golovkin.
Weaknesses for Each Man
Gennady Golovkin
Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Although Gennady Golovkin is canny on the inside by evading the jab to land his own shots, he has shown that he can be hit.
Whether it is complacency, or a defensive weakness, it is definitely something Dominic Wade, and future opponents, would consider as a potential flaw in Golovkin’s game.
In a normal situation, letting your opponents land a few shots would seem foolish. But with the game-changing power of Golovkin, he is able to change a fight with one punch at any given time.
Nonetheless, this should certainly give Wade confidence that he can land punches on Golovkin, to possibly win rounds.
Dominic Wade
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
From watching Dominic Wade, it is apparent that he switches guards. On the outside he is relaxed, firing the jab from a low point and throwing his right hand with a strong posture.
However, he sometimes reverts to a high guard on the inside. I feel this is a weakness, if used against Gennady Golovkin.
A high guard will leave him open to body shots from Golovkin, who is a renowned body puncher.
Doing this may be critical in deciding the outcome of this fight, as fighters usually relent or drop to the canvas, when they are hit to the body by Golovkin.
The Winner and Why
I am predicting a Gennady Golovkin win via stoppage within six rounds.
Dominic Wade may try and move, but Golovkin will be patient and gradually break his opponent down.
Golovkin’s incisive jab will facilitate the landing of his power shots. Wade’s tendency to have a high guard may prove costly too, and will be an opening for Golovkin to exploit the body.
This is why I would not be surprised if the stoppage comes as a result of Golovkin’s vicious hooks to the body.
Overall, I expect nothing less than a conclusive victory for Gennady Golovkin.