Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (28-0, 25 KO) will defend his WBA and IBO middleweight titles against Ghanaian Osumanu "Machine Gun" Adama (22-3, 16 KO) on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
As fans can surely tell by his record, Golovkin is one of the sport's most dominant figures—which makes it a travesty that HBO has elected to not carry the fight in the United States, according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix:
Golovkin will be the recipient of criticism for fighting a "nobody," but the star from Kazakhstan simply wants to stay as active as possible, as he told Greg Beacham of the Associated Press, via ABC News: "I want to fight every month. Doesn't matter to me where it is. I'm happy when I have my next fight."
In an underrated title bout, both Golovkin and Adama must follow a few key points. For one, a victory is business as usual. For another, the bout may be a career-defining moment.
When: Saturday, Feb. 1 at 12 p.m. ET
Where: Salle des Etoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco
TV: Main Event PPV (AUS), SAT1 (DEU), Sport1 (HUN), Ma Chaine Sport (FRA)
Golovkin: Do Not Buy Into the Hype
Three men have made it to the final bell against Golovkin so far, and on Saturday he will be on the hunt for his 11th consecutive stoppage.
Golovkin's extremely risky strategy of volume fighting has paid off to this point—and trainer Abel Sanchez is correct when he says some of the sport's bigger names are afraid to step into the ring with him, via ESPN's Steve Bunce:
The truth is that nobody wants to fight Gennady. He is too good and even in sparring world champions are reluctant to share the ring with him - there is a lot of talk, but not a lot of action.
This is Golovkin's sixth fight in less than 17 months, and while he appears to have a massive advantage over Adama on paper, there is always a propensity for an upset—especially if Golovkin has his eyes set on future opponents.
Adama: Do Not Fight Recklessly
The contender from Chicago is no slouch. He has lost only three of his 25 bouts and has yet to be stopped in the ring.
Adama understands that this may be his last legit chance at a title thanks to his being 33 years of age. While an opponent with nothing to lose is dangerous, Adama cannot afford to take this as a license to go for broke from the opening bell.
For what it is worth, Adama appears confident about his chances Saturday:
This confidence must turn into tactical awareness because Adama has never been hit as hard as what Golovkin brings to the table.
The good news is Adama's strength is in controlling the range of opponents and picking apart the opposition with smart counters. However, he does have a tendency to flail and reach for power shots, which is absolutely a trait that will have his face meet the mat early if he cannot resist the urge against the champion.
Prediction
This one will be over rather quickly.
Adama is not the beneficiary of enough credit—he is not some pushover, but a respectable fighter who has had a strong career.
But Golovkin is a world-class boxer and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters up there with the likes of Floyd Mayweather. He has the chin to stand in and take anything Adama throws his way and the power to reciprocate in an exceedingly violent fashion that will end this fight in the early goings.
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