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Gennady “GGG” Golovkin returns to the ring this Saturday to face his most important opponent to date, Willie Monroe Jr. That’s right, I said his most important opponent yet. This fight means a lot to Golovkin because to be honest, we need to see how smart he is. Monroe is a great test to find out.
Golovkin has made his victories look like a cakewalk and for the other guy, a sad sight to see. But most of the opponents we’ve seen him face have been chumps. Once the “GGG” craze (for the casual fans, you pronounce it ‘Triple G’) took off, I knew there would come a time when I would need to see him tested.
Truthfully speaking, I’m waiting for Golovkin to fight Andre Ward. ‘Til then, Monroe will do just fine. He has enough boxing skill to show us a glimpse of Golovokin’s boxing wit (or lack there of). An upset would be a career-defining victory for Monroe and boxing purists alike. If Golovokin wins and demonstrates more of his boxing IQ, fans will put even more confidence in him to beat top contenders.
Tale of the Tape
Styles make fights, so anticipate a clash of Willie Monroe’s slick, southpaw boxing style and an orthodox Gennady Golovkin’s pressure-fighting tactics.
Though Monroe can work in close range, he tends to stay on the outside. Monroe has a four-inch reach advantage, which will help him tremendously in landing his jab on Golovkin and keeping his distance when he wants. Golovkin will have to work around that reach to find his way to the head and body.
Monroe is really going to need to use that reach advantage when dealing with Golovokin who is all about pressure, pressure, pressure. He may be a few years older than Monroe, but Golovkin always looks young and spry.
Golovkin has just a half-inch height advantage over Monroe, meaning he may do a lot of headhunting. We’ll have to see how Monroe reacts to Golovkin’s power that has earned him a roughly 90-percent knockout ratio, a figure that pales in comparison to Monroe’s 30 percent.
Main Storylines
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Gennady Golovkin feels he has something to prove even going into the fight as the favorite. He recognizes Willie Monroe’s strengths and knows that he must prove his ability to face different fighting styles. On Monroe, he said to HBO Boxing (in a Borat-esque way), “He’s very good [at] moving, he has good speed. I want to show I can beat any style. I promise [an] amazing show.”
In another interview with HBO Boxing, Monroe acknowledges that this is a classic case of styles making fights: “I’m a stylistic enigma to the style he brings, so let’s see if I can execute it. It’s all about who executes their style better that night.”
The great-nephew of Willie Monroe, who famously beat Marvin Hagler, knows he isn’t the favorite going in but he likes it that way. Monroe says, “I relish being the underdog. That’s what makes moments like this great. That’s what makes winning that much better.”
Though Golovkin insists he’s 100 percent focused on the Monroe fight (per ESPN), he hinted that it’s cuffing season: “My goal is to win all of the belts in the middleweight division. For me that is very important. I want a unification fight. But for right now my focus is on Monroe. He is a good fighter and I respect him.”
Strengths For Each Man
Gennady Golovkin
The magnitude of Gennady Golovkin’s power practically goes without saying—just look at his record. I’m not sure why anyone would underestimate him going into the ring, but it definitely seems some of his past opponents have. Golovokin can destroy you and he knows it. What makes him different than most pressure fighters is that he actually has sound fundamentals. He’s not crazy like James Kirkland (we saw how that went last week), or any other pressure fighter that jumps in mid/close-range without regard for defense.
Golovkin’s principal strength is in coming forward. He knows how to use his jab to close the distance (he loves using the double jab, taking a step and fully extending for each one). He knows how to bring his hands back and keep a tight defense. He knows how to throw crisp punches instead of winging them. Golovkin thirsts for blood while shielding himself from the shedding of his own.
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Willie Monroe Jr.
Willie Monroe is likely the slickest guy Gennady Golovkin has come across. His footwork makes him much more elusive than other opponents in Golovkin’s career. Defensively, Monroe’s footwork is important as to not allow Golovkin to set and throw his punches. His footwork is also pretty sound on the inside if he needs to escape, which is an excellent tool to have going against someone who likes to control the inside exchanges.
I’m interested to see how well Golovokin adjusts to Monroe’s style. Not just to him being a southpaw, but I want to see if and how Golovkin adapts to his movement and elusiveness. Monroe employs great timing and accuracy once he can figure the other guy out; he can even frustrate them just by throwing pop-shots. Monroe will put himself at a great advantage if he can figure out Golovkin and react accordingly. The best chance Monroe has at winning is by frustrating Golovkin and breaking him down, round by round.
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.
The Winner and Why
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By unpopular opinion I was tempted to pick Willie Monroe. I really was. As a boxing enthusiast I tend to believe that in many cases, knowing the science can help overcome opponent advantages like speed and power. While I think Monroe is a great face to put in front of Gennady Golovkin, stylistically speaking, I’m not sure how smart he is either.
To challenge Golovkin he doesn’t just need to be backed up; he needs to be tested by somebody with respectable power. Why, you ask? Someone with enough pop in his punches, who also isn’t afraid to come forward, will make Golovkin reconsider his approach and second-guess himself.
I don’t see Monroe winning by knockout. His best chance is winning by decision, which would require moving around the ring for 12 rounds. Monroe’s approach will help Golovkin acquire more experience dealing with different styles in the ring, but more likely than not, Golovkin will catch him with a punch at some point during the fight.
A win by either would be a career-defining victory, though I give Golovkin the best chance of seeing this come to pass.
