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Boxing fans are wondering if Ezekiel “the Special One” Brook is digging his own grave by challenging undisputed world middleweight king Gennady
“GGG” Golovkin.
The fighters will collide at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, on September 10.
At stake will be Golovkin’s four titles: the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, International Boxing Federation (IBF), and International Boxing Organisation.
Brook, who lives in the UK, is the current IBF welterweight kingpin.
He recently graduated from the junior middleweight category to the middleweight class, putting him in the same band as his Kazakhstan-born American foe.
But Brook (30), who is four years younger than Golovkin, will have to add more muscle to reach the required middleweight mark
of 72.5kg.
The welterweight limit is 66.68kg, which means the
Special One will need to add an extra 5.82kg to tip the scales for the bout.
Brook’s decision to accept the match has been questioned by many critics, but the fighter has said he plans to be a “different animal” during the contest.
“I’m going to get in there and give it to Golovkin like nothing he’s experienced before. I am going to show the world that I am a naturally big guy, and I can stand with these guys and more than hold my own,” Brook told Boxing News magazine this week.
“This was all written in the stars for me to fight this kid, and for me to shock the world.”
Will he be fit and strong enough hold his own against a tough GGG? Chances appear slim, as the Englishman will be venturing into the lion’s den.
A look at the records shows that both have similar unbeaten runs, as well as the same fighting styles.
But Golovkin, who has knocked out more of his opponents than Brook (see graphic), is intent on proving to his opponent that he won’t let his titles slip out of his grasp.
When fellow boxer Dominic Wade came up against GGG at the Forum in Inglewood, California, in April, a thumping right hand 30 seconds before the end of the second round sent Wade sprawling to the canvas for the third time in less than six minutes.
That blow to the left side of Wade’s face cemented Golovkin’s status as the most dangerous middleweight boxer on the planet, and arguably the most dangerous boxer full stop.
With such fierce power from both hands, GGG will probably show the Special One that he made a mistake by challenging him.
Brook has been stuck in the welterweight category for his entire career, and this will be his first ring appearance in the heavier division.
It’s a bold move, particularly when his first order of business is trying to dethrone the deadly GGG.
