HBO Fight Preview

Gennady Golovkin vs. Marco Antonio Rubio

It is no secret that casual boxing fans love to see knockouts.  Many casual fans do not appreciate the intricacies of the sweet science but everyone can enjoy a brutal knockout.  That is why Gennady Golovkin has become so popular, because he is a casual boxing fans wet dream.  Not only is Golovkin's broken English charming as hell but his power is ruthless.  This Saturday night Golovkin will be in the ring against the Mexican veteran Marco Antonio Rubio in a 12 round fight for Golovkin's WBA middleweight title.

All GGG does is win, and score brutal knockouts

Many people think of power punchers as unskilled fighters who simply rely on their one punch knockout power to win fights.  While that is true in many cases it is not so in the case of Golovkin.  Golovkin who is Big Time Boxing's tenth ranked pound for pound fight in the world is just an unskilled bruiser.  Instead he likes to stalk his prey, he usually starts off fights slowly while he figures his opponents out.  Golovkin is a patient orthodox fighter who has a strong jab to go along with a strong everything else.  While Golovkin has a solid right hand his money punch is his left hook and if he catches an opponent with it upstairs or to the body the fight usually doesn't last much longer.  

At this point there is little doubt that Golovkin is the real deal.  However he still is yet to face any truly elite opponents.  That is no fault of his own though considering he is one of the most avoided fighters in the sport who none of the elite fighters want any part of.  His last bout against Daniel Geale was supposed to be his toughest test and he dispatched the Australian in the 3rd round.  As it stands now Golovkin has a record of 30-0 with an incredible 27 knockouts and it doesn't look like he will lose anytime soon.

Rubio's last big fight was in 2012

While Rubio has never been an elite fighter he has been and still is a very dangerous one.  Rubio is your typical tough Mexican fighter.  He is an orthodox puncher who has a good jab as well as a nice right hand.  Yet his best punch much like Golovkin's is his left hook.  Rubio has one punch knockout power and although he has been knocked out three times in his six losses his last knockout loss came back in 2009 against Kelly Pavlik so it will be interesting to see if Golovkin can end the night early.

If you put any fighter in front of Rubio besides A-level fighters he usually wins in impressive fashion.  His losses have come against guys like Pavlik and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Chavez Jr. was also his last big name fight which came back in 2012.  Since that fight against Chavez Jr., Rubio has gone 6-0 with five of those fights ending before the final bell.  For his career he holds a record of 59-6-1 with with a very strong 51 knockouts.  A win against Golovkin would certainly get Rubio a big fight but it won't be easy to do.

In this fight only Golovkin can walk away with a title belt since Rubio failed to make weight.  This fight also may be more about how hard Rubio can make Golovkin work.  Rubio is probably the biggest puncher Golovkin has faced and is definitely the most experienced but even all that may not be enough.  If Rubio decides to trade punches with Golovkin it could make for an exciting fight for the fans but not a smart one for himself.  Golovkin should stay patient in this bout and slowly chip away at Rubio but he needs to be careful not to get too aggressive and risk getting knocked out himself.

PREDICTION: Marco Antonio Rubio will probably give Gennady Golovkin the toughest test of his career but it won't be enough to get the win.  Golovkin is just too powerful and his patients will allow him to break Rubio down on his way to a 10th round knockout.

Nonito Donaire vs. Nicholas Walters

The co-feature for Saturday night should be just as exciting as the main event.  That bout will feature a man just recently dropped from the top ten pound for pound rankings in Nonito Donaire.  Donaire career hasn't been the same since his 2012 loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux which seems strange to say since that fight he has gone 2-0 with both fights ending before the final bell.  Donaire will be tested by the younger Nicholas Walters with Donaire's WBA featherweight title on the line in this 12 round bout.

Donaire's last fight ended due to a cut

Since Donaire's 2013 loss to Rigondeaux he hasn't really been the same fighter.  His power is still there but his confidence seems to be lacking.  Donaire is an awkward orthodox fighter who has a similar style to a Manny Pacquiao or Sergio Martinez.  He seems to be in constant motion and feints a lot.  Donaire usually keeps his hand very low which is dangerous on defense but his good footwork usually keeps him out of danger.  The best weapons Donaire has is his speed and power, he has very fast hands and plenty of power in his left hook and right hand.  If Donaire has regained his confidence he could be on top once again.

Donaire is a fighter who has always taken on the best.  He has two wins over Vic Darchinyan and also has wins over Jorge Arce, Omar Andres Narvaez, and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr..  Besides his loss to Rigondeaux his only only blemish came in his second professional fight.  As a professional Donaire has a record of 33-2 with 21 knockouts and as long as his confidence has come back he should look very impressive.

Walters has plenty of power

Walters certainly doesn't have the name recognition of Donaire but that doesn't mean he can be overlooked.  The Jamaican who fights out of the orthodox stance has a ton of power and usually wins via the knockout.  Walters may not be the slickest guy in the ring but his left hook can end fights.  His hands aren't as fast as Donaire's but they are quick although he doesn't have much of a jab.  Walters does have a nice straight right hand and an awkward left uppercut but his best punch is that short left hook.  That is the punch he needs to land if he hopes to beat Donaire.

When it comes to experience against top fighters Walters doesn't have much.  His highest profile win came in his last bout when he viciously knocked out Vic Darchinyan in the 5th round.  Aside from Darchinyan most of Walters opponents are just average which may be why he has scored so many knockouts.  Although he hasn't faced the best opponents Walters always gets the job done and has a record of 24-0 with a ridiculous 20 knockouts.  Since he isn't the slickest fighter he may need a knockout to get passed Donaire.

This fight should be an exciting one that could really go either way.  Donaire is slicker but he is also older and his confidence still may be shaken from his loss against Rigondeaux.  However Donaire still has his power and Walters has never been in the ring with someone of his caliber.  Walters does have big time power though and can easily turn the tide with one punch.

PREDICTION: Nicholas Walters has very good power but that alone won't be enough to beat Nonito Donaire.  Donaire isn't far removed from being one of the top ten fighters in the sport and his sharper skills will allow him to beat Walters by the way of unanimous decision.