2. Willie Monroe Jr. (19-1-0, 6 KOs)
Willie Monroe Jr. is a young, very slick, defensive-minded boxer who began to establish his name in 2014 when he won the Boxcino Middleweight Tournament on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.
His last three fights he won by clear unanimous decision against Vitaliy Kopylenko, Brandon Adams and well-known journeyman brawler Bryan Vera, the three fighters combine for a record of 60-8-0.
Monroe is ranked in the top 10 by the WBC, WBO and ranked No. 3 to Golovkin’s WBA title.
In an interview with BoxingScene.com Monroe about the possibility of fighting against Golovkin.
[otw_shortcode_quote border=”bordered” border_style=”bordered”]“People think I’m crazy but that is a fight I want. You gotta be half crazy to be successful in this business. I want to mix it up with him because so many guys wont.”[/otw_shortcode_quote]
Although Monroe doesn’t have the experience that a lot of Golovkin’s other opponents do, his defensive style could certainly give him a chance to go into deep rounds with Golovkin.
He has much quicker hands and feet than some of Golovkin’s opponents, like Marco Antonio Rubio, Daniel Geale, or Mathew Macklin who were all knocked out in early rounds.
He’d also have a four inch reach advantage over Golovkin, which would make it easier for him to box while moving backwards, using his quickness to stay off of the ropes and out of corners, something Golovkin’s most recent opponent Martin Murray was unable to do.
