Saturday, May 16, 2015 WBA, IBO & Interim WBC Middleweight Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin faces off against No. 2 ranked contender Willie Monroe Jr. on May 16, 2015 at the Forum in Los Angeles, California.
Also on the card will be Roman Gonzalez vs. Edgar Sosa in a WBC Flyweight title bout.
The fights will be telecast live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00, pm EST/PST.
Read on for Round By Round Boxing’s staff predictions for each bout and let us know who you think will win.
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Photo by Gene Blevins/Hogan Photos
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
The undefeated Roman Gonzalez may be boxing’s best kept secret. The Flyweight can move, box and has knockout power.
At 35, Edgar Sosa has a ton of experience to go along with his 59 professional fights. He’ll need every bit of it against Gonzalez.
I’d look for Gonzalez to showcase his talents and win going away.
Prediction: Gonzalez
Zuri Lopez, Contributing Writer
Saturday night, Roman Gonzalez is set to make his U.S. television debut on HBO. He is truly a hidden gem that not many know about.
His record speaks for itself, 42-0-0, 36 KOs. The flyweight fighter has already given us some tremendous fights in his career. It’s time everyone knows who “Chocolatito” is and he’s coming to make a statement.
Gonzalez will be facing Mexico’s Edgar Sosa. I see Chocolatito completely dominating this fight from the beginning. Sosa will try to give him work, but this shouldn’t be a hard task for the champ who carries significant power. Ready or not, Gozalez is here and he’s not going anywhere.
Prediction: Gonzalez
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez is on a KO streak of his own, with eight straight, coming into this fight with the veteran Edgar Sosa.
Gonzales is as dominant now as Ricardo Lopez was in the 90’s, but with better footwork. Gonzalez is one of the sharpest fighters below 126 I’ve seen since Rigondeaux. This is going to be a great fight for the enthusiasts. It has all the makings of what could be a fire fight.
Sosa is anything but cannon fodder. He defended the WBC version of the 108-pound title 10 times after a decision victory over Brian Viloria for the title in 2007. He’s lost twice since, but has beat many notables like Ulises Solis, Giovani Segura, the aforementioned Viloria and few more most wouldn’t recognize (because the little guys don’t get too much shine, or recognition… but man they can fight).
I’m rolling with Chocolatito, because Sosa is eight years his senior and Gonzalez is just a sharper, more talented fighter overall. This should be a fun one to watch, though.
Prediction: Gonzalez
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Roman Gonzalez finally gets a chance to shine on American television. Gonzalez is rated No. 2 on the Transnational Boxing pound-for-pound list and No. 3 on The Ring pound-for-pound list so fans are wondering is this guy really that good?
While Gonzalez has all the tools to be a top fighter for years to come, this fight will give us a good idea of how he handles the bright lights and a bit of pressure.
Edgar Sosa has a solid resume, but the almost 36-year-old veteran’s best days are behind him so this will be the perfect opponent for Gonzalez to make his HBO debut against. I think Gonzalez will take a couple of rounds to warm up, but once he gets going he’ll outclass Sosa en-route to a stoppage victory.
Prediction: Gonzalez
Photo by Gene Blevins/Hogan Photos
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
Willie Monroe can be crafty in his southpaw stance and has only once loss in his career. He has two problems Saturday night.
First, he doesn’t have the power to keep Gennady Golovkin off him. Monroe’s second problem is his opponent, Golovkin.
Golovkin is relentless with dynamite in both hands. I envision an old building meeting a wrecking ball. I like GGG to win by KO.
Prediction: Golovkin
Zuri Lopez, Contributing Writer
It’s my favorite part of the year once again, Goodboy Season has arrived and he is coming to give us a big drama show. Gennady Golovkin’s next victim (I mean opponent) will be Willie Monroe Jr. who last defeated Bryan Vera by unanimous decision.
Golovkin will be no walk in the park on fight night, he is as ready as can be and promises to give his fans a good showing. I expect Monroe Jr. to come out and box Golovkin, because he knows–and everyone else knows–that engaging in a toe-to-toe battle with GGG is almost suicidal.
Either way, I think GGG will do what he does best and will look to freeze his opponent with an explosive bodyshot that has done the work in his past fights. Golovkin’s specialty is to the body and boy can he tear it up.
I don’t think Monroe has what it takes to withstand GGG’s power or to keep him off of him. Perhaps on Saturday night we will see one of GGG’s best performance’s to date.
Prediction: Golovkin
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
I like this matchup. We’re going to see if Gennady Golovkin’s patented Mexican flavored boxing style can handle the slick Cuban flavored style of Willie Monroe Jr.
Honestly, I think GGG is a better technical boxer than people would care to talk about because everything comes second to the greatest equalizer in boxing: punching power.
Monroe has been raising his stock amongst the hardcore crowd by winning ESPN’s Boxcino Tourney last year and then dominating the shopworn Bryan Vera over 10 rounds in January.
I respect his ambition, taking a fight many of the established guys are avoiding, as a top prospect on the bubble. When most boxing chatter these past few weeks has been about who’s taking risks or not, Monroe is the guy that stepped up and volunteered as tribute in place of more notable fighters who wouldn’t dare.
The whispers surrounding this fight say that Monroe is slick enough to force this bout to go the distance and possibly get a decision. I believe Golovkin’s accurate measure of range, ring generalship and overall technical prowess gives him equal standing with the slick Monroe.
The power is what gives GGG the biggest edge. Golovkin wins this fight and continues his knockout streak adding Monroe as notch No. 20 to his belt.
Prediction: Golovkin
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
On Saturday night Gennady Golovkin’s “Big Drama Show” makes a stop at the Forum in Inglewood, CA. Golovkin puts his undefeated record on the line against once-beaten contender and 2014 Boxcino Middleweight champion, Willie Monroe Jr.
Golovkin’s well-known reputation of a KO artist has most fighters running for the hills, but to his credit, Monroe has stepped up to the plate and is trying to prove that he can be the first to beat the Kazakh crusher.
The two things Monroe has going for him are that he is a superb boxer and he is a southpaw. Golovkin has mostly been fed orthodox plodders, so it’ll be interesting to see how he handles a slick fighter like Monroe.
I think Monroe may have some early success with his jab and longer reach, but he simply doesn’t have the power to keep GGG off of him for a full 12 rounds. Also, Golovkin is smart enough to be able to cut off the ring, something not many people are giving him credit for.
Prediction: Golovkin
