The Germans are coming, the Germans are coming! Well sort of, Stuttgart's Gennady Golovkin (23-0 20 KO's), by way of Kazakhstan, will make his U.S. and HBO debut on September 1. Golovkin, the WBA "regular" champion, will be defending his title against fellow European Grzegorz Proksa (28-1 21 KO's) in Verona, N.Y.
Golovkin was supposed to be attempting to unify his title with WBO middleweight titleholder Russia's Dmitry Pirog. However, the Russian unfortunately suffered an injury in training camp and had to withdraw from the fight.
Golovkin may just be the most exciting middleweight you can see in September. Which is saying a lot considering Sergio Martinez is taking on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. just two weeks later.
In his last outing, Golovkin completely decimated his opponent Makoto Fuchigami. Over the course of three rounds, he bloodied and battered him, scoring two knockdowns before the referee had decided he had seen enough.
"He has the Mike Tyson effect where you don't want to go to the refrigerator because the other guy is going to get knocked out, "Golovkin's trainer Abel Sanchez said about his fighter's style: "He's not as reckless let's just say as Mike Tyson was, but he definitely hits hard with both hands, and we have modified his style to be an aggressive fighter and to come forward and make it a fight."
With a nearly 87 percent knockout ratio, Golovkin will surely excite American fans and may just become a staple of HBO because of his fan-friendly style.
His trainer believes that after September 1, fans will be salivating to see more of Golovkin: "As a fight fan, or as an HBO subscriber, or a Pay Per View buyer, you should be able to say that's a fight I want to take off work for to see," Sanchez said.
He is not just an exciting pro fighter, he was also a very decorated amateur. Golovkin represented his native Kazakhstan in the 2004 Olympics, winning a silver medal. He also holds wins over Andy Lee, Andre Dirrell, Lucian Bute, and current IBF middleweight titleholder Daniel Geale.
For the past two years, the Golovkin camp has been trying to make a fight with Felix Sturm, the WBA "Super" champion, but to no avail. Sturm has a very lucrative contract with a German television station that is contingent on him remaining champion, according to Sanchez: "He (Sturm) understands that his days are numbered," Sanchez added.
In just a few weeks time, American fans will get to decide on their own just how exciting Gennady Golovkin really is. Sanchez for one doesn't think the fans will be disappointed, "I think right now we are just scratching the surface of how good he could be," Sanchez said.
Michael Walters is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
You can follow Michael Walters on twitter @MWalters202
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