Gennady Golovkin ready for most dangerous test to date in Daniel Jacobs

GGG has faced allegedly tough tests in the past, but none compare to what Jacobs brings to the ring

It has become a customary practice in the promotion of unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin’s recent fights to declare each opponent as the most difficult or dangerous challenge thus far in his career.  

Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs), universally regarded as one of boxing’s most fearsome punchers and, as a result, its most avoided big-name fighter, has a better resume overall than he gets credit for. But despite current streaks of 17 straight title defenses and 23 knockouts, the fact remains that GGG has lacked consistent elite competition.  

But Saturday’s pay-per-view showdown at New York’s Madison Square Garden (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET) has all the makings to be different, with no need to inflate or sugarcoat his opponent’s qualifications. The danger and complete package that secondary titlist Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) presents to Golovkin speaks for itself.  

“I have been watching his fights and Jacobs looks good,” Golovkin said “He is strong and very tough. I think he is the best opponent of my career.” 

It’s that element of true danger that has underwritten the name value of the two fighters on the marquee to give Saturday’s bout a big-fight feel at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” 

“Gennady sold out MSG the last time with [David] Lemieux but we are expecting a larger crowd this time,” Golovkin’s promoter, Tom Loeffler said. “Because of the demand from the public, we have added floor seats so it will be the largest [crowd] of any GGG fight that we’ve had at the Garden. When you have the right matchup, the fans will respond and they are definitely responding right now. The two best middleweights in the world fighting each other, both in their primes, and they both have over 90 percent knockout ratio.”  

Jacobs, 30, presents Golovkin with a more balanced mix of knockout power, athleticism and boxing ability than opponents like Matthew Macklin, Daniel Geale and Martin Murray. He’s also 10-0 with 10 KOs since coming back in 2012 after beating a rare form of bone cancer that nearly cost him his life.  

The result has been a more focused and quieter version of GGG than normal, having made less media appearances while keeping a strict and focused camp.  

“It’s a sign that we have a guy in front of us who Gennady respects 100 percent,” Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez said. “It’s a guy who poses that chance of us losing a fight.” 

From Sanchez’s perspective, he prefers the extra level of danger knowing he will get a chance to see his fighter operate that much closer to his best.  

“I think all these fighters that are at an elite level, they need the challenge,” Sanchez said. “Not a physical challenge but a mental one. I think Danny presents that for us. He presents the first guy in a while, maybe since Lemieux or [Curtis] Stevens, that has Gennady fired up to have a guy on the other side who is going to be a great chess match. We’ll see who is able to impose their will.” 

For fans, the fight has felt like a gift considering the issues in boxing’s political divide that would have normally prevented it. Golovkin has an exclusive deal with HBO in North America. Jacobs, meanwhile, is advised by Al Haymon and has done his business in recent years on Showtime.  

From Jacobs’ perspective, the formation of the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao superfight, which aired as a join HBO-Showtime PPV in May 2015, went a long way in beginning a slow thaw that boxing has needed.  

“Both guys were on different networks and they were able to put the fight together still and everyone was able to work together,” Jacobs said. “I’m glad the boxing managers and promoters are working together and understanding that it’s mostly about the fighters. Ego aside, we need to make this thing work for the fans and the fighters.” 

Jacobs, who scored his most impressive victory to date when he knocked out former titlist Peter Quillin in one round in December 2015, could have easily gotten away with avoiding Golovkin but chose to purse it on his own.  

“I realize that I am in the peak of my career and there’s no better time for me to prove myself and prove that I am the best than now,” Jacobs said. “I have a ton of knowledge for being in the sport such a long time. To be considered the best you have to fight the best and that’s what I am looking forward to doing.” 

Most boxing fans, Golovkin included, are hoping Saturday’s fight is the final hurdle before GGG can secure a PPV showdown with Canelo Alvarez this fall, which the Mexican star has put off for almost two years.  

But while Alvarez, the biggest star in the sport, would provide Golovkin a shot at true crossover appeal in the biggest fight boxing can make in 2017 (outside of Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor), there’s a growing opinion that Jacobs is a more dangerous opponent. 

Golovkin, 34, wasn’t willing to entertain the idea, saying that every fight is different and serious in its own way. But Sanchez agreed with the thought. 

“I think that Jacobs has got one-punch power. I think that if he hits you with a good shot, he will knock you out,” Sanchez said. “He’s a big dude. I don’t think Canelo is the puncher that Jacobs is. He’s more of a combination puncher or a flashy puncher. But both are very good fighters.” 

Ultimately none of that matters in the ring on Saturday. The result of Golovkin’s toughest test to date will be decided by the one thing that sells the fight above all: punching power. 

“[Golovkin] has learned to adapt to the bigger guys because that is what he has had to do his whole career,” Sanchez said. “Danny’s size has not been my concern, his punching power has been my concern because he can crack. It’s just a matter of seeing what we have in front of us in the beginning and being able to deal with him. Until we get in the ring and Danny feels his power and Gennady feels Danny’s power, we won’t know if that is going to make a difference.”