Photo by Will Hart/K2
Dominic “Lights Out” Wade (18-0, 12 KOs) is undefeated coming into Saturday night’s fight against Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California.
Wade had no hesitations about accepting the fight, and his only question for manager Jerry Vines was this—if I fight Golovkin, will I get a chance at his titles?
Being virtually unknown and a clear underdog for the bout hasn’t seemed to faze Wade. Throughout his media tour and interviews, Wade hasn’t had much to say, but his statement, “I ain’t scared of Gennady Golovkin,” sure highlights his confidence going into Saturday’s fight.
Though a lot of people are ruling out Dominic Wade completely—many are predicting an early fight knockout—every fighter has a chance.
Here are Wade’s three keys to victory over GGG.
1. Utilize Reach Advantage
Photo by Stephanie Trapp
The first key to victory for Wade is to use his four-and-a-half inch reach advantage on Gennady Golovkin. Doing so will force Golovkin to stay at a “safe” range. It will also allow Wade to land stiff jabs and counter-punch effectively.
Anyone who’s seen Golovkin fight knows that he rarely stops moving forward. If Wade uses his reach advantage, he will be able to lessen Golovkin’s momentum. Wade needs to use his reach, combined with offensive and defensive footwork to avoid taking devastating shots from GGG.
2. Stay Mobile
Photo by Stephanie Trapp
Wade’s second key to victory is movement, movement, movement. Call it “defense” or call it “running,” but Wade must stay mobile. Golovkin is fierce in his ability to wear his opponents down, pick them apart and finish them up against the ropes.
Wade needs to be light on his feet and avoid the ropes. If Wade finds himself stuck on the ropes, he needs to use an angle to escape or he won’t be able to withstand Golovkin’s power punches.
If Wade is able to stay mobile and keep Golovkin at bay, he might have a shot at withstanding 12 rounds in the ring.
3. Take Advantage of GGG’s Weakness
Photo by Will Hart
The third key to victory for Dominic Wade is taking advantage of Gennady Golovkin’s willingness to engage. In 18 fights, Wade has knocked out 12 of his opponents. This alone is evidence that he has some real power behind his punches.
Golovkin has left himself open to take big hits from his past opponents. Wade needs to capitalize on this weakness and take advantage of it on Saturday night.
His best strategy will be to take a step back, recognize when Golovkin leaves himself open, and take every opportunity to land those big shots.
If Wade can time Golovkin coming in, and fluster him enough to forgo his defense, Wade could land something hard enough to at least make Golovkin think twice about pressuring him.
The Opportunity of a Lifetime
Photo by Will Hart/K2
This is a big fight for both Gennady Golovkin and Dominic Wade. Golovkin has his sights firmly set on fighting Canelo Alvarez—a matchup that many boxing fans worldwide also hope to see. To make that happen, he needs to keep his impressive 21-fight knockout streak going and dominating his opposition.
Wade has the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday night. He is the lesser-known boxer of the two and an underdog, but if he were to upset Golovkin he would become a household name.
If Wade comes into The Forum with his mind right, takes advantage of the few weaknesses Golovkin has, and capitalizes on the aforementioned keys to victory, he may get the chance to go 12 rounds with Golovkin and win by decision.
