Tonight's bout between "GGG" and "The Mongoose" will be for Golovkin's WBA (super), IBO and WBC interim middleweight titles at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. and is scheduled for 12 rounds.
Golovkin goes into the fight with a 32-0-0 record, 29 victories by way of knockout, and has not had a fight go the distance in nearly seven years (June 21, 2008 versus Amar Amari). Monroe has a record of 19-1-0 with six victories by way of knockout, and his only loss came from Darnell Boone (17-17-3 at the time) on March 29, 2011 by split decision.
According to Odds Shark, Golovkin is a minus-4500 favorite (meaning one would have to wager $4,500 in order just to win $100), but that does not discourage Monroe's confidence as he described himself as a "slick southpaw" and even likened himself to Floyd Mayweather Jr. with the ability to avoid taking too many punches.
Monroe will need to rely on that philosophy in order to even have a legitimate chance to compete for rounds as power does not prove to be a tool in his repertoire just by studying previous fights -- let alone by just reviewing his record of wins by knockout. Fans should not expect Monroe to do such a feat as well since Golovkin has not been knocked out in 375 fights as both a professional and an amateur.
Golovkin's strategy may have some minor tweaks depending on his opponent, but generally he will use a similar fight plan to break down his counterparts. Waste little to no energy, cut off the ring when the opposition attempts to create distance from him, use body shots to slow his opponent down, and occasionally bait the other fighter into throwing a punch that he sets up with a counter and eventually should lead into a combination.
The Prediction: All signs point to Golovkin, and I will predict a knockout -- either clean, technical, or a referee's technical decision -- in the fifth round. It is doubtful that this match with see the 10th round, but if this fight were to go this long it is because Golovkin is trying to build himself into a pay-per-view worthy brand; not because Monroe was able to prolong it.
Additional notes: the attractive main under card bout is scheduled for 12 rounds and features Nicaraguan sensation Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez versus Mexican challenger Edgar Sosa for Gonzalez's WBC flyweight title. Gonzalez sports a 42-0-0 with 36 victories by way of knockout, and Sosa has a record of 51-8-0. Sosa has 30 wins by way of knockout, and two of his eight losses are by knockout.
Information was gathered from outside media sources: espn.com, ucnlive.com, boxrec.com, and bleacherreaport.com
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