Just a week after Peter Quillin defended his WBO Middleweight title against Gabriel Rosado we again see title action in the 160lb division. This week however we have a fight that has "shoot out" written all over it as the hard hitting Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24), the WBA champion, takes on challenger Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18).
I'll admit, I expected the Quillin/Rosado fight to be somewhat fun to watch. Rosado always gives his all and Quillin is a big time puncher. That fight however lacked sustained action and a fitting ending. In fact that fight was hugely anti-climatic with only a few moments of any real excitement.
Thankfully this weeks is almost certainly going to be all about the excitement.
Golovkin, the defending champion, is a smart, calculating fighter. He doesn't make many mistakes as he measures his opponents with perfect judgement of distance, applies constant stalking pressure with tremendously deliberate footwork and then unleashes with dynamite power to the head or body. He really does look like the complete fighter with power, skills, timing, control and toughness. He doesn't have the greatest work-rate but he doesn't need to as he breaks down his opponents with clean effective shots.
Whilst Golovkin is measured and deliberate it's fair to say that Stevens doesn't share those traits. The American challenger is a hard hitter with out doubt with explosive power, though he's also a more reckless and wild fighter. He's a man who starts fast with the intention of getting in and getting out in as little time as possible. This has left him with a some highlight reel KO's and a growing fan base though also many questioning his credentials. Has Stevens got the bout due to his style and fan friendly nature, or has he earned it?
The Way Golovkin has been mowing his way through B/C grade opponents, such as Grzegorz Proksa, Nobuhiro Ishida and Matthew Macklin has been nothing short of impressive. Sure they aren't the "A list" of challengers but they are all capable fighters. Stevens, like the three men I've just mentioned, is a capable fighter, nothing great but very much a capable fighter. Unfortunately it's going to take a lot more than just a capable fighter to test Golovkin.
I imagine Stevens will come out cautious. It'd be stupid to take a risk early. Though I think by the end of the first round he will look like a beaten man and be stopped soon afterwards, maybe managing to see the start of round 4 if he's lucky.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO2
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