Golovkin out to topple latest challenger Wade, Gonzalez battles Arroyo

Lee Gormley | April 22, 2016

Gennady Golovkin v Dominic Wade

Golovkin looks to topple challenger Wade

Dominant middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin takes to The Forum ring this weekend in search of a successful defence of his WBA super and IBF titles against latest American challenger Dominic Wade, after emphatically stopping David Lemieux last October.

Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) enters the main event in California on the back of an incredible 21 successive knockout victories, currently boasting the division’s highest ever stoppage percentage (91), and is hoping to add to his ever-growing status with another superior showing.

The undefeated Kazakhstan-born destroyer has struggled somewhat to secure the marquee fights he craves so much, with a showdown against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez no closer to being agreed, but his desire to unify the division remains unwavered and he is 8/1 with Coral to stop Wade (18-0, 12 KOs) inside the opening round.

‘GGG’ seeking all the belts

‘GGG’ has avoided becoming frustrated by the lack of so called big names officially jumping at the chance to get in the ring with him, but his desire and motivation has remained unscathed, as he constantly declares his aim as being to unify the middleweight division.

“I understand what to do. I understand it’s very important, every fight with an opponent,” stated the 34-year-old, who is 6/4 to halt proceedings within rounds 1-3.

“I understand my motivation is my goal for all the belts in the middleweight division. I have motivation. I feel good. I’m working hard every day. I just feel this is my time.

“Right now it’s not of interest for me who’s number one, number two. You know after Floyd [Mayweather] or Manny [Pacquiao]; it doesn’t matter for me. I know my style.

“I know my division is very important. You know I think people understand more things. To fans, people understand my style. People love my style, and I just thank my fans.”

Canelo clash not a worry for Golovkin

Golovkin’s latest challenger Wade, the IBF mandatory contender, enters as the massive 16/1 outsider to do what no man has been able to and overcome this Kazakh bull dozer, and is 20/1 to stun The Forum crowd with a KO in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The reigning middleweight champion will be confident of adding to his astute KO streak though and is 7/2 to stop Wade in rounds 7-9, and has insisted that he doesn’t care if touted opponent Canelo wins or loses against Amir Khan on May 7th.

“It doesn’t matter for me, if Canelo wins or Canelo lost. Canelo can talk, it doesn’t matter. My focus is only on Dominic Wade, right now,” stated Triple G.

Liverpool’s Martin Murray has put up the biggest fight against Golovkin over 12 rounds, taking him until the 11th back in an eventual KO defeat last February, and Washington fighter Wade is a huge 40/1 to secure a points win.

The defending middleweight champion is 7/1 to earn the judges’ decision this weekend for the first time over 12 rounds, though Golovkin will be hungry to end another bout prematurely and move on towards more high-profile showdowns.

Roman Gonzalez v McWilliams Arroyo

Gonzalez gunning for impressive outing

Reigning pound-for-pound number one Roman Gonzalez stars on the undercard of Golovkin’s latest outing, with the WBC flyweight champion putting his title on the line against McWilliams Arroyo in California.

The undefeated Nicaraguan is widely regarded as the best fighter on the planet and will look to add to his established status this weekend by making another defence of his flyweight crown, having already retained it against Rocky Fuentes, Edgar Sosa and most recently Brian Viloria at Madison Square Garden.

Gonzalez (44-0, 38 KOs) has stopped his last 10 consecutive opponents, with four of those bouts failing to go beyond four rounds, and he is 2/1 to halt Puerto Rican challenger Arroyo inside rounds 4-6.

‘El Chocolatito’ pushing for main event status

‘El Chocolatito’ is a three-weight world champion, one of only two to come from his native country alongside idol and former mentor Alexis Arguello, but due to his incredible CV and dominance in a lesser appreciated division, the 28-year-old is still pushing for main event status.

“I believe that both fighters, Golovkin and myself, are both main events and I hope that after this fight they (HBO, the US broadcaster) give me an opportunity to be my own main event,” stated Gonzalez, who is 9/4 to win by decision.

“Due to the fact of my weight class, the purses are not as high. I do believe that after this fight, where Arroyo and I will give such a great fight, that soon I will be receiving the purses that I deserve.”

Estrada rematch on the horizon

The pound-for-pound leader already ousted solid former world titlists in Sosa and Viloria in his previous outings, but Gonzalez still needs a big name foe in order to draw that desired spotlight, with one such fighter being WBA and WBO flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada.

Mexican title holder Estrada pushed ‘El Chocolatito’ over 12 rounds in 2012 at a different weight, and many have now called for a high-profile rematch, with Gonzalez claiming he wasn’t even at peak condition during that contest, but is ready now for Arroyo.

“I believe that every fighter is different. At the same time, the conditioning I had with Juan Francisco Estrada was not the same conditioning as today,” he continued.

“The training camps in Costa Rica have gone really well and have put me in top condition for Saturday night.

“There is a lot of media attention in Nicaragua which makes it difficult to concentrate on training. Going to Costa Rica lets me put all my efforts into training for the fight.”

Arroyo enters the ring as a massive 12/1 outsider, while Gonzalez is 7/2 to end proceedings in rounds 1-2, with 9/4 available on the latest flyweight contender taking this fight the distance, though the defending champion will look to end the night in style and boost his reputation even further.

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Coral’s top tip: Back Gennady Golovkin to stop Dominic Wade within the first three rounds at 6/4.