Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin couldn’t help but smile Wednesday when discussing his fight against Daniel Jacobs on March 18 at Madison Square Garden in New York City (on HBO pay-per-view).
Golovkin is coming off a frustrating year in which fighters such as Canelo Alvarez and Chris Eubank Jr. said they wanted to fight him, but did not sign up for the challenge. “Too much talking; too much trash talking,” Golovkin said. “And nothing true. Right now, it’s more interesting because I know who Daniel Jacobs is,” said Golovkin, who, along with Jacobs, played host to a news conference. “I know he is champion. He’s true middleweight. Now, it’s very interesting.”
Golovkin is 36-0 with 33 knockouts and has stopped his past 23 opponents inside the distance. Jacobs, of Brooklyn, is 32-1 with 29 knockouts, meaning he can also punch very hard.
“Obviously, when you think about what all I bring to the table, I think about certain things, that being one of them,” Jacobs said. “But I just know that it takes a real strong mind and strong mental state to be able to go in there and defeat Gennady Golovkin.”
