When asked who he wants to fight after winning over Daniel Geale last July, WBA middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin named current WBC champion Miguel Cotto as the boxer he wants to face next. Golovkin got his wish partially granted when the WBC ordered Cotto to defend his belt against the winner of the upcoming bout between Golovkin and Marco Antonio Rubio.
Will Golovkin brush aside the Mexican to get to his dream fight? Or will Rubio prove to be more than just a fringe contender by pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the year by defeating GGG?
In the co-main event of the Golovkin-Rubio fight is another titular bout between two electric featherweight champions in Nonito Donaire and Nicholas Walters. You can read a preview of that matchup here.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Gennady Golovkin vs. Marco Antonio Rubio Preview and Prediction
Where: StubHub Center, Carson
When: Saturday, October 18
Line: Gennady Golovkin vs. Marco Antonio Rubio – view all Boxing lines
Betting on Gennady Golovkin
[sc:Other240banner ]Golovkin (30-0, 27 KOs) doesn’t like to talk trash. Instead, he prefers turning opponents into garbage every time he meets them inside the ring. Case in point: In his last fight, the reigning IBO and WBA middleweight champion floored Daniel Geale in just the third round for Golovkin’s 17th knockout win in a row. The win raised Golovkin’s scary-good knockout rate to 90 percent, and there’s a big potential for him to raise it even higher when he meets Marco Antonio Rubio this coming Saturday.
For Golovkin to string together 17-straight KOs definitely says a lot about the weapon-grade power he packs in his punches, but there’s more to him than just soul-crushing power that makes him an overwhelming favorite coming into the fight against Rubio. Golovkin can hurt anyone, and he is skilled enough to find a way to make sure that his opponents won’t get out of the ring without a battered body and a bloodied face.
In short, Golovkin isn’t the typical one-dimensional power puncher, but an all-around boxer with solid footwork, one that cuts the ring well while patiently looking for openings in an opposing fighter’s defense.
On top of his decided advantage on power, Golovkin is also younger and faster than Rubio. With the power he has, Golovkin can’t easily be lulled into exchanges, as Geale found out in their fight. In fact, Geale suffered the knockout while landing one on the face of Golovkin, who snapped right back with a hasty right-straight counter that put the Aussie fighter away for good.
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Betting on Marco Antonio Rubio
With 59 wins in his career, don’t expect Rubio to be intimidated when he goes up against a fast-rising star like Golovkin. Rubio has his fair share of fights against big-name opponents, including one in a loss to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. He’s also been in the same ring with former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, albeit in a knockout defeat.
Despite coming up short in those main event fights, Rubio still has the opportunity to be back in the limelight again because of the one thing he brings to the table: power.
While Rubio is a fighter of unmistakably lesser caliber than Golovkin, the number of his career knockouts nevertheless affords him of the proverbial puncher’s chance. Rubio, the ninth-ranked middleweight fighter by the IBO, owns a record of 59-6-1 with 51 wins coming by way of KO. Rubio also enters the ring on October 18 on the strength of a six-fight win streak, three of which have ended in knockouts, which includes his 10th round demolition of Domenico Spada last April 5th.
For all the praises heaved on Golovkin, there are still areas in his game that remains questionable, perhaps none bigger than his ability to take a good punch. The Kazakh hasn’t been tested against a knockout artist in Rubio’s ilk. Trainer Robert Garcia knows this very well so expect their game plan to center around waiting for the right timing to fire Rubio’s power punches.
Writer’s Prediction
Golovkin pulverizes and knocks out Rubio in Round 6.
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