By Ian S Palmer
The StubHub Center in Carson, California will be the site for this Saturday’s showdown between unbeaten WBA Super World Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan and veteran challenger Marco Antonio Rubio of Mexico. Both boxers have better-than-average power and the fans could be in for a hard-hitting treat here, but one that probably won’t go the distance. The scheduled 12-rounder can be seen live on HBO across North America. Golovkin’s IBO world title and Rubio’s WBC interim belt are also on the line in this fight.
The 32-year-old Golovkin enters the ring with a perfect record of 30-0 along with 27 Kos while the 34-year-old Rubio has a mark of 59-6-1 with 51 Kos to his name. They’re both about the same height at just over 5-feet-10-inches tall and they each have a 70-inch reach. Rubio has been a pro since 2000 and has 317 rounds under his belt while the ex-Olympian Golovkin turned pro in 2006 and has gone 127 rounds. However, Golovkin gained a lot of experience as an amateur and won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
From looking at their records and number of Kos each man has we can see both guys have a lot of thunder in their fists. Golovkin comes into the fight with 17 consecutive knockouts. The keys to victory here could be who lands the first heavy shot and who has the better chin. It’s 50-50 when it comes to who lands first, but Golovkin probably has the sturdier chin. Rubio has been beaten six times by the likes of Kelly Pavlik, Zaurbek Baysangurov, Kassim Ouma, Kofi Jantuah, Saul Roman, and Julio Cesar Chavez. Pavlik, Jantuah, and Roman all stopped him, but Rubio’s lost just once since 2009 and that was to Chavez.
Golovkin likes to cut off the ring and go to the body and head. He just keeps on moving in and eventually catches his opponents and stops them due to his relentless pressure. However, his bouts aren’t all one-sided since he can be hit, and this is basically Rubio’s only hope, which is to land hard and often and stop the champion in his tracks. Golovkin’s pretty smart in the ring though and has good boxing skills as he doesn’t just hit and hope. He knows exactly what he’s doing and what he’s going to do next.
Rubio has a lot of experience against elite boxers, but usually falls just short when facing them. He’s got a good jab and right hand and likes to mix up his attack. He has a lot of heart and determination, just like Golovkin does and that’s what makes this bout such an intriguing and potentially exciting matchup. If it goes long enough it could easily become a candidate for fight of the year. Don’t be surprised to see several knockdown here with both fighters possibly hitting the canvas.
Prediction
Both guys like to come forward and press the action. They should be able to find each other without any problem and a slugfest could be on the cards here. Rubio is arguably the hardest puncher that Golovkin’s had to face so far and we’ll see just how solid his chin actually is. Look for both boxers to leave nothing in the ring and for Golovkin to dig to the body and eventually wear Rubio down to the point of stoppage. Golovkin should keep his title by KO anytime after the opening bell.
