Weaknesses For Each Man
Gennady Golovkin
If you haven’t figured it out by now, Gennady Golovkin can’t fight going backwards. And believe me, knowing how to fight going backwards is an overlooked virtue. The thing is, no one has success pushing him back and keeping him there.
It may not be visible to the unsuspecting, untrained eye but going backwards is a real vulnerability for Golovkin, as it is for most pressure fighters. You would think that guys going up against pressure fighters would know better than to constantly retreat. Time and time again though, I see Golovkin’s opponents making the same mistakes—allowing him to come forward by backing up and letting him set for punches.
Golovkin has never been knocked down or out in a fight, though the kinds of fighter he’s faced haven’t given his defense much to worry about. Some say Golovkin isn’t concerned with defense. I would argue that Golovokin is very much concerned with it, but it hasn’t been solidly tested by anyone to see what he’s made of. His boxing IQ is also a question mark, another reason why Willie Monroe is a great style match-up.
Willie Monroe Jr.
As slick as Willie Monroe is, he makes small (and sometimes big) mistakes defensively that Gennady Golovkin will make him pay for. People often refer to the straight right hand as the southpaw’s kryptonite but for the orthodox fighter, the lead left-hook is an underused, underrated weapon. Southpaws tend to drop their right hand and Golovkin loves setting up his lead hook.
If Monroe doesn’t use his style to push Golovkin back, he has no chance of breaking him down. Monroe spends much of his time circling and retreating to the ropes far too often. This kind of movement might frustrate some fighters, but it plays right into Golovkin’s hands and puts Monroe right where he wants him. Someone like Brian Vera may get frustrated and become less busy, but Monroe has to understand that Golovkin comes forward to attack by any means necessary.
