NEW YORK -- It has been less than a year since Gennady Golovkin was last in the ring but it somehow feels like a lifetime ago. That fight, a rematch with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, ended in a majority decision loss for Golovkin, the first of his career. On June 8 he will be back in action, making his debut on DAZN against the unheralded but undefeated Steve Rolls in a non-title fight scheduled to go 12 rounds.
Even at 37 years old, Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) is still one of the most destructive punchers in all of boxing. He works behind an excellent jab that lands with more of a thud than many fighters power punches. While opponents have to be aware of Golovkin's right hand they really have to worry about his left hook. Both punches can do tremendous damage but his left hook, whether he lands it upstairs or to the body, is usually his finishing shot. Besides his formidable power Golovkin also does an excellent job of cutting off the ring, which helps him keep opponents where he wants them. Age has slowed him down a touch though so opponents have had an easier time of slipping out of danger. On defense Golovkin isn't slick and he's usually there to be hit but none of that matters because even at this advanced age his chin is still one of the best in all of boxing, just ask Alvarez.
Golovkin has been running through opponents since turning pro in 2006 and has names like Gabriel Rosado, Daniel Geale, Martin Murray, David Lemieux, Kell Brook, and Daniel Jacobs among his victims. Yet the biggest fights of his career both came against Alvarez. The two first met in 2017 in a fight it appeared Golovkin clearly won. That isn't to say it wasn't a close fight but most people were expecting to see Golovkin's hand raised in victory. Instead, the fight was ruled a draw, setting the table for a rematch. After some drama surrounding a failed drug test by Alvarez the rematch finally took place in 2018. The rematch was even closer than the first fight and could have easily gone a round either way of been ruled a draw and a draw probably would have been the correct outcome. When the scores were announced the fight was ruled a majority decision win for Alvarez, handing Golovkin the first loss of his career. Golovkin is now clearly chasing a rematch with Alvarez which is a major reason he signed a deal to fight on DAZN, whose biggest fighter is Alvarez. Before that rematch takes place though fans will have to watch Golovkin take on Rolls, a fighter who has never even sniffed this level of opposition before.
Rolls (19-0, 10 KOs) is also an older fighter at 35 years old and one that most fans had probably never heard of before he was announced as Golovkin's opponent. Rolls has a decent jab that is at it's best when he's sticking it to the body. Following the jab he has a hard right hand but often reaches with that punch and leaves himself open for a counter attack. The Canadian also has a bad habit of leaning to his right when he throws the jab which will leave him wide open for the devastating left hook of Golovkin. Along with his powerful right hand Rolls also has an excellent left hook that he loves to bang to the body. The issue for him, especially against Golovkin, is that his footwork isn't great and he likes to stand and trade. While that's fine against lesser opponents it could be a disaster against a brilliant puncher like Golovkin.
It isn't too much of a stretch to say that Rolls will be taking a Mount Everest size step-up in competition when he enters the ring against Golovkin. His most notable opponent to date is KeAndrae Leatherwood who is best known by boxing fans for losing to Andy Lee and Caleb Truax. The combined record of all his opponents to date is 180-123-11 and he's certainly never seen anyone near Golovkin's level. The big question in this fight is whether Rolls will be able to hang at Golovkin's level or crumble in the face of the best opponent he's ever been in the ring with.
There are fighters much better than Rolls who have entered the ring with Golovkin only to be flattened a few rounds later. How this fight plays out really comes down to how aggressive Golovkin decides to be, especially early. Rolls has power in both hands but Golovkin has a rock solid chin that has taken the shots of much bigger punchers and not flinched. Rolls isn't hard to hit and has some bad habits that Golovkin and his left hook can feast on. If Golovkin decides he wants to end this within a few rounds by walking Rolls down and piling on the power punches he can probably do it. However, he might decide he wants to box for a few rounds and even let Rolls land a few shots before he really steps on the gas and gets to work. However this fight plays out it's hard to envision a scenario where Rolls comes out on top unless Golovkin gets very old very fast.
PREDICTION: Steve Rolls has good power and is a high quality local fighter but he won't be able to hang at the world class level. Gennady Golovkin is still a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter who arguably beat Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez twice. This fight is going to be all Golovkin and he will end it with a knockout in the fourth round.
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| Golovking punishing Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez with an uppercut |
Golovkin has been running through opponents since turning pro in 2006 and has names like Gabriel Rosado, Daniel Geale, Martin Murray, David Lemieux, Kell Brook, and Daniel Jacobs among his victims. Yet the biggest fights of his career both came against Alvarez. The two first met in 2017 in a fight it appeared Golovkin clearly won. That isn't to say it wasn't a close fight but most people were expecting to see Golovkin's hand raised in victory. Instead, the fight was ruled a draw, setting the table for a rematch. After some drama surrounding a failed drug test by Alvarez the rematch finally took place in 2018. The rematch was even closer than the first fight and could have easily gone a round either way of been ruled a draw and a draw probably would have been the correct outcome. When the scores were announced the fight was ruled a majority decision win for Alvarez, handing Golovkin the first loss of his career. Golovkin is now clearly chasing a rematch with Alvarez which is a major reason he signed a deal to fight on DAZN, whose biggest fighter is Alvarez. Before that rematch takes place though fans will have to watch Golovkin take on Rolls, a fighter who has never even sniffed this level of opposition before.
Rolls (19-0, 10 KOs) is also an older fighter at 35 years old and one that most fans had probably never heard of before he was announced as Golovkin's opponent. Rolls has a decent jab that is at it's best when he's sticking it to the body. Following the jab he has a hard right hand but often reaches with that punch and leaves himself open for a counter attack. The Canadian also has a bad habit of leaning to his right when he throws the jab which will leave him wide open for the devastating left hook of Golovkin. Along with his powerful right hand Rolls also has an excellent left hook that he loves to bang to the body. The issue for him, especially against Golovkin, is that his footwork isn't great and he likes to stand and trade. While that's fine against lesser opponents it could be a disaster against a brilliant puncher like Golovkin.
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| Rolls celebrating a stoppage victory |
There are fighters much better than Rolls who have entered the ring with Golovkin only to be flattened a few rounds later. How this fight plays out really comes down to how aggressive Golovkin decides to be, especially early. Rolls has power in both hands but Golovkin has a rock solid chin that has taken the shots of much bigger punchers and not flinched. Rolls isn't hard to hit and has some bad habits that Golovkin and his left hook can feast on. If Golovkin decides he wants to end this within a few rounds by walking Rolls down and piling on the power punches he can probably do it. However, he might decide he wants to box for a few rounds and even let Rolls land a few shots before he really steps on the gas and gets to work. However this fight plays out it's hard to envision a scenario where Rolls comes out on top unless Golovkin gets very old very fast.
PREDICTION: Steve Rolls has good power and is a high quality local fighter but he won't be able to hang at the world class level. Gennady Golovkin is still a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter who arguably beat Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez twice. This fight is going to be all Golovkin and he will end it with a knockout in the fourth round.
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