1. Pressure
Photo by Will Hart/HBO Boxing
One thing that’s off-putting to Gennady Golovkin‘s opponents is the moment they realize how truly relentless he is. The thing is, his persistence in coming forward likely won’t scare David Lemieux away. Pressure is what Golovkin does best and it’ll be interesting to see how he negotiates it in the ring.
Ordinarily I would recommend that someone dealing with a pressure fighter be a skilled mover and puncher with excellent defense. However, Golovokin and Lemieux are two rare, yet similar pressure fighters in that a moving opponent only excites them more; they love the chase. We saw this when Golovkin fought Willie Monroe Jr. He had slicker movement than anyone Golovkin had dealt with, but he still kept coming forward no matter what.
Golovkin has to put the right kind of pressure on Lemieux. He has to pressure him on all sides, not just by coming forward. He has to use angles to catch Lemieux off guard and make a conscious effort to control the distance between them.
Golovkin also has to pressure Lemieux mentally. He has to break him down early by making him feel as ineffective as possible, and taking away his best asset–his power. This means keeping an extra tight defense, using superb head movement, making Lemieux feel like he can’t knock him out, and making him pay for his defensive mistakes.
