Tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET HBO will kick off a boxing double-header featuring Gennady "GGG" Golovkin defending his WBA and IBO middleweight titles against Willie Monroe Jr., a former Boxcino winner. Also on the undercard, Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez makes his HBO debut against veteran Edgar Sosa. Live stream the fights online by clicking this link.
Monroe Jr. is not a fighter that will bring the undefeated Golovkin the type of fame he seeks, but according to the Kazakh knockout artist Monroe does present a style challenge he looks forward to.
"I think as far as skills and as far as ability in the ring, he's got to be in the top three, and maybe the top two," Golovkin's trainer Abel Sanchez said in an effort to rank Monroe Jr. alongside past Golovkin opponents.
"Experience, maybe not quite as experienced as the other guys, but Willie has proven in bigger fights, the Boxcino Tournament for instance, that he can handle himself in the ring, so he's up there, like I said, one, two, or three. A very, very, very good fighter."
Monroe Jr. is known for a stiff jab and excellent ring generalship, but Golovkin is a master of cutting off the ring, and throws some of the meanest punches in the sport. Golovkin is also the No. 1 contender for Miguel Cotto's WBC middleweight title, so an exciting finish in this bout may convince Cotto to grant him his title shot. If not, Golovkin becomes more appealing to either Canelo Alvarez, or even super middleweight stars Carl Froch and Andre Ward.
Prediction: Golovkin def. Monroe Jr. by TKO (Round 5)
Undercard Prediction: Gonzalez def. Sosa by TKO (Round 8)
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