Saturday on the small stage at Madison Square Garden, before a crowd of 5,000 – in a city of 8.3 million – a throng one euphoric commentator described as both “electric” and “jumping,” Kazakhstani middleweight titlist Gennady “GGG” Golovkin scored a corner stoppage over Brooklyn’s Curtis “Showtime” Stevens at the end of round 8, after dropping Stevens in round 2, and battering him for what 18 minutes followed. It was another fearsome beating administered another barely ranked opponent, by Golovkin, a beating to inspire still more fearless commentary.

One must wonder if Gennady Golovkin’s interpreter tells him what expectations now rest their weight on the boyish Kazakhstani’s juicy deltoids, the hope a television network now kindles that he will be an all-time great, whatever defensive limitations he might have, however late their campaign for his greatness started. If Golovkin is going only on his perception of what is said to him by HBO talent in fighter meetings, in English, a language he does not yet speak coherently – “OK, man, I respect box, I respect everybody,” he said after Saturday’s fight, “I respect everybody athletes, I respect everybody sports, you know, this is a sport for me, first, hey man, going to home just tell your parents just, ‘Hi, I come back, thank you’” – he may not grasp yet the gravity of others’ expectations, of the investment, financial and reputational, boxing’s most powerful network now makes in him. Golovkin likely does not, or he would fight with greater urgency than he showed Saturday against Curtis Stevens, a chinny man he struck nearly 300 times en route to a corner stoppage quite similar to the one he scored on Gabriel Rosado in January.

Golovkin (28-0, 25 KOs) just required 96 seconds longer to bring Stevens to justice than did Marcos Primera (20-28, 13 KOs), a man who has not won a single contest since stopping Stevens more than seven years ago, evidence of nifty matchmaking at least. That Golovkin’s official promoter, K2, has as its figurehead Wladimir Klitschko implies a cautious approach to matching a man whose unofficial promotional company, HBO, finds an extraordinary number of openings every telecast and ring announcement to mention Golovkin’s record-breaking knockout percentage as champion, which would be more meaningful, if not quite meaningful, if Golovkin actually were the middleweight champion, or at least if there were not already a lineal middleweight champion who was not Golovkin and whose reign as champion did not precede Golovkin’s by four months. Or does it violate decorum to mention such a thing in the throes of this, our fourth orGGGy of 2013?

Asked to call-out a postfight opponent, Golovkin wisely chose a limited fellow titlist already promised to another network and a champion already promised to Miguel Cotto. Good boy: when spring of 2014 finds Marco Rubio or Max Bursak on the bill, it will demonstrate only that Golovkin is so feared neither Peter Quillin nor Sergio Martinez had the courage to ply limited wares before Golovkin’s marketplace of pain – an absurdity in the case of Martinez, a man who fought but once at 160 pounds before decisioning the lineal middleweight champion of the world, before spearchiselling a guy, Paul Williams, who held boxing’s Most Avoided title after decisioning that moment’s Most Feared titlist, Antonio Margarito. Much as it may warm this instant to project fear on Martinez’s inactive fighting spirit, it’s not likely a guy who needed 500 punches to stop Rosado and Stevens on their feet makes “Maravilla” sleep fitfully on his leopard-skin satins.

So here’s a callout worth making: Andre Ward. Before we say once more about a guy who this year laid waste to two career 154 pounders, at middleweight, before April Fools’ Day, he will “fight anyone from 154 pounds to 168,” we might at least give him a tryout with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., whom, it says here, Saturday night’s Golovkin would need 1,200 punches to stop, or else put him directly in the ring with Ward, a prizefighter who, we might remember for the sake of comparison, is 22 months younger than Golovkin.

The year Golovkin captured a silver medal in the Olympics, Ward won gold. And in the 25 months Ward beat Mikkel Kessler, Allan Green, Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch, winning the Super Six tournament, Golovkin beat Mikhail Makarov (10-0), Milton Nunez (21-1-1), Nilson Julio Tapia (14-2-1), Kassim Ouma (27-7-1) and Lajuan Simon (23-3-2). For all Golovkin’s prowess in sparring sessions, it is instructive to recall in the moment Golovkin was racing through Simon, Ward was preparing to beat Froch – as proper a juxtaposition of the words “untested” and “tested” as exists in prizefighting from 154 pounds to 168.

Golovkin is entirely effective at beating up men who retreat and nearly as effective at causing their flight. But even Curtis Stevens, whose eyes rolled grotesquely sideways when a Golovkin left hook bounced his head off the blue mat in round 2, was able to neutralize at least temporarily Golovkin’s attack, and place a few decent shots of his own, by muscling forward to a range at which Golovkin does not seem nearly comfortable as he is at middle distance.

Andre Ward is the current best in our sport at getting to an opponent’s chest, discomfiting him, and removing all traces of menace; in a match with Golovkin, Ward would clinch, headbutt, shoulder and infight, and he would snatch the spirit from Golovkin the very way Bernard Hopkins did to Felix Trinidad, at the very moment Trinidad was both more dominating and more tested than Golovkin is now. Or perhaps he would not; perhaps Ward, too, would succumb to Golovkin’s relentless fiststorm, justifying fully half the credit Golovkin enjoys for what fantastical beasts his partisans currently see him hypothetically slaying.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

HBO replays: Sunday, Nov. 3 (9:15 a.m.) and 4 (11:15 p.m.)

HBO2 replays: Sunday, Nov. 3 (4:45 p.m.) and 5 (11:45 p.m.)

All times are ET/PT.

Follow all action LIVE from ringside as WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin defends his title against hard punching Curtis Stevens. The action begins at 10pm est / 7pm Pac with a showdown of undefeated Magaomed Abdusalamov battles Mike Perez

12 ROUNDS–WBA MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE..GENNADY GOLOVKIN (27-0, 24 KO’S) VS CURTIS STEVENS (25-3, 18 KO’S)

ROUND 1Good left from Golovin..Good left and right from Stevems..10-9 Stevens

Round 2 Hard jab from Golovkin..Hard right…right AND BIG LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES STEVENS…19-18 Golovkin

Round 3 Blistering uppercut from Golovkin..Golovkin jabbing…overhand right..right followed by left to the body...29-27 Golovkin

Round 4 Golovkin lands a right to the body…Good left hook from Stevens..Counter left hook..Hard left to body from Golovkin..and another…Stevens takng shots in the corner and comes put to land 3 hard rights off the ropes and Golovkin takes them well…39-36 Golovkin

Round 5 Hard right from Golovkin..Stevens comes back with 2 good shots…Stevens lands 2 more power shots…Hard body shot from Golovkin..left hook to head..hard right..48-46 Golovkin

Round 6 Hard inside fighting from both…Golovkin starting to batter Stevens on the ropes.58-55 Golovkin

Round 7 Good right from Golovkin…Golovking landing consistently on the ropes while Stevens looking for 1 big punch…he does get in a little combination at end of round...68-64 Stevens

Round 8 Right drom Golovkin..Body from Stevens…2 body from Golovkin…Now beating Steevns in all 4 corners of the ring…3 more shots from GGG…Stevens taking a huge beating…..ANDRE ROZIER STOPS THE BOUT AFTER ROUND 8…GENNADY GOLOVKIN TKO END OF 8

10 ROUNDS–HEAVYWEIGHTS–MAGOMED ABDUSALAMOV (18-0, 18 KO’S) VS MIKE PEREZ (19-0, 12 KO’S)

ROUND 1 Both guys throwing hard punches early..right drives Mago back..Hard straight left..right hook..3 punch combo...10-9 Perez

Round 2 Perez working body..right to the body…Mago lands an uppercut.good combo on ropes..Blood from the nose of Mago…19-19

Round 3 Hard left from Mago..Perez lands a left to the body…right hook to head..good back and forth..uppercut from Mago..hard left but Perez answers..29-28 Mago

Round 4 Good left from Perez..Good right hook..Mago lands a hard right…big right hook to the head..huge body shot..Both guys getting in shots…39-37 Mago

Round 5 Perez lands a hard right hook..right to the head..again..straight left..48-47 Mago

Round 6 Right from Perez..57-57

Round 7 Hard shot from Perez…1-2..Mag’s face starting to look bruised up…and cut around the left eye…67-66 Perez

Round 8 Perez’s combos driving Mago back..right to the body..Uppercut…77-75 Perez

Round 9 Mago coming out with hooks…he is deducted a point for a low blow…hard straight left from Perez..left to the body…left to the body..uppercut from Mago..86-84 Perez

Round 10 1-2 from Mago..Perez lands a right to the body..hard right rocks Mago..2 more punches hurts Mago..96-93 Perez

97-92, 95-94 97-92…..MIKE PEREZ

NEW YORK–Gennady Golovkin retained his WBA Middleweight championship with an eight round beatdown over a tough Curtis Stevens in from of 4,618 fans at the Theater at Madison Square Garden

Stevens did well to match punches with Golovkin in the 1st but in round two he ate a monster left hook that sent him to the canvas. Stevens steadied himself in round three but still dropped the frame. Stevens started to take a beating in round four but came back late in the round to land four nasty shots that got him right back in the fight.

In round seven, Golovkin started to pound on Stevens along the ropes. The challenger kept Golovkin honest by landing an occasional power shot but the relentless Golovkin continued his assault. In round eight, Golovkin continued with a two fisted attack that was divided up between crunching body punches and sharp shooting to the head. Golovkin was undaunted and was gunning for the knockout of Stevens, who at this point was looking like a beaten man with blood coming from his nose. Finally and luckily for Stevens, he has a trainer who cares and it was his uncle Andre Rozier who saved his nephew from any more damage and called off the fight at the end of round eight.

Golovkin, 159 1/2 lbs of Kazakhstan is now 28-0 with 25 knockouts. Stevens, 159 1/4 lbs of Brooklyn is now 25-4.

In a battle of undefeated southpaw Heavyweights Mike Perez scored a 10 round unanimous decision over knockout artist Magomed Abdusalamov.

Perez came out swinging and landing power shots in the 1st round. Abdusalamov came back and backed Perez up with a hard combination on the ropes in the 2nd. Abdusalamov’s nose begin to bleed in the same round. Perez hung in there and started to box through the middle rounds. Abdusalamov’s

In round eight, Abdusalamov was deducted a point for a low blow. In the final round, Perez hurt Abdusalamov with a hard right. He continued the assault with a follow up combination but he could not put the Abdusalamov on the canvas.

Perez, 235 lbs of Cork, Ireland won by scores of 97-92, 97-92 and 95-94 and is now 20-0. Abdusalamov, 231 1/2 lbs of Kazakhstan is now 18-1.

Ola Afolabi scored a twelve round majority decision over Lukasz Janic in a Cruiserweight bout.

Scores were 115-113 and 117-111 and 114-114 for the former world champion Afolabi, 194 lbs and is now 20-3-4. Janic, 197 3/4 lbs of Poland is now 26-2.

19 year old Dusty Hernandez Harrison got a good test but remained undefeated by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Josh Torres in an entertaining Welterweight bout.

At the end of round one, Harrison landed a nice right hand. He started opening it up more towards the middle of the second frame. Harrison continued to work at a good rate before Torres landed a solid right in roun four and second one actually sent Harrison back off balance.

Round six started off with Torres throwing and landing with Harrison against the ropes. Harrison did well in fighting off. Harrison got going again in round seven, as he drilled Torres with two solid right hands. Harrison continued working solid as he landed a nice right hand while fighting inside in the eighth. In round ten, Torres rocked Harrison with a right just after the bell rang. harrison came back and rocked Torres with a straight right that sent Torres into the ropes. The two battled toe to toe down the stretch which thrilled the already packed house in the Theater.

Harrison, 146 1/2 lbs of Washington, DC won by scores of 100-90, 98-92 and 98-92 and is now 18-0. Torres, 145 1/2 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 12-3-1.

Joel Diaz Jr. scored two knockdowns en route to a six round unanimous decision over Bryne Green in a Jr. Lightweight bout.

In round two, Green rocked Diaz with a big counter right and had him holding on after landing a hard left -right combination. Later in the round a seemingly meaningless right hand sent Green back to the ropes and Diaz pounced on him as he landed a bout five shots in the corner. In round three, Diaz landed a straight right and then dropped Green with a left to the body.

Just a minute into round five, Diaz drppped Green again with a right hand.

Diaz Jr, 132 1/4 lbs of Palmdale, CA won by scores of 60-52 and is now 13-0. Green, 131 lbs of Vineland, NJ is now 7-7-1.

Diaz

Isa Akbarbayev opened the show with a tough four round unanimous decision over Brian Clookey in a battle of undefeated Cruiserweights.

The action was fast at the outset and it was not more than a minute into the bout before Clookey was cut under the left eye.

Akbarbayev landed a couple of hard right hands in round two. Clookey hun tough and continued to throw and he landed a pair of left hooks at the end of the third round. With blood streaming down the left side of his face, Clookey opened up round four with a hard left hook.

Akbarbayev, 192 1/2 lbs of Almaty Kazakhstan won by scores of 40-36 on all cards and is now 11-0. Clookey, 189 lbs of Chase, NY is now 4-1-2.

NEW YORK CITY (October 31, 2013) On Thursday afternoon at The Refinery Hotel Rooftop Lounge in Manhattan, WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady Golovkin and top rated challenger Curtis Stevens held court for their final press conference in front of a massive crowd of local media.

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Master of ceremonies for the press conference was Hall of Fame Ring Announcer Michael Buffer. Below are select quotes from the participants.

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CURTIS STEVENS
“Thanks very much to HBO, Madison Square Garden, Main Events, K2 and GGG Promotions, I’m ready to become the middleweight champion of the world.”
“Come Saturday night, I’m gonna **** Gennady Golovkin up!”

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GENNADY GOLOVKIN
‘Thanks very much to my team, Abel and Tom.
“I have just one question for you Stevens, ‘are you serious’”?

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TOM LOEFFLER (K2 Promotions)
“This event has truly taken on a life of it’s own since it was announced.”
“It’s terrific to be back at “The Mecca of Boxing” promoting this event.”

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KATHY DUVA (Main Events)
“It’s good to be back at Madison Square Garden working with Joel Fisher and his team. They’re fabulous to work with and we’re looking forward to an exciting event.”

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MIKE PEREZ
‘Thanks very much to everyone for making this possible, I can’t wait until Saturday night. I hope everyone enjoys the fight.”

SAMPSON LEWKOWICZ (Sampson Promotions LLC)
“We were offered the fight and the next day we agreed to it. They offered five other fighters the opportunity to fight Mike Perez, but we accepted right away.”

MAGOMED ABDUSALAMOV
“This is a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to putting on a great show on Saturday night.”

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ABOUT “GOLOVKIN VS. STEVENS”:
Golovkin vs. Stevens is a 12-round bout for Golovkin’s WBA and IBO Middleweight World Championship, presented by K2 Promotions in association with Main Events, GGG Promotions and Madison Square Garden. In the HBO televised co-feature, undefeated heavyweights Mike Perez and Magomed Abdusalamov will clash in a 10-round bout presented in association with Sampson Boxing LLC.

The LIVE on HBO® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

HBO’s flagship series presents a twin bill of hard-hitting action highlighted by a red-hot middleweight title showdown when HBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: GENNADY GOLOVKIN VS. CURTIS STEVENS AND MIKE PEREZ VS. MAGOMED ABDUSALAMOV is seen SATURDAY, NOV. 2 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the Theater at Madison Square Garden, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr. will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: Nov. 3 (9:15 a.m.) and 4 (11:15 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Nov. 3 (4:45 p.m.) and 5 (11:45 p.m.)

The main feature pits undefeated Kazakhstan sensation Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24 KOs) against rising star Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18 KOs) of Brooklyn in a scheduled 12-round middleweight title bout. With an 89% knockout rate – the highest percentage of any world champion today – and knockouts of his last 14 opponents, Golovkin, 31, has established himself as one of the most electrifying fighters in the sport. He scored a spectacular victory on HBO in June when he KO’d Matthew Macklin in the third round. This will be the fourth fight on American soil for the fan-friendly, 160-pound titleholder, who trains at Big Bear in California.

Like Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe before him, Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18 KOs) is a product of the hardscrabble neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Although he’s been a pro for nine years, the 28-year-old’s career has surged the past two years and he’s scored impressive first-round KO victories in three of his last four fights.

The opening bout is a ten-round heavyweight slugfest, as Cuban native Mike Perez (19-0, 12 KOs) meets Russia’s Magomed Abdusalamov (18-0, 18 KOs). Perez, 27, and Abdusalamov, 32, both seek to preserve an undefeated record and display their abilities on a national stage.

“Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Rios,” featuring the two world-class prizefighters squaring off with Kellerman as moderator, debuts immediately following the boxing action (midnight-12:15 a.m.).

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer is Rick Bernstein; producer, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Doug Getts.

NEW YORK CITY (October 30, 2013) The officials have been assigned for this Saturday night’s WBA/IBO Middleweight World Championship between boxing’s fastest rising superstar, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and top rated contender Curtis Stevens at Madison Square Garden, “The Mecca of Boxing” and LIVE on HBO®.

The referee for the middleweight world title bout will be Harvey Dock (NY) and the judges of the fight will be Michael Pernick (FL), Max DeLuca (CA) and John Poturaj (NJ).

For the clash between undefeated heavyweight fighters, Mike “The Rebel” Perez and Magomed “Mago” Abdusalamov the referee will be Benjy Esteves. Judges for the HBO televised co-feature will be Julie Lederman, John Stewart and Don Trella. Abdusalamov will be defending his WBC US-NBC Heavyweight Title.

In the 12-round IBO Cruiserweight World Championship between Ola Afolabi and Lukasz Janik, the referee will be Earl Brown. The judges will be Waleska Roldan, Jerry Roth and Joseph Pasquale.

ABOUT “GOLOVKIN VS. STEVENS”:
Golovkin vs. Stevens is a 12-round bout for Golovkin’s WBA and IBO Middleweight World Championship, presented by K2 Promotions in association with Main Events, GGG Promotions and Madison Square Garden. In the HBO televised co-feature, undefeated heavyweights Mike Perez and Magomed Abdusalamov will clash in a 10-round bout presented in association with Sampson Boxing LLC.

The LIVE on HBO® telecast begins at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

NEW YORK CITY, (October 29, 2013) WBA and IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin headed straight to Times Square upon arriving in New York City ahead of his showdown on Saturday night against top rated challenger Curtis Stevens at Madison Square Garden, “The Mecca of Boxing” and LIVE on HBO® (10:00 p.m. ET/PT.)

Golovkin was swarmed by fans and media as he posed for pictures in front of the massive HBO billboard at 42nd Street and 7th Avenue promoting the fight.

With the highest knockout percentage (89%) in the history of the middleweight division, Golovkin will be looking to extend his 14-bout knockout streak when he makes the 9th-defense of his world titles.

This past January 19, in front of a full house of New York City fight fans, Golovkin dominated top rated challenger Gabriel Rosado, stopping him in the seventh round at Madison Square Garden.

ABOUT “GOLOVKIN VS. STEVENS”:
Golovkin vs. Stevens is a 12-round bout for Golovkin’s WBA and IBO Middleweight World Championship, presented by K2 Promotions in association with Main Events, GGG Promotions and Madison Square Garden. In the televised co-feature, undefeated heavyweights Mike Perez and Magomed Abdusalamov will clash in a 10-round bout presented in association with Sampson Boxing LLC.

Remaining tickets priced at $300, $200, $100 and $50 are available through at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com

ig Bear, CA (October 29, 2013) After weeks of intense training in Big Bear, California, boxing’s fastest rising superstar Gennady “GGG” Golovkin is headed to New York City to defend his WBA and IBO Middleweight World Titles this Saturday night against Brooklyn’s Curtis Stevens at Madison Square Garden, “The Mecca of Boxing” and LIVE on HBO® (10:00 p.m. ET/PT.)

With two massive fight billboards in the New York City area and a full week of media activities ahead, the Golovkin/Stevens clash has become a must-see attraction in the “city that never sleeps”.

“I’m excited to fly to New York City for this fight with Curtis Stevens. Fighting at Madison Square Garden is always very special to me,” said Golovkin. “The training camp was hard, but I’m in great condition and ready to fight.”

“Coming back to Madison Square Garden and New York City with one of the premier fighters in the world is an experience like no other,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “With two of the biggest punches in the middleweight division, fans can expect a lot of fireworks on Saturday night.”

Head trainer Abel Sanchez added, “We’re ready to showcase the best middleweight in the world this Saturday night. Gennady will deliver another terrific performance.”

With the highest knockout percentage (89%) in the history of the middleweight division, Golovkin will be looking to extend his 14-bout knockout streak when he makes the 9th-defense of his world titles.

This past January 19, in front of a full house of New York City fight fans, Golovkin dominated top rated challenger Gabriel Rosado, stopping him in the seventh round at Madison Square Garden.

ABOUT “GOLOVKIN VS. STEVENS”:
Golovkin vs. Stevens is a 12-round bout for Golovkin’s WBA and IBO Middleweight World Championship, presented by K2 Promotions in association with Main Events, GGG Promotions and Madison Square Garden. In the televised co-feature, undefeated heavyweights Mike Perez and Magomed Abdusalamov will clash in a 10-round bout presented in association with Sampson Boxing LLC.

Remaining tickets priced at $300, $200, $100 and $50 are available through at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com

Saturday on Madison Square Garden’s small stage Kazakhstani middleweight titlist Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will fight American Curtis “Showtime” Stevens, on HBO, in a match of the two middleweights most likely to rend with thoughtless ferocity any overmatched unfortunate set across from them. That is, somebody stopped by, say, Vanes Martirosyan at 154 pounds, as Stevens’ last opponent was, ought tremble at rumors of GGG’s approach. And any man knocked-out by Sergio Martinez last year, as Golovkin’s last opponent was, would do well not to be on Showtime’s side of town when night falls.

OK, the leavening of this match with a pinch of facetiousness was overdue, and so there it is, with a concession directly afterwards: Saturday’s fight will be quite entertaining as it happens, in a manner more suspenseful than dramatic, and should end with one man, more likely Stevens, unconscious before its 36th minute completes. Our sport needs more of that, much more, not less, and who cares, then, if Saturday’s champ is unproved and his challenger more so?

That Gennady Golovkin is untested is not a valid reason to dislike him or distrust his abilities. He appears to have a plethora of them and appears, too, to have come along at a fine time, one in which the depth of the middleweight division is hopelessly shallow. Golovkin has risen in all minds to no worse than second best in one of our sport’s storied divisions by beating up Matthew Macklin (1-2 in three fights before Golovkin), Nobuhiro Ishida (1-2 in three fights before Golovkin) and Gabriel Rosado (in his middleweight debut).

There is even talk among serious individuals of calling Golovkin’s rampage through Macklin and Ishida and Rosado – three guys Marvelous Marvin Hagler probably could have beaten in a handicap match, one on three, and Bernard Hopkins would have unmanned in one night, stopping Ishida on the undercard, decisioning Rosado in the co-main and inviting a red towel from Macklin’s corner in the main, all while donning a differently ridiculous mask for each – three quarters of enough to be considered 2013’s fighter of the year, if he is able to beat Stevens on Saturday. Golovkin is nearer his 32nd birthday than his 31st, and that may explain this urgency to place his name among boxing’s best, because it certainly has nothing to do with the strength of his opposition or even, to pause for honesty, his supposedly withering power.

Golovkin is technically sound and accurate, his footwork fine but not otherworldly, his defense average, but he is a friendly gent with a telegenic smile and a chance of graduating from the Manny Pacquiao School of English Conversation, with honors, before 2015. For goodness’ sake, though, here for comparison, is whom (Olympic gold medalist) Oscar De La Hoya had fought by the time he was the same age (Olympic silver medalist) Gennady Golovkin is: Genaro Hernandez, James Leija, Julio Cesar Chavez (twice), Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley (twice), Arturo Gatti, Fernando Vargas and Yory Boy Campas. That is another way of imparting De La Hoya was already a Grammy-nominated, first-ballot hall-of-famer about to begin the silly season of his career at the age Golovkin is yet to fight an opponent who ranks with one of the names above.

Beating Curtis Stevens, which Golovkin is expected to do even in Stevens’ New York City, the collection of boroughs in which the Brooklynite once terrorized a few no-hopers of his own, will do little to elevate future historians’ estimation of GGG, though losing to Stevens, or even getting his chin checked by a guy once chin-checked by Marcos Primera, will cause no small discomfort for a gathering army of Golovkin partisans who describe the savagery of the Kazakhstani’s attack in terms frightful enough to remind readers of Lucas Matthysse – before September.

There is a standard enjoyed by Golovkin that is a wee bit inexplicable, too, in an era that sees every elite athlete tacitly suspected of PED use, as search engines looking to sate inquiries that marry Golovkin’s name with acronyms like VADA or WADA or USADA return nothing substantive. If our concern is with the perilous effects of pharmaceutically enhanced fists slamming against standard-issue craniums, should we not begin with a man widely considered the boogeyman’s boogeyman – or did athletic programs in the former Soviet Union, of which Kazakhstan was a part, eschew performance-enhancing drugs so spectacularly?

Aficionados desperately wish to discover an unknown entity, and be the ones to say they did, a sparring-session ghoul in need of only one chance at yesterday’s paper champion, just one, to set right the injustices that burn aficionados’ stomachs when they lie down at night, and such a beast’s necessary quotient of mysteriousness is aided, not obstructed, by taciturnity or simple incomprehension of what is asked him. Golovkin has all such ingredients in a batch of accomplishments that do not yet merit his name in a sentence with Sergio Martinez’s unless and until Martinez himself puts it there. Or have we learned nothing from the RJJ and Money eras, and what ultimate dissatisfaction comes of awarding hypothetical victories?

One cannot say yet what happens when Golovkin is hurt in a prizefight, though perhaps Saturday will reward our forbearance with a stiff left-hook counter or accidental headbutt, but if Golovkin’s next four opponents come no closer to revealing it than his last four, let us still our tongues about Floyd Mayweather’s handicapping before the muse again makes us sing Gennady Golovkin’s praises.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

NEW YORK (October 22, 2013) WBA and IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will welcome the New York Police Department and the Fire Department of New York during fight week leading up to his world title defense on Saturday, November 2 against Brooklyn’s Curtis Stevens.

Golovkin will make a ticket donation to both departments at his Media Workout on Wednesday, October 30 at Madison Square Garden. A representative from each department will be on hand to receive the donation as well as to publicize the 31st Annual “Battle of the Badges” amateur boxing event held on Friday, November 22 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

“New York CIty feels like a second home to me and I’m always happy to come here for my fights and press events. Everywhere I go the fans are always very supportive”, said Golovkin. “The New York Police and Fire Departments are made up of very dedicated men and women and I want to recognize them for their work.”

Continued Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions, “We are very excited to bring Gennady back to New York City for his 9th world title defense and second bout at Madison Square Garden.”

“We’re are also very proud to honor the tireless efforts of both of these departments and to help promote their future event.”

Golovkin vs. Stevens is presented by K2 Promotions in association with Main Events and Madison Square Garden.

Brooklyn’s Curtis Stevens took the time to discuss his upcoming Nov. 2nd showdown with WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin, on Wednesday. Formerly the training base of legendary World Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes, Pintabone’s Boxing Gym serves as the host for Stevens’ training camp, as he prepares to challenge the dangerous Golovkin at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The ever loquacious challenger exuded confidence as he broke it all down for press. The fight will be televised live by HBO.

Does his power concern you? “The question is does my power concern him?”

If you hit Golovkin and he doesn’t go down, what are you going to do? “Hit his ass some more!”

Photo Credits to Larry Levanti

Abel Sanchez says Golovkin has a good chin. It seemed like you were doing work to the body today and he hasn’t really been tested to the body. Is that part of your focus? “We are focusing on everything – head, body. You gotta break the body down, then the head will come. (We’re working on) different things, plan A, plan B, plan C. It’s not going in with just one game plan. It’s not just one thing. It’s a different variety of plans.”

It seems like Gennady respects you, but his trainer doesn’t. How do you feel about his trainer not respecting you? “His trainer I believe is trying to keep Gennady focused on what he’s doing. I believe he’s trying to keep him level minded. Gennady is giving me respect, I believe he has some type of fear of me. I think Abel was trying to say different things to balance it out… It covers the middle. It’s not a good thing. It’s not a bad thing. I just gotta prove Abel wrong and Gennady right.”

Curtis Stevens and Andre Rozier
Photo Credits to Art Natalino

Obviously Gennady has the length advantage on you. How are you going to overcome that? “Romero Johnson had the length; Ayala had the length; Roman had the length; Jose Spearman had the length. This is how it’s been all along. I’ve always been the shorter guy. To me it really doesn’t matter. I believe I have a little more reach than him. It’s my power. I know I’m much more strong than him. So all that stuff really don’t matter.”

Curtis Stevens and Gary Stark
Photo Credits to Larry Levanti

What is the plan for this fight? “I’m going in there to relax and I’m going in there to have fun. I’m going in there to do what I do. The question is, will he come out and fight me just as much as he do the other fighters, you know, when I come towards him? He may bounce around the ring, he may shadowbox . I’ve seen him fight. I gotta see what he comes out with. I’m not gonna change my game plan. I’ll box just as much as I can pressure you. I’m coming in there ready to win.”

Is it going to be Curtis Stevens the puncher or Curtis Stevens the boxer? “I don’t know. I may mix it up. I may get on his toes, I may razzle and dazzle his ass, cut him up. Or I may just go in there and take it to him, move a lot, just beat him down. But it all depends on him you know? I don’t know, he may come in there and want to fight. He may want to come in there and box. Because he knows I have power, he may be leery of that in his mind. Abel says he’s gonna knock me out. I don’t know if Abel is just hyping him up or hyping just to talk in general. But Gennady only fights one way – it’s come forward. I believe he’s going to come meet me in the center of the ring. And if he does, it should be an early night.”

Photo Credits to Art Natalino

Is Golovkin the animal or monster people say he is? “No…I’m not sold. So on Nov 2 I’m just going to put him back on the shelf!”

“On November you can expect fireworks. I don’t know if it’s going to be the first, the twelfth or somewhere in between, but there are sure going to be fireworks. I’m coming to win!”

Any Final Words? “I feel great, strong as ever. I’m moving faster, I’m quicker than I expected. I’m just ready. I’m just ready to go in there and destroy him.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 26, 2013) – One of boxing’s fastest rising prospects, undefeated welterweight Dusty Hernandez-Harrison from our Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C., will face the toughest test of his career when he takes on Josh “Pitbull” Torres for the WBC Youth Welterweight World Championship on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden Theater on the undercard of the Golovkin vs. Stevens Middleweight Championship clash Live on HBO.

Hernandez-Harrison (17-0, 10 KOs), ranked worldwide No. 40 by the WBC and 19 years of age, will be making the first of what he hopes will be many appearances at “The Mecca of Boxing,” Madison Square Garden.

In his last three fights Hernandez-Harrison has shown the poise and skill of a fighter far beyond his years. On May 18, 2013 he stopped Eddie Soto in the fifth-round before 3,000 fans in his Washington, D.C. hometown. Dusty followed that bout up with a dominant six-round unanimous decision victory over rugged veteran Ben Ankrah at Foxwoods on June 28; and in his last bout on August 23 Hernandez-Harrison scored a fourth-round knockout of Guillermo Valdes, who was 12-4 going into the bout, at Dover Downs Casino.

“Fighting at Madison Square Garden is like a dream come true,” Hernandez-Harrison said. “I have a lot of family in New York and it will be great to fight in front of them. Washington, D.C. is my home and I really appreciate that the DC fans are making the trip to New York to support me,” Hernandez-Harrison added.

“Dusty is training like a World Champion,” said Buddy Harrison, the fighter’s father and trainer. “He understands that this guy is coming to win and take home the Green Belt, and we are preparing for a tough fight; No question about it.”

Torres (12-2, 5KOs) is riding a five-fight win streak and is considered the best welterweight in New Mexico, a state that has produced champions like Johnny Tapia, Danny Romero and, more recently, Austin Trout. The Albuquerque native is trained by Chris Chavez at the Team Tapia Boxing Academy and was formerly under the tutelage of the gym’s namesake.

“I know he had an amazing amateur record, not sure what his record was, but the kid is skilled and it should be a great fight,” Torres recently told GoFightlive.com lead boxing blow-by-blow announcer, Rich Quinones. “I’m blessed to be on this undercard, at MSG on HBO, really excited for this; it should be a great fight for fans.”

Hernandez-Harrison’s promoter, Jeff Fried of All-In Entertainment, has been grooming the young fighter for an opportunity like this since signing him late last year. Fried has kept the fighter busy with six bouts in nine months, with each bout a growth and learning experience for the developing Hernandez-Harrison.

“Dusty’s continued hard work and poise in and out of the ring prepares him well for this championship opportunity,” Fried said. “Dusty is honored to be fighting for the WBC Youth World Championship and has tremendous respect for Madison Square Garden’s and the WBC’s history and tradition within the sport of boxing.”

“This is the type of fight I want,” Hernandez-Harrison said. “I want to fight guys that are going to push me and bring out the best in me.”

“I am honored to be fighting for a WBC Championship,” Hernandez-Harrison said. “This is the kind of fight I have been preparing for my whole career and I won’t let my fans down.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will defend his title against Curtis Stevens on November 2nd at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“Gennady has proven himself to be one of the most popular fighters in the sport. Since his knockout over Matthew Macklin in June, there has been an unprecedented amount of interest from fans and media about his next fight,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, which represents Golovkin. “While many of the top names in the middleweight division have been reluctant to fight Gennady, we commend Curtis Stevens for the direct and aggressive path he’s taken to making this world title bout.”

“Everyone put ya money on ‘GGG’ so I could be like 30-1. I could get more money,” Stevens tweeted Wednesday.

“I think it’s a really great fight in the ring and we have a real live ‘dog here,” said Main Events chief executive Kathy Duva, Stevens’ promoter. “Curtis has to fight a different fight than Macklin did, that’s for sure, but there’s no point to talking about the strategy. Curtis has the opportunity, and now he has to capitalize on it.

“He has a great amateur background and world-class punch. Golovkin is a tremendous puncher, and I think he’s the best middleweight in the world, but when you have skills and a world-class punch like Curtis has, you can beat anyone. For anyone who doubts that Curtis can do it, I have two words for them: Jhonny Gonzalez.”

VENICE, CA (July 17, 2013) Boxing’s fastest rising star, middleweight world champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin continues to impress in-and -out of the ring with record numbers for his television ratings.

This week HBO announced that it’s “2Days: Gennady Golovkin” documentary feature surrounding Golovkin’s knockout victory of Gabriel Rosado on JANUARY 19 was the highest rated ever of it’s acclaimed series with over three million total viewers.

Additionally, record numbers of viewers watched across Europe and Asia as Golovkin dismantled top rated middleweight contender Matthew Macklin on JUNE 29 in a bout, which also drew over 1.1 million viewers on HBO.

“We’re very excited that boxing fans in the US and across the globe are tuning in to Gennady’s fights and his 2Days documentary in record numbers. HBO did a terrific job capturing the unique elements which took place leading up to the Rosado fight which made for a compelling feature,” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions.

“Gennady just returned home to Germany from a fantastic week as the guest of honor in Monte Carlo for the finals of the Million Dollar Super 4 Tournament where he was hosted by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco.”

Golokvin’s knockout of Macklin was his third title fight of the year and raised his record to 27-0-0 with 24 knockouts as he defended both his WBA and IBO Middleweight Titles. It also raised his knockout ratio to 88.89%, highest among all active titleholders in the sport.

“We’ve said from the beginning of the year that Gennady would fight five times this year and we’re planning his next two bouts,” said Loeffler. “He is anxious to return the ring and to continue providing fans with the spectacular performances they’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him.”

Monte Carlo (July 11, 2013) Boxing’s fastest rising superstar Gennady “GGG” Golovkin is in the world’s most beautiful tourist location, Monte Carlo, this week for the Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super 4 Finals taking place this Saturday, JULY 13.

This week Golovkin, the WBA and IBO Middleweight World Champion, also received awards from ESPN including “Fighter of the Mid-Year” and “Knockout of the Mid-Year”. He has already fought three times in 2013 resulting in three spectacular knockouts.

“I’m honored to receive these two awards from ESPN. It’s been a great first half of the year,” said Golovkin. “I’m looking forward to all of the future challenges ahead.”

Golovkin received the “Knockout of the Year” award for his devastating third round stoppage of Nobuhiro Ishida, which took place on Saturday, MARCH 30 in Monte Carlo on the same card as the Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super 4 Semi-Finals.

Undefeated with a record of 27-0-0 with 24 knockouts, Golovkin started off his 2013 campaign with a seventh round stoppage of Gabriel Rosado on JANUARY 19 at Madison Square Garden, “The Mecca of Boxing”, and most recently delivered a picture perfect, crunching left hook body shot to Matthew Macklin on JUNE 29 to earn a third round stoppage at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, both of which were broadcast LIVE on HBO.

With the highest knockout ratio (88.89%) amongst active titleholders and riding a 14-bout knockout streak, Golovkin is bringing high ratings to his telecasts on HBO in the United States, DMAX in Germany, KZ TV in Kazakhstan in addition to Russian TV among the numerous countries telecasting his bouts.

“Gennady’s fights have become must-see TV for boxing fans across the world. He’s very honored to receive these awards from ESPN along with the massive amount of interest from the sports media across all continents” said Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions.

“We are currently in discussions with HBO and are looking at a few different options for the second half of this year for Gennady. We are looking forward to announcing his next fight shortly.”

Kazakhstani middleweight titlist Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin wears his initials and nickname on the waistband of his trunks, often in gold blocks, and inadvertently titillates at least a few ironically minded folks who know whence the term “GGG” originates: Born in the gay community and minted by syndicated columnist Dan Savage, it means “good, giving, and game” – three qualities to which any man might hope a prospective partner aspire.

With his beginner’s command of English, Golovkin almost certainly does not know this, and one hesitates to reveal it for fear of the nickname’s future censorship. It embroiders the youngishly handsome face, statuesque physique and impersonal sadism Golovkin brings in a prizefighting ring too ably to be lost – sprinkling glitter on the complicated texture of prizefighting’s most frightfully entertaining new attraction, an attraction that savagely undid Matthew Macklin in fewer than three rounds Saturday at Foxwoods Resort.

Because artful writing needs no lists, there’s little reason to take what letters form both Golovkin’s initials and a quality valued by sexual subcultures of all orientations, today, and make a bulleted termpaper of them, but here’s this: Golovkin is good in the sense that he is good for prizefighting; as a man with no appreciable promotional allegiance, he is a de facto HBO project and fights whomever the network approves, without much debate, because it gives him what exposure the opening six years of his career wanted and lends the network more credibility than its other staples do, allowing HBO to boast half prizefighting’s most interesting practitioners on cable television right now – with Argentine Lucas Matthysse, the other half, awaiting a Danny Garcia match promised him on Showtime.

Golovkin is giving: He hits with both hands in a way few prizefighters today hit with either hand. Saturday he corralled with his counter jab Macklin, a 33-fight Irishman, or at least a veteran of Irish stock and thus unknown to squeamishness, sending him rightwards, then blasted Macklin with a right cross that sent him leftwards then corralled Macklin again with a left hook that sent him reeling towards the right cross once more, all before Macklin’s unhelpful trainer told him to move away from Golovkin’s right hand, returning Macklin to the very left hand that within 4 1/2 minutes dropped “Mack the Knife” – body oozin’ life – choking, scriggling and grimacing like a man stabbed.

GGG is game as hell, too, because he doesn’t mind milling. In the final moments of his short time in a prizefighting ring with Golovkin, the discomfited moments when, blood dribbling in his left eye and hopelessness enveloping him, Macklin decided it was swing-and-let-swing time, pounding Golovkin with what little other than fear remained in his arsenal, Golovkin became more relaxed in a manner that cannot be faked.

Golovkin’s unkinked face went slacker, a breathing antonym for Paulie Malignaggi’s flicking tongue or Oscar De La Hoya’s nuts-in-my-cheek jawline, and he pursued Macklin with no malice whatever, cursorily tapping Macklin’s guard with a telegraphed right hand – “Good boy, Matthew, leave that right elbow high for Gennady” – before yanking back on his own right shoulder, snapping closed the inside of his left hip, and driving the middle knuckle of his left hand through the geometrical center of Macklin’s exposed liver. It was fleying how Macklin reacted, wincing and plunging leglessly downwards as if what strength Golovkin’s hook left his body was for surds of pain alone.

Golovkin’s reaction indicated the ending was both unexpected and unsurprising; GGG comported himself like a man who went out to fight properly, set his feet in place, defend responsibly, place his punches with leverage and accuracy, and see if the knockout comes – for once a fighter who appeared not to look for the knockout got it effortlessly. That is legerdemain, or its facial equivalent, though, as what makes Golovkin every bit appealing as Matthysse is that he verily does look for the knockout with nearly every punch. It was merely a Golovkin jab 90 seconds after the opening bell that thrust the fight directly out Macklin’s soul.

If there is a possible weakness in Golovkin’s approach to ruining other men it is the energy required a man who throws every punch with ruinous objective; that kind of design frustrated for eight or nine rounds can weary a fighter, and as fatigue makes cowards of all men, someone who was able to deflect fractionally Golovkin’s shots and make Golovkin burn calories for 24 to 27 minutes and encounter the stress of tiring, itself boxing’s most counterintuitively stressful sensation, might come on a fairly average fighter with a stationary head before him, not unlike the man James “Buster” Douglas sent on a mouthpiece-recovery expedition in Tokyo 23 years ago. Who is the man to do that? No middleweight comes to mind.

A prime Sergio Martinez at 154 pounds might have turned the trick, but today’s incarnation has little chance and every right to try. Disregard anything Martinez’s promoter said about that Saturday; he books “Maravilla’s” fights, he doesn’t make them. The wisest course for Martinez is to suggest he’ll be happy to fight in 2014 the winner of a Golovkin-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight; the middleweight champion of the world is in no condition to rematch Chavez right now, much less top whatever that was Saturday – but it’s impossible the winner of GGG-Junior won’t be slightly softer for his participation. Flip in a bad training camp, with a hand injury and a bout with influenza and maybe food poisoning, and, well, one never knows.

Which is to write Sergio Martinez absolutely has earned a chance to ruminate on the matter of GGG for the rest of 2013 and a few months of 2014 before anyone declares Golovkin his better, as that declaration will almost invariably come within 36 minutes of their contesting Martinez’s title, and so, why hurry it?

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

The question coming into tonight’s middleweight championship fight between Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin and Matthew Macklin was a simple one: Can Golovkin really be THAT good? Before the first bell, Golovkin could alread lay claim to having the highest KO percentage among active world champions. He also had 7 title defenses, all of them by KO, to lend credibility to his glossy record. But Golovkin has looked so good and been so outstanding in all of his previous fights, that his fight tonight against Macklin took on a different importance. It was not simply about winning, but about winning with such overwhelming dominance that hype could finally be replaced with a true affirmation of talent. And Matthew Macklin provided the perfect measuring stick for just how much of Golovkin’s talent was truly hype, and how much reality. Although not many could be expected to pick Macklin to win, his fights again Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez were enough to make even the most ardent Golovkin supporter feel that perhaps a bit of the “Triple G” mystique could be lost at the end of the night. Thankfully for those of us who love boxing, Golovkin’s performance against Macklin laid to rest any speculation that he’s merely another good fighter. Golovkin is truly unstoppable. He tore through Matthew Macklin with a serene ferocity that was truly remarkable to watch. Not for a moment did he ever look anything but calm; yet all the while he threw punches that were calculatedly brutal. It’s not often that someone watching a prize fight can visibly see fear in either fighter, but Macklin looked legitimately afraid after the first minute of the fight. Golovkin patiently stalked him and unleashed perfectly placed and perfectly leveraged shots to the body and head whenever he was in range. After less than one round, it was apparent the fight was over. Macklin was never truly in the fight and about a minute into the third, Golovkin put two hard shots upstairs then sunk a pinpoint left hook into Macklin’s liver. The shot doubled Macklin over and it would be a full two minutes before he got up off of the canvas. It was a shockingly definitive knockout of a very good fighter and exactly what Golovkin was looking for. He now stands at 27-0 (24 KOs) and should likely be considered the best middleweight in the world. Only a showdown with Sergio Martinez now stands between Golovkin and boxing stardom. For Macklin (now 29-5 20KOs), his career is still very much alive and well. He can still give any elite fighter (not named Gennady Golovkin) a real test and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him and Felix Sturm in a rematch in the near future. Macklin is truly a good fighter. But after tonight, Golovkin is truly great.

“My perfect position for that body shot,” Golovkin commented. “I want this fight (vs. Sergio Martinez). I felt great in the ring, he never hurt me. It was an easy fight for me. I want to fight against soon. Any top fighter, any champion, any belt holder….anywhere.”

“He’s the best I ever fought,” a game Macklin said. “He never really let me get started. It was a great shot he landed, the left hook to the body is personally one of my favorites. I tip my hat to him; he’s a great champion. He has clubbing, solid power and you can feel the weight of every punch he throws.”

In the HBO co-feature, up and coming super middleweight Thomas Oosthuizen got much more than he expected out of the unbeaten but unheralded Brandon Gonzalez. The fight started with Oosthuizen working his southpaw jab from the outside, but Gonzalez used his quicker feet to slip into position and connect with straight right hands. Gonzalez utilized this strategy to good effect through the first 5 rounds, but Oosthuizen began to find a home for his straight left in round 6. Gonzalez picked back up in round 7, landing some hard shots and gaining back a bit of momentum; but rounds 8-10 were all Oosthuizen. Gonzalez (who was in his first 10 round fight) was visibly tired throughout the last 3 rounds and was no longer able to slip into position to punch. He also had lost enough movement to catch some hard punches from Oosthuizen and had to empty his tank over the last round to stay in the fight. At the end, none of the judges agreed and handed in scores of 98-92 for Gonzalez, 96-94 for Oosthuizen and 95-95 a draw. The resulting split draw allowed both fighters to remain unbeaten: Gonzalez at 17-0-2 10KOs and Oosthuizen at 23-0-2 13KOs.

“I felt sluggish the first two rounds and then I found my rhythm. I thought I won the fight. I’d give him an immediate rematch if he wanted. I want to come back to fight in America soon and I want to fight Mikkel Kessler.”

“I feel good,” Gonzales remarked. “I absolutely won the fight. I landed the harder punches and out-boxed him. I did everything I had to do, unfortunately, the judges didn’t think so. We’ll go back to the drawing board and figure out where to go from there.”

The HBO opener between junior middleweights Willie Nelson and Luciano Cuello was a fight that should probably be shown to anyone new to boxing as an example of how a fight is scored. Nelson was able to win enough rounds to easily take the fight; but was beat up in almost every one of the rounds he lost. Rounds 3, 7 and 10 were rounds in which Cuello landed hard shots that had Nelson staggered on a number of occasions. Nelson won almost all of the others with a higher work rate and put enough rounds in the bank to be assured a victory despite a disastrous 10th round in which he was badly hurt by a Cuello uppercut. Nelson hung on to survive to the bell and took a unanimous decision by scores of 97-93 (twice) and 96-94. He improves to 21-1-1 12KOS while Cuello slips to 32-3 15KOs.

“I feel great,” Nelson said after making his HBO debut. “He’s tougher than I thought but I still think I won convincingly. The cuts (both eyes) bothered me but I fought through it. I want to fight all the top 154-pound fighters and this was another step in that direction.”

Follow all the action Live from Foxwoods Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut as WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin defends the crown against tough Matthew Macklin. The action begins at 9:45 est / 6:45 pac with a two fight undercard featuring Super Middleweights Thomas Oosthiuzen and Brandon Gonzalez plus Super Welterweights Willie Nelson and Luciano Cuello

12 Rounds–WBA Middleweight championship–gennady Golovkin (26-0, 23 KO’s) vs Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20 KO’s)

Round 1 Jab from Macklin..Big right from Golovkin..Hard jab…left dives Macklin into ropes..10-9 Golovkin

Round 2 Hard right and left to the body..Right to the body,,Right from Macklin..Macklin cut above left eye…20-18 Golovkin

Round 3 Body shot and uppercut…Left hook from Macklin..HARD BODY SHOT AND DOWN GOES MACKLIN AND THE FIGHT IS OVER

10 Rounds–Super Middleweights–Thomas Oosthuizen (21-0-1, 13 KO’s) vs Brandon Gonzales (17-0, 10 KO’s)

Round 1 Gonzales lands a hard right and left..10-9 Gonzales

Round 2 Gonzales lands 2 to the body and working inside..Right..head shots..20-18 Gonzales

Round 3 Gonzales being more active..30-27 Gonzales

Round 4 Body/ head from Oosthuizen..2 hard rights from Gonzales..40-37 Gonzales

Round 5 4 punch combo from Gonzales..50-46 Gonzales

Round 6 Scraping left hook from Gonzales…Trading jabs..Oosthuizen lands a uppercut…couple boy shots..59-56 Gonzales

Round 7 Good right from Gonzales..Good right…69-65 Gonzales

Round 8 Couple light punches from Oosthuizen..Hard lead right from Gonzales. 78-75 Gonzales

Round 9 Good right from Gonzales…Oothuizen lands a left.. Gonzales lands a right…88-84 Gonzales

Round 10 Gonzales lands a right..Hard left from Oosthuzien wobbles Gonzales..97-94 Gonzales

98-92 Gonzales; 96-94 Oosthuizen; 95-95—DRAW

10 Rounds–Super Welterweights–Willie Nelson (20-1-1, 12 KO’s) vs Luciano Cuello (36-2, 16 KO’s)

Round 1 Nelson lands a body shot..Left hook wobbles Cuello..Straight right..Good left hook..10-9 Nelson

Round 2 20-19

Round 3 Cuello lands 2 body shots on the ropes..Good left hook..Wide right..Hard right and uppercut and left hook..29-29

Round 4 Nelson lands a jab..lead right..39-38 Nelson

Round 5 Nelson lands a right to the body..49-47 Nelson

Round 6 Nelson lands a good left hook…59-56 Nelson

Round 7 Hard right rocks Nelson..Hard flurry in the corner..Nelson lands a good left..68-66 Nelson

Round 8 Cuello lands a right..Good left hook..77-76 Nelson

Round 9 Nelson lands a jab..87-85 Nelson

Round 10 Cuello lands a hard shot..Uppercut hurts Nelson…Nelson holding on…Nelson bleeding over the left eye..96-95 Nelson

97-93, 97-93, 96-94 –WILLIE NELSON

GENNADY GOLOVKIN 159 LBS. MATTHEW MACKLIN 159 LBS.

WI2

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (June 28, 2013) — The official weigh-in was held today for tomorrow night’s HBO Triple-Header, presented by DiBella Entertainment and K2 Promotions, in MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Saturday’s HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader airs live from the Foxwoods Resort Casino’s MGM Grand Theater in Mashantucket, Connecticut at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

The telecasts opens with Willie Nelson as he takes on Luciano Cuello in a scheduled 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division.

Nelson vs. Cuello will be followed by a 10-round super middleweight showdown matching the undefeated Thomas Oosthuizen against Brandon Gonzales and his own undefeated record.

The main event pits middleweight title-holder Gennady Golovkin in his return to HBO against challenger Matthew Macklin in a 12-round title bout.

Below find fighter weights and pictures by Ed Diller / DiBella Entertainment.

Main Event – WBA / IBO World Middleweight Championship (12) – HBO

GENNADY “GGG”GOLOVKIN (26-0, 23 KOs), Stuggart, Germany by way of Kazakhstan 159 LBS.

W3

MATTHEW “Mack The Knife” MACKLIN (29-4, 20 KOs), Birmingham, United Kingdom 159 LBS.

WI4

Co-Feature – Super Middleweights (10) – HBO

L: THOMAS “Tommy Gun” OOSTHUIZEN (21-0-1, 13 KOs), Boksburg, South Africa 167 LBS.

R: BRANDON “Flawless” GONZALES (17-0, 10 KOs), Sacramento, California 166 LBS.

COWI

NABF Super Welterweight Championship (10) – HBO

L: WILLIE “The Great” NELSON (20-1-1, 12 KOs), Champion, Cleveland, Ohio 153 LBS.

R: LUCIANO LEONEL “El Principito” CUELLO (32-2, 16 KOs), Buenos Aires, Argentina 153 LBS.

WI5

Featherweights (8)

L: LUIS “KO King” ROSA, JR. (13-0, 6 KOs), New Haven, Connecticut 124 LBS.

R: JOSE ANGEL “Pepe” BERANZA (36-26-2, 28 KOs), Mexico City, Mexico 124 LBS.

WI6

Junior Middleweights (8)

L: DANNY “Bhoy” O’CONNOR (20-1, 7 KOs), Framingham, Massachusetts 152 LBS.

R: HECTOR “The Hurricane” MUNOZ (21-10-1, 14 KOs), Albuquerque, New Mexico 151 LBS

Featherweights (8)

L: LUIS “KO King” ROSA, JR. (13-0, 6 KOs), New Haven, Connecticut 124 LBS.

R: JOSE ANGEL “Pepe” BERANZA (36-26-2, 28 KOs), Mexico City, Mexico 124 LBS.

WO8

Welterweights (8)

DUSTY HERNANDEZ-HARRISON (15-0, 9 KOs), Washington D.C. 146 LBS.

BEN “The Congo Soldier” ANKRAH (17-15, 8 KOs), Chicago, Illinois by way of Ghana 146 LBS.

WHEN: Saturday, June 28, 2013

WHERE: MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino

PROMOTER: DiBella Entertainment and K2 Promotions

HBO® Boxing After Dark starting at 9:45 p.m. ET

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $300, $200, $90 and $45. Tickets may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office. Tickets may also be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet and online at Ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates, please visit www.K2Promos.com, www.dbe1.com or www.hbo.com/boxing.

GGG is an acronym still searching for some definition. Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin has an unbeaten record, boxing’s best knockout ratio, Olympic silver, a good back story and a friendly, somewhat enigmatic smile that seems to say: What, me worry?

What he doesn’t have, however, is a defining fight that stands as a milestone on a career path that many believe is unlimited. An HBO-televised bout Saturday against Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20 KOs) is being sold as one that might provide a look at the substance to the advertised potential in Golovkin (26-0, 23 KOs), whose familiar initials adorn his trunks as if they are there to identify a fighter going global.

Golovkin’s passport and resume are stamped world-class. His 2004 Olympic medal for Kazakhstan, his home and family in Germany, his move into the American market, his piece of the middleweight belt and HBO’s interest in him say it many languages all with the same interpretation.

There’s nowhere Golovkin won’t go. And there’s no one he won’t fight.

Yet, the second part of that equation looked problematic about a year ago. Rival promoters and managers looked at him and saw a party crasher. They said they didn’t know who he was. They complained he was unknown to most of the customers. But, truth is, they had seen enough to know that Golovkin’s sudden arrival could alter their plans to cash in. Sergio Martinez promoter Lou DiBella, Macklin’s promoter, reacted to any mention of Golovkin’s name as if it were day-old goulash not long after Martinez’ victory over Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., in September.

It was DiBella’s way of saying: Let him pay his dues. Martinez paid them in full and perhaps at a price that has brought him to the end of his brilliant career. He suffered injuries in his victory over Chavez and was injured again in a narrow escape in the rain against Martin Murray in Argentina.

But boxing isn’t baseball. There’s no unwritten rule that a promising talent has to spend time in the minors. The guess here is that Golovkin, a little bit like Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig, has been ready for the big time for a while.

For Golovkin, the good news is that he seems to have taken an important step in perception. If not an equal to Martinez, his name is being dropped as a worthy challenger. There’s been little argument. Macklin could change that with one big punch.

In part, that danger might put pressure on Golovkin. A misstep against Macklin would be a severe setback just at the point when Golovkin’s career is poised to move onto the big stage. The guess in this corner is that Golovkin will prevail with patience and a brand of power that Macklin has yet to experience.

If styles make fights, this one fits Golovkin like a well-worn victory. Macklin brawls, almost by instinct. At some point, that habit will put him within range of power that accounts for Golovkin’s ability to a stop 88.4 percent of his opponents. It would be interesting to see how Golovkin reacts if rocked by Macklin. But don’t be surprised if that doesn’t happen. Golovkin’s knockout percentage masks boxing ability acquired during his long amateur career. He beat Andy Lee and Lucian Bute at the 2003 World Championships. He beat Andre Dirrell at the Athens Olympics. He learned the craft in a lot of places and a lot ways, all impossible to ignore. Will it lead to a showdown with a vulnerable Martinez or a Chavez Jr. trying to resurrect a battered image?

Maybe, although super-middleweight Andre Ward could enter the picture depending on what happens with promoter Dan Goossen. Ward and Goossen went through arbitration, reportedly because Ward wants out of his contract. If Ward breaks from Goossen and signs with Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Ward is one step closer to getting a fight against Chavez Jr. A victory over Chavez would enhance his marketability with Mexican fans, the key demographic in the boxing market.

There are still a lot of moves to be made. But on boxing’s chessboard, Golovkin is finally a major piece. Against Macklin, Golovkin is in a fight to remain one. That makes it a significant bout, if not a dangerous one.

AZ Notes
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Alvarez are in Phoenix Tuesday on a 11-city tour for their Sept. 14 fight at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand in a stop that looms as a test of an Arizona market abandoned by major promoters after the 2010 immigration controversy involving SB 1070.

Golden Boy, which is staging the national tour, left the state after a long, successful series of bouts at Desert Diamond Casino south of Tucson. Despite vanishing cards, however, the state’s pay-per-view sales stayed strong, according to sources aligned to promoters and television. The turnout for Tuesday’s tour stop is another test of whether it’s time to re-enter the market.

Tuesday’s tour stop is scheduled for the Herberger Theater at 222 East Monroe Street in downtown Phoenix. Mayweather and Alvarez are scheduled to meet the fans at 11 a.m.

New York, NY (6/26/3) – This Saturday, June 29th, defending WBA/IBO champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (26-0, 23KO’s) meets Ireland’s top-rated former world title challenger Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin (29-4, 20KO’s) in their much-anticipated middleweight championship showdown at the MGM Grand Theaterat Foxwoods ® Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The championship matchup will be the main event on the HBO Boxing After Dark® triple-header, which will be televised live on HBO® beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

The champion Golovkin and the challenger Macklin held their final press conference earlier this afternoon before a standing room only crowd at New York City’s famed Gallagher’s Steakhouse. Both fighters looked eager to get things underway after lengthy training camps and promised fireworks on Saturday night.

Below are photos and quotes from the final presser:

Gennady Golovkin: It is very good to see everybody, and I want to thank everyone who was involved in making this fight. We are very close right now to the fight night and I am very excited. I think this is a great fight for us. I am the champion, and Matthew is the best challenger out there for me. This fight will prove who is truly the best in the middleweight division.

Matthew Macklin: This is my third time fighting for a world title and I feel that I am a better fighter now than in either of those appearances. The biggest fights and the toughest challenges have always brought the best out of me, and I know that is what will happen on Saturday night. No disrespect, but he has never fought anyone of my caliber. The amateurs are the amateurs, this is the professionals. He was winning amateur championships when I was having 12-round wars.

There is an old saying, ‘When the going gets tough the tough gets going’, and I know we have a tough task on Saturday night, but I know that on Saturday night I WILL be walking out of that ring as the new middleweight champion of the world.

Tom Loeffler: Everyone involved with this promotion has been all class and shown nothing but professionalism. HBO wanted to put together the best possible fight for Gennady, and we feel that Matthew is that matchup.

Usually I am not known for being brass at press conferences, I will say though, and this is with all due respect, but we think that Gennady is THE best middleweight in the world right now. To make everyone else a believer though, we know that Gennady has to prove that, and we feel that is exactly what he will do on Saturday night.

A lot of people think that maybe Gennady is too overhyped, or risen a bit too quickly, but we feel everything he has right now he has earned and is deserved and an impressive victory over Macklin on Saturday night further solidifies that.

Lou DiBella: This is going to be a terrific fight and a terrific event on Saturday night. Golovkin has already been ordained as the 2nd coming and we and Team Macklin think that he needs to prove that, and on Saturday night he is going to have to walk through fire to do that.

Nobody wanted to fight this guy (GGG), partly because HBO and the press have already ordained him and have him out to be this beast of a human being. There is no doubting he had a great amateur career and his knockout ratio now is amazing. The difference in this fight though is that Matt Macklin is not scared of you. Matt Macklin is a big, strong, aggressive middleweight. This is going to be the hardest fight of your career Gennady.

I do give credit to Gennady though because he is a great champion. The whole world has run away from this guy, except for Matthew Macklin, and for that I salute you.

Abel Sanchez – Head Trainer Golovkin: I think Matthew’s biggest asset is having Buddy, who is such a great trainer in his corner. We are excited about this fight because we know Matthew is going to be right there in front of us. We are expecting a tough fight on Saturday, but also a short fight. It is going to be very exciting for as long as it lasts.

Buddy McGirt – Macklin Head Trainer: It is amazing when you get a fighter that wants to fight everyone, and that’s what we have in Macklin. He never takes easy fights. I think this is a great fight for Boxing, because it features the best fighting the best. People ask me what is the game plan? When you fight a guy that punches like this guy, you just have to keep is basic – keep your hands up, chin down and keep your ass off the ground. This fight is going to come down to nuts and guts and whoever has more of those on fight night will come out victorious.

Peter Nelson – HBO: We are really looking forward to this event on Saturday night. We expect an electric atmosphere. I think Macklin’s army is probably already there at Foxwoods gearing up for event.

This fight features two of the best middleweights in the world. This truly is the type of a dream match-up for us at HBO. Neither of these guys know how to fight going backwards and that is going to make for fireworks on Saturday night. They are great guys outside of the ring, but when these two get in the ring they become absolute killers. They come to fight and they come to deliver for the fans and we at HBO are proud to be a part of it.

Brian Peters – Brian Peters Promotions (Macklin co-promoter): Whether GG is superman or man of steal, we aren’t so sure, but what we are sure of is Matthew Macklin will take him places he has never been in his career. He will be hit more and harder than he has ever been hit and he better be ready for a war come Saturday night.

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $300, $200, $90 and $45. Tickets may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office. Tickets may also be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet and online at Ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates, please visit www.K2Promos.com, www.dbe1.com or www.hbo.com/boxing.

New York, NY (6/25/13) – Earlier this afternoon, top-rated middleweight contender and former two-time world title challenger Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin held an open media workout at The Trinity Boxing Club in downtown Manhattan ahead of his much anticipated world championship clash this SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013 against WBA/IBO Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

The Golovkin/Macklin bout is presented by K2 Promotions and DiBella Entertainment and will be televised live on HBO beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Macklin looked to be in tremendous shape, having kept himself just 2 lbs. over the 160 lb. limit for the past three weeks, and was all smiles and oozing with confidence ahead of the championship clash this Saturday.

Below are photos and quotes from the workout.

MATTHEW MACKLIN:

I have had a great training camp, truly the best yet in my career. I have already been on weight for three weeks.

This is my third crack at the world title, and I just cannot wait to get in there and get things going on Saturday night.

I am ready for whatever Golovkin brings on Saturday night, but let’s be honest, I am no point scorer, and neither is he. I am looking to take him out and him the same to me, so this can be nothing but a great fight.

I have done everything I have wanted in my career, except win a world championship, and on Saturday night that all changes.

LOU DIBELLA:

I have never seen Matthew look like this. I have never seen him this sharp or look in this great of shape.

People are saying Golovkin is looking past Matthew. Good luck if that’s the case. He and everyone else are going to be in for a big surprise Saturday night. Golovkin has never been in with someone like Matthew. He better be ready for Saturday night because he has a big Irish mountain in front of him that is going to make him walk through fire to keep his title.

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $300, $200, $90 and $45. Tickets may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office. Tickets may also be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet and online at Ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates, please visit www.K2Promos.com, www.dbe1.com or www.hbo.com/boxing

NEW YORK (June 24, 2013) – The explosive June 29thHBO Boxing After Dark® triple-header, headlined by WBA/IBO champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (26-0, 23 KOs) champion defending against Ireland’s top-rated former world title challenger Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin (29-4, 20 KOs), will also showcase a loaded undercard at MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods ® Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

The highly anticipated event is promoted by K2 Promotions and DiBella Entertainment. The Golovkin-Macklin 12-round main event, as well as a pair of 10-round bouts between IBO super middleweight titlist Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen (21-0-1, 13 KOs) and Brandon “Flawless” Gonzales (17-0, 10 KOs) in the co-feature, and NABF super welterweight champion Willie “The Great” Nelson (20-1-1, 12 KOs) defending against Argentinian-invader Luciano Leonel “El Principito” Cuello (32-2, 16 KOs), will all be televised live on HBO® beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Providing chief support for the non-televised portion is an eight-round super lightweight match between local favorite Danny “dBoy” O’Connor (20-1, 7 KOs) and veteran Hector “The Hurricane” Munoz (21-10-1, 14 KOs). O’Connor, fighting out of nearby Framingham (MA), was a 2008 U.S. Olympic Team alternate. The 28-year-old southpaw is riding a six-fight win streak, since suffering his lone professional loss, during which time he has added head trainer Ronnie Shields to his corner, and Dropkick Murphys band founder/frontman Kenny Casey as his manager.

Munoz has been a gatekeeper, of sorts, in the welterweight and light welterweight divisions having fought world-class opponents such as Ed Paredes, Shawn Porter, Mike Jones and Antonin DeCarie.

Another top New England prospect, unbeaten New Haven (CT) junior featherweight Luis “KO King” Rosa Jr., puts his perfect record on the line in an eight-round match against an opponent to be determined. Rosa captured a gold medal at the 2008 National PAL Championships.

Also set to fight on the undercard is undefeated super welterweight Dusty Hernandez Harrison (15-0, 9 KOs), fighting out of Washington D.C., Harrison is set to take on Ben Ankrah (17-15, 8KO’s) in a scheduled six rounder.

Rounding out the card is fellow undefeated prospect and former Emmanuel Steward protégé, Tony Harrison (13-0, 10KO’s) of Detroit, MI. Harrison is set to take on an opponent TBA. The bout is scheduled for six rounds in the junior middleweight division.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $300, $200, $90 and $45. Tickets may be purchased online at foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office. Tickets may also be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet and online at Ticketmaster.com.

For fight updates, please visit www.K2Promos.com, www.dbe1.com or www.hbo.com/boxing.

New York, NY (6/21/13) – Next Saturday defending WBA/IBO champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (26-0, 23KO’s) meets Ireland’s top-rated former world title challenger Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin (29-4, 20KO’s) in their much-anticipated middleweight championship showdown at the MGM Grand Theaterat Foxwoods ® Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The championship matchup will be the main event on the HBO Boxing After Dark triple-header, which will be televised live on HBO® beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

In the HBO televised co-feature bout, red-hot super middleweight contender and IBO Champion Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen (21-0-1, 13KO’s) puts his undefeated record on the line against fellow undefeated contender Brandon “Flawless” Gonzales (17-0, 10KO’s) while top-rated junior middleweight NABF champion Willie “The Great” Nelson (20-1-1, 12KO’s) squares off against Luciano Cuello (32-2, 16KO’s) in the televised opener. Both bouts are scheduled for 10 rounds.

With just over a little more than a week to go before the monster middleweight showdown, both champion and challenger are eagerly counting down the minutes to what is one of the most anticipated championship match-ups thus far in 2013.

Below are quotes and photos (Photo credit Team Golovkin) from Golokin’s media day held in Big Bear last week as well as a complete transcript (audio included) from yesterday’s media teleconference call.

Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
“This has been a terrific camp, the weather in Big Bear has been very good throughout. Training has been great and I’ve had some very good sparring.”

“My only focus is on Matthew Macklin on Saturday, June 29, nothing else.”

“It’s always exciting to fight. I’m thankful to all my fans for their support.
I’m looking forward to putting on another good show.”

“I know that Chavez Jr., Geale and Sturm have fights coming up. I will fight any of them. I want to fight the best and challenge myself always.”

Abel Sanchez, Trainer of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
“Gennady showed up for camp at 167 at the end of May. He’s at 163 today, his weight is never a problem and he’s in outstanding shape.”

Tom Loeffler, Managing Director of K2 Promotions
“Seeing how hard Gennady trains explains why he has been so dominant. Fans at Foxwoods on June 29 and those watching around the world will see a terrific performance from him.”

“One fight at a time, but our goal is to unify the titles at 160. And for the right opportunity Gennady is fully prepared to also fight anyone at 154 or 168.”

“Along with HBO in the US and Sky Sports in the UK, this fight will also be broadcast LIVE on DMAX in Germany where Gennady lives.”

MEDIA CALL TRANSCRIPT
https://quickconnect.sharefile.com/d/dd763b70690045a9

Operator: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Middleweight Championship Boxing After Dark Triple Header Conference call. Today we have WBA and IBO defending middleweight champion, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin with a record of 26 and 0, 23 knockouts and his challenger, top rated middleweight contender and former World Title challenger, Matthew “Mac the Knife” Macklin with 29 and 4 and 20 knockouts.

We also have Tom Loeffler, president of K2 Promotions, Golovkin’s promoter and GGG’s head trainer, Abel Sanchez. For team Macklin, we have promoter Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment, co-promoter, Brian Peters of Brian Peters Promotions and head trainer, Buddy McGirt. The HBO Boxing After Dark triple header begins at 9:45 pm Eastern Time and Pacific Time on Saturday, June 29 and takes place at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods.

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $300, $200, $900 and $45. Tickets may be purchased online at Foxwoods.com, by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at -1-800-200-2882 or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office. Tickets may also be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet and online at ticketmaster.com. To kick things off we would like to introduce Bill Satti of Foxwoods Resort and Casino.

Bill Satti: Good morning, good afternoon and good evening to everyone that’s on the call today. Again, my name is Bill Satti with Foxwoods Resort Casino. This is about the 120th fight we’ve held here since opening our doors in 1992. And we’re honored to have the two teams that are coming here, Golovkin and Macklin and obviously the great promoters, Lou DiBella who’s been with us for many a fight and also K2.

So we look forward to working with them. Our – this year’s event is going to be held in our MGM Grand Theater which is a premiere theater. It transforms into a great boxing venue as well, seats over 4,000 people. And as she’s mentioned, tickets can be purchased at foxwoods.com. Doors will be opening at 6 o’clock to the public, 5:30 for media. The first fight I think is scheduled. And I’ll defer to them. But I think it’s 6:45.

The only thing I want to say to anyone who’s coming here since the Foxwoods is a very large venue, please feel free to look for go – plug into your GPS 240 MGM Boulevard. And that will take you to the MGM parking garage which is close walking proximity to the theater as a whole. Look forward to seeing everyone next Saturday night. And it’s going to be a great night.

Tom Loeffler: Hello.

Lou DiBella: Hello everybody, it’s Lou.

Lou DiBella: So let me take it from here. Bill, I want to thank you and everybody from Foxwoods, particularly Scott Butera who’s been a great friend to boxing on the east coast. Particularly I think Foxwoods has established itself as the destination for big time boxing in the east coast. And in my mind is finest event facility for boxing that’s just about any place I would rather be at the MGM Theater then on any venue in the east coast of the United States.

This is a tremendous boxing card. I need to thank HBO Sports for putting up the money necessary to make a card of this magnitude. It doesn’t get much better than this. The off-TV undercard features Danny O’Connor, a local favorite in New England. He’s got a tough fight in front of him. He’s managed by Ken Casey and the very popular band the Dropkick Murphys. So they’ll be a big following for Danny. Luis Rosa from Hartford, Super Bantamweight who’s promoted by DiBella Entertainment is a big, big ticket seller in New England who will also be on that undercard.

And that undercard will sacked with talent from beginning to end. And Tom Loeffler can tell you about the fight they have on the cards when he speaks. The tickets are priced very affordably with VIP ringsides at $300, ringsides at $200, $90 tickets and $45 tickets. And they’re available at Foxwoods.com or Ticketmaster locations. The off – the TV undercard that HBO will begin at 9:45 Eastern time as well as 9:45 pacific time will open with Willie Nelson, terrific young 154lb contender facing Luciano Cuello from Spain whose only loss were to Canelo Alvarez at a very close decision to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in the fight that many thought could have gone either way. The co-featured bout is at 168 lbs between a guy that holds the IBO 68 pound championship and is considered one of the best 68 pound prospects in the world, highly rated all over the place, Thomas Oosthuizen. He’ll be fighting Brandon Gonzalez who is promoted by Goossen Promotions and is an undefeated 68 pounder. Oosthuizen is also undefeated. Oosthuizen is self promoted by Golden Gloves Promotions of South Africa.

Tommy and I expect that to be a brawl. The main event it doesn’t really get any better than that. Matt “Mack the Knife” Macklin will be challenging Gennady Golovkin for his WBA World Middleweight Championship. Golovkin is probably one of the most highly talented fighter in the world today. Certainly after Sergio Martinez, he’s the mostly highly regarded. But we believe he’s never faced a challenge like Matt Macklin.

Matt’s a true 160 lb contender, truly one of the best in the world, tested Sergio Martinez throughout their fight, was a head midway through that fight, made it as good a fight as you can make it and ultimately, ultimately lost on TKO. But you know we all know that Sergio is one of the best fighters pound for pound in the world. Matt gave him everything he could take and we expect Matt to press Gennady.

And frankly we at DBE expect Matt to beat Gennady. But I know that Gennady’s team and K2, Gennady himself has a very different opinion. And they’ll soon express it to you. One more time, tickets are $300 for VIPs, $200 for rings, $90 and $45. There are an awful lot of super affordable tickets at $90 and $45. And if you’ve ever been to the MGM Theater at Foxwoods, there is not a bad seat in the house.

They’re available through Foxwoods.com or by calling Ticketmaster. And introduce his trainer and his fighter, I’m going to turn it over to an old friend of mine, a guy that I’ve known for over 20 years and I’m proud to work with who works with a great team and a great fighter, my friend, Tom Loeffler.

Tom Loeffler: Thanks, Lou. We’re definitely exciting about coming up to Foxwoods. As you mentioned, this type of fight would never be possible without the support of HBO. They really went out of their way to make this because they realized for the middleweight division right now where Gennady is at, they need – they need to have a top – top fighter like Matthew Macklin. And we have a lot of respect for Matthew. He’s probably in the top 5, maybe the best non-title holder in the division.

And this is the type of the test that Gennady needs for his career. Gennady right now as you mentioned is one of the highest touted boxes around. His life has really taken on a life of it’s own after the two-day special that HBO did on the last fight. It’s really – you know his life has kind of grown. And you know this type of fight will definitely provide fireworks. And it will show you know if Gennady is the real deal.

And all of our – you know our team believes that. I know Matthew Macklin and Lou and Brian Peters have a different idea. But that’s what makes this such a great fight. So with that, I want to introduce the trainer for Gennady, Abel Sanchez. Abel’s been around for a long time. He’s up in the training camp that he runs in Big Bear Like, California, the world famous summit high altitude training center. So Abel can give you some insight onto Gennady’s training has been going. Abel.

Abel Sanchez: Good afternoon to everybody that’s on. Hello Buddy, it’s been a while.

Buddy McGirt: How you doing?

Abel Sanchez: We’re finally going to face each other. But everything’s going good here. Yes, everything’s going good here. I’ve been here since May the 1st. We’re having a great training camp. I’m sure Matthew is too. You’ve got a great coach so we’re looking forward to a very difficult fight. It’s going to be a great fight for as long as it lasts. It’s going to be great for the crowd, great for the HBO audience. So it’s – I’m glad that it was able to be made. HBO came through. And Lou and Tom were able to come together.

But we’re looking for a difficult fight. I hope that it lives up to everything that’s on paper and everything that we think. And everybody that – and everything that Lou and Buddy also think. So thank you very much for having us on. Look forward to seeing you guys there in Connecticut.

Tom Loeffler: Thanks, Abel. And now I want to introduce the WBA and IBO middleweight champion. He’s got the height knockout percentage of any active champion and also the highest in history of any middleweight champion. So with that I’d want to introduce Gennady Golokvin to say a few words.

Gennady Golokvin: Good afternoon everybody. I think to say like my coach you know this very difficult fight for me and for him and for us. I think very close fight. I think very great fight for people, for TV, for fans you know. I’ m ready. I think Matthew is ready too. I hope a great fight. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Tom Loeffler: Thanks, Gennady. So, Lou, do you want to introduce the Macklin side.

Lou DiBella: Yes, thank you Tom. First I want to introduce a man I’ve known for many, many years. I’ve known prior even to meeting Matt – Matthew. He’s been the biggest force in Irish boxing for decades, but too many that I want to say because he still looks like a young guy. But, Brian do you want say a few words.

Brian Peters: Certainly, Lou. Thank you. Thank you very much to Lou and thank you to everybody at Lou’s office, DiBella Entertainment. They’ve been fantastic. You know this – these are the kind of fights that Matthew has always wanted to be in – be at this level and to be fighting. You know last year, thanks to Lou we fought at the Garden and to be fighting a fantastic place like Foxwoods, that’s another great thing in Matthew’s career.

Would also like to thank Tom of K2 Promotions and of course Gennady Golovkin, the champion for giving us this opportunity and of course, HBO – and HBO to make all this possible. But Matthew, he’s a good old fashioned fighter. These fights, they’re a throwback to the middleweight days. You know I believe that Matthew is going to bring Gennady to places that he hasn’t been yet as a professional.

And I think he’s going to shock a lot of people. And I think the fans and HBO are going to be very happy with what they see come June 29. Thank you, guys.

Lou DiBella: Thank you very much, Brian. The next gentleman was a great fighter in his own right, one of the best in the New York area and in the world for a long time. He’s a terrific trainer, James Buddy McGirt.

Buddy McGirt: Hello, everybody. I just want say that I just think that this is a fight that boxing really needs. I’m glad HBO is televising it. When you have the best fighting the best and my hat is off to Golovkin and his camp for accepting the fight with Matthew. And I have to say for a while I never knew who was training Golovkin. But when I found out Abel was training him, then I had to really put my thinking cap on.

And the last time I had t put my thinking cap on has been over about 8 years when I had Tarver fight Roy Jones, where I really had to focus on doing different things, and that’s what I am doing with Matthew, to make sure that we win this fight coming the 29th.

So you know he’s prepared now. But I’m quite sure Golovkin’s prepared. And it’s just you know 9, 10 more days and you know when everybody, they step up to the plate and handle their business.

Lou DiBella: Thank you, Buddy. The next gentleman should at one point have held the middleweight title. He soundly beat Flex Sturm on Sturm’s home ground in Germany. He should have come back a champion. He didn’t. That fight made me salivate and want to promote Matt Macklin not only because – not only because he should have been a world champion, but because he’s absolutely one of the most exciting fighters in all of boxing.

He has the blood and guts warrior spirit that you know you saw in Arturo Gatti and guys like Mickey Ward and others who are really willing to walk through the fire to prove what they have which is why I think (unintelligible) miss title fight on June 29. I don’t see any way it’s going to be anything but a great fight. Matthew is going to make Gennady fight and to make Gennady have to walk through that fire if he’s going to keep his tile.

But we at DBE think that there’s a great chance that that title is going to change hands on June 29. So it’s my pleasure to introduce the great warrior, Matt “Mack the Knife” Macklin.

Matthew Macklin: Thanks, Lou. Yes, I just want to thank everyone involved with making the fight, you know myself, Lou, everyone at DiBella Entertainment, Foxwoods, HBO, Brian Peters, you know everyone at K2, Tom Loeffler and Gennady for you know taking the challenge and giving me the opportunity. And you know I’m really looking forward to it. It’s my third attempt at the world title let’s say. I should have been WBA Champion on the last Saturday of June two years ago.

But I was robbed in Germany. You know gave Sergio a good fight and that was close. I think it was a 3 up on one of the cards going into the 11th round, but I came up short that night. But I think I’m a better fighter and have more experience. You know Sergio was a nightmare where Gennady, as good a fighter as he is, he’s right there in front of you. You know he looks very impressive, especially with his amateur pedigree behind him.

I remember him from the World Junior Championships in Budapest back in 2000. So I’ve been familiar with him since then. I’ve always thought he had a ton of talent and funny enough but I think 13 years later we’re now fighting each other. So you know as a professional, I’m certainly the more proven entity. And I’ve had the much – you know tough, much tougher opposition. And I think that will hold me a good seat on the night. I have worked well with Buddy and we have had a good training camp so far.

And we’re nearly finished now with all the hard work. Just excited for the fight, so looking forward to fighting at Foxwoods and looking forward to making certain I’m lucky becoming maybe the World Champion of the world. I see you all in Foxwoods.

Lou DiBella: Thank you, Matt. And moderator, if we can open it up to questions from the press.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, if you’d like to ask a question, please press the number 1 key on your telephone keypad. Again, if you’d like to ask a question, please press the number 1 key on your phone.

Q: Hello. How is everybody doing today? I have a question one for Gennady and one for Matthew. First to the champion, Gennady, you know a lot of critics and detractors out there who say that you’ve done nothing to solidify yourself as a legit champion. Matthew is a guy who’s known as a come forward fighter and gives it all he has but he’s also a guy who has come up short against some of the top names.

Do you think a win over Matthew is going to silence these critics or after this fight, if you do win, do you have to go after one of the other guys like maybe Chavez Jr. or the guy who a lot of people think just beat Sergio Martinez, Martin Murray to solidify yourself as – in the eyes of detractors as a legitimate champion.

Gennady Golokvin: I think Matthew is a great test for me. I think just one fight any time here you know that I win yes, but I hope I win impressively.

Tom Loeffler: I can jump in for Gennady on that question because there has been some criticism as far as him only fighting junior middleweights or not the top level competition. But that’s certainly not from his standpoint. We’ve told HBO – anyone – in fact there’s no name that we’ve turned down yet for Gennady, And as Matt said, you know he should have been a World Champion when he fought Felix Sturm. He should have gotten the decision there.

And if you can knock down Sergio Martinez, that’s quite an accomplishment. So I think that if he beats Matthew Macklin, then I think he’ll be – he’ll legitimately be recognized as you know the number 2 guy right behind Sergio Martinez.

Q: Thank you. And my second question is for Matthew. Matthew, as you stated yourself something that a lot of people seem to forget in this sport is that Gennady was a top amateur who has beat you know a lot of the big names in the sport. And right now you know he’s known as one – you know probably the hardest and most accurate puncher in the sport. You yourself are known as a come forward fighter you know who lets it all hang out and gives everything he has.

Is there anything that you feel that you’ve had to alter in your style for this fight to avoid falling into you know Gennady’s game plan?

Matthew Macklin: You know well I mean Gennady’s a pretty impressive fighter you know but – and this is through no fault of his own, but you know most of the guys he has been walking through have been 154 pounders. You know I’m strong, big punching 160 pounder. And you know that changes things.

You know when all of a sudden he’s going to have to be a lot more pre-occupied with defense in this fight than he has probably all of his previous ones. You know he’s got a lot of hype around hm. You know if he wasn’t for his amateur pedigree, I wouldn’t really read into the hype at all because he hasn’t really beaten anybody of any note.

But you know of course, the amateur pedigree suggests that he’s the real deal. And you know I remember watching him myself at the same age as me boxing the World Junior Championships when I did so I know how good a fighter he is. And like I said before, I’m looking forward to this fight. You know even with this guy I’m going to hit him back just as hard as he’s going to hit me. So yes, he is accurate. He’s got good timing. He’s heavy handed.

And you know so am I. So you know it’s going to be an exciting fight.

Q: Hello. Good afternoon everybody. First question here is for Gennady. Gennady, in the media, the media has been beating you up for as most people have been saying that you’re really a monster. There’s some others are saying that you’re not. Many of your previous performances, they can attest to your power that you do possess in the ring though.

We know Matt’s going to carry some heavy hands. Any chance that we see a change in your strategy in utilizing more of your boxing skills versus relying on your power?

Gennady Golovkin: No I’m regular person. I’m regular man. You know I think no. I’m not thinking about making much change. No, my strategy is my strategy. I know Matthew is good. But the truth he is good -very strong. Very close fight for us you know. I think Matthew already know this. I think great fight.

Q: Thank you, Gennady. My next question is for Matthew. Matthew, talk has already been circulating around the media pretty frequently know that you know Golovkin’s talking about facing Martinez, Chavez and some of the other big names out there. How has this affected you leading into this fight if it has at all?

Matthew Macklin: Not really because that’s the media. People are going to ask me questions. I knew this was going to happen. And that’s the way it is. You know I’m the underdog going in. So that’s the fact of the matter. So -but that’s the way I like it. And you know I’m the challenger. He’s the champion. And you know it’s down to me to rip the title away from him. And that’s what I’m prepared to do and that’s what I’m going to do on the night.

Q: One last question for you, Matthew. You’re last bout with Martinez ended on terms that we know you didn’t hope for. Obviously there had to have been some things you picked up from that bout that were learning lessons. What did you pick up from that bout that you believe is going to help you carry you forward in the win on June 29.

Matthew Macklin: Well you know I think it’s a very different fight. You know obviously Sergio moved a lot more and he is a counter puncher. You know Gennady’s more aggressive. He’s an orthodox fighter. He’s strong. He’s probably not as quick as Sergio. But he probably hits harder and he’s stronger. So it’s basically a completely different fight.

And it suits me a lot more. I’m not going to have to go looking for him. And like I said it’s a very different fight so it’s not really fair to compare. But you know I had a good win since over former champion Alcine. You know I’m in good shape, the weight is good. I’m just ready go. And it’s not really – I’m not saying Golovkin is an easier fight, because the styles are so different. It’s very difficult to compare them.

Q: Hello, nice to be able to join you, Matthew.

Matthew Macklin: How are you doing?

Ian Johnson: This is what I’ve got to do to get to talk to you. It’s a great pleasure but could I just ask a parochial question to start with. Matthew, you will become the first Birmingham boxer to become a World Champion. How important is that to you?

Matthew Macklin: Yes very important. I have seen some great fighters over the years and I’d be very happy to be the first one born in Birmingham to want to win the world title. I would be a great achievement.

So yes, to become world champion would be brilliant.

Q: And obviously all our readers Matthew, are going to be backing you to win fairly comfortably we hope. But maybe it won’t be comfortable at all. Can you just – just answer one question? It’s probably worrying us more than anything is that you’re – you’re more serious defeats have been late in the fights. And therefore there’s a suggestion that maybe your stamina is not up to scratch.

How do you regard that?

Matthew Macklin: Oh that’s not going to be a problem, my stamina is one of his strong points when you look at the previous fight. I think I threw over I think 1,000 or 1,100 punches in a couple fights. So for a middle weight, you know that was quite a ferocious fight for people. You know a lot of them were power punches, so great stamina. I mean the Jamie Moore fight I was down under the 154pounds. And to be honest with you, I was completely drained after 3 rounds never mind 10 rounds. So yes, I mean the weight was the issue there.

Matthew Macklin: Sergio Martinez, you know my corner pulled me out at the end of the 11 before the 12th round. I felt – you know I wanted to continue on the night. I felt okay. You know maybe it was the right call. You know Buddy made the call. He made the decision to save me for another day. But you know I think it wasn’t so much a tired thing. I think Sergio maybe just worked me out or tired me a little bit

But you know I feel I’m in better shape for this fight then I was for the Sergio fight anyway. And I think stamina of anything is one of my stronger points. So no I don’t – I don’t – that’s not a problem at all.

Q: Matthew, you’ve only had one win since March 2012. How do you deal with that before challenging Golovkin?

Matthew Macklin: It’s not ideal of course. I mean initially I wanted to fight in June and then maybe fight Gennady in September or October. But the end of the day, the opportunity was there. And it wasn’t necessarily going to be there later on in the year. And you know at this stage in my career I’m not in a position where I want to turn down World Title opportunities. You know this is the fight I want.

So you know the opportunity was there. It came along and you know I took it with both handles. I couldn’t really pass it up.

Q: Hello guys, Matthew. Hello. My question is for Golovkin. Being this is his third fight here in the states, how do you feel the fans react to him fighting here.

Tom Loeffler: I can jump in on that one as well, a lot of noise on the line so I’m not sure if Gennady’s hearing the questions that well. But you know this would be the third time Gennady’s fought on HBO. And also the third time he’s fought here in the states. After his first fight against Proksa last September, a week later we took him to the (Nonito Donaire) fight in the Home Depot Center.

And he was mobbed by all the boxing fans down there. So we’ve gotten a great fan reaction here in the United States when he fought at – in January against Rosado in Madison Square Garden. I mean there was a lot of Russian fans supporting him with a lot of the Kazak flags. So we’ve gotten a great reaction because of the support with HBO.

And now with this fight with Macklin, he’s really – he’s really grown here in the United States incredibly.

Q: Okay. Does he feel the east coast is a better place for him to fight? Is he gaining a little bit more exposure on that side or does it matter where he fights?

Tom Loeffler: Well the original plan is to keep him on the east coast because of all the support here in New York. And we feel a lot of the fans from New York that came to the fight in January, we feel they’ll come up to Foxwoods Casino. This is a great – a great time of the year up in Connecticut. And that’s really where we wanted to build a fan base because New York’s the media capital. So that’s the original plan.

And then we just go from there depending on how everything goes with the fight on June 29.

Q: Evening Matthew, Steve Lillis.

Matthew Macklin: How you doing, Steve?

Q: I’m good, mate. I’m good. Just want one small question first. When you talked about the 2000 World Juniors, was yourself and Gennady in different weight classes there?

Matthew Macklin: Yes. He was weight below.

Q: So he was the light middleweight and you was middle one yes?

Matthew Macklin: I was a welterweight and he was a 63.5 kilos.

Q: Right. Okay, got you. After you lost to Jamie Moore, you were sought of like treading water for 2 or 3 years until the Euro Cup fight came along. Was there any period during that time when you thought you wouldn’t get to this stage to where you are now headlining major cards, fighting on HBO?

Matthew Macklin: Yes. But it’s a rollercoaster. Me minds been very much a rollercoaster career. I remember yourself see I think after my second pro fight in December the turn of the year, you done a feature on 3 prospects that you though were going to be world champions. I was one of them. That was back in 2001. And there was a lot of hype around it. I was a star amateur turning pro and people forget how good my amateur pedigree was even though it was only that short period of time.

But you know, yes, I mean then there was a setback with the last hand juries. I’ve change trainers a couple of times, a period of no activity. There’s was – I went down to Junior Middleweight. I fought Jamie last. And then there was one thing after another fights falling through. Yes. It was a very frustrating period.

And there was a lot – I probably had to do a lot of soul searching but I do believe that time probably built a lot of character or showed the character that I have. I had to stay with it and stick with it. And you know now – now I’m headlining big cards on HBO. And this my third attempt. I should be World Champion because the Sturm fight you know I got beat. And then I didn’t get the decision in the last with Sergio.

But you know fought the Garden and it sold out. So you know I’m looking forward now this time making it third time lucky. And you know I hope to get from all these experiences and you know not hopefully, I’m definitely going to put all the experience and all the objects and everything behind me and put it together and produce the performance of my career.

Q: Can you tell me about you gym in Spain that you’re running as well now?

Matthew Macklin: Yes, the gym in Spain is a great facility. You know we – it’s for charity. It’s a non-profitable gym. Any profit that it makes will be given to local charity there ASPANDEM which is a brilliant charity for children with development issues. And you know it’s a great facility. From my point of view, I’m just happy to have a base that I can train. And I think it’s for a bit of stability – a lot more stability to me to what I would have had in years past.

I’m constantly on the road where you know Marbella is somewhere I’ve been going to on holiday for the last five or six years very frequently. And got a lot of friends out there, big Irish and English community there and you know to be – it’s basically home for me at the moment. So you know the gym is a great facility for any boxers that want to use it.

Q: And have you spoke to Sergio at all about this fight. I know you keep in touch with him.

Matthew Macklin: Yes. He sent me a couple of messages, phone messages, on Twitter and things just saying good luck and asking how training was going. Just you know wishing me well and saying the he was confident in me and believed I’m going to win. That sort of thing so yes, it was nice.

Q: How you doing, Matt.

Matthew Macklin: Yes. Not too bad.

Q: Good. So I just wanted to find out from speaking to you previously, you’ve outlined that you’re camp’s ahead of the Martinez fight. You had a few interruptions and you had a few injuries. Just wanted to see how smoothly your camp’s gone so far and since you went from training in Spain to New York as well?

Matthew Macklin: Good work came out. I’m in good shape, had some good sparring, a couple of light heavy weights, a couple of light middle to mix things up. Build strength and speed. And – so only one sparring session left now and we’re ready to go. So I’m looking forward to fight. I’m in good shape. The weight’s down. I’m on weight now more or less so. Yes, I’m looking forward to the fight. Can’t wait for it now.

Q: You’ve also stressed that Buddy had a big impact when you went back working with him. And he mentioned earlier in the call the tactics are going to play a big part. And I mean do you see this as being very tactful affair. Or is there still I suppose a risk or a possibility that it could end up in a bit of brawl?

Matthew Macklin: I think there’s a lot of ways this fight could go. You know what I mean. I thing that’s why you have to be ready to – you know myself and Buddy talk to a lot of things – a lot of different games plans you know because it could be a tactical 12 round boxing match. It – you know it could be a Hagler-Hearns 3 round war. There’s a lot of ways it could go. And you know we’re just ready for every way the fight pans out. We’re ready to adapt.

Q: Okay. Good So best of luck and thanks, Matt. I just have another question for Gennady if I can ask. Matt has been very complimentary I suppose over your amateur career and that he kept an eye on you throughout your career. Where you aware of Matthew as an amateur or have you kept an eye on him throughout his career?

Gennady Golovkin: I didn’t know Matthew in the amateur. I never seen him amateur.

Tom Loeffler: Gennady was saying is that question has come up before is that you know since they were in different divisions, he didn’t really know Matthew in the amateurs, but certainly in the professionals now with all of his accomplishments. You know Matthew has been on the radar screen for Gennady. And this is kind of a culmination of the fights that Matthew’s had. And now with Gennady being the champion, it’s kind of a meeting at this point where two of the top middleweights are fighting each.

And that’s exactly what boxing needs at this point.

Q: Hello there. Hello, Matthew. Hello Gennady. I’ve got a question for Matthew Macklin. Are you a fighter that studies videos meticulously? Do you sit and watch them with your trainer, Buddy or do you leave that sort of stuff to him?

Matthew Macklin: I don’t sit down with Buddy. Buddy will have a look. And I’ll have a look and then we’ll talk about it. Yes, I mean I watch but I don’t over analyze. You know you can over analyze. Of course you have a look and see what you know certain habits they’ve got or where they feel comfortable, where they don’t feel so comfortable. And yes, you have a good look.

But I don’t – I wouldn’t be spending hours and hours, night in, night out watching them. Once I’ve had a good look at it, that’s it then really. And maybe a bit nearer to the fight, I have a little you know 15 minutes refresh it, and then again a bit nearer again. But I don’t overdo it.

Q: Okay, lovely. Thanks, Matt. I’ve got another quick question. Let’s just say you were to – you were to win the fight. And you could bring the title back to the UK, where would you – in an ideal world, where would fight? Where would you have your first defense if you were going to fight in the UK?

Matthew Macklin: If I was in the UK I suppose I mean it would depend on – it would depend on a lot of things. But I mean for me, it would be in the UK then obviously Birmingham, the LG would be where I would like to have the fight. I mean the O2 in London’s a great arena. Maybe that would be. But I mean if the fight was in the UK, then preferably for me it would be the LG Arena in Birmingham.

Lou DiBella: I’d just like to reiterate a thank you to HBO for making this fight possible. And thank you to Foxwoods for their tremendous cooperation. Thank you to Gennady and to Tom Loeffler and the K2 team for giving Matthew this opportunity. Thank you to Matthew and Brian Peters and Buddy and Matthew’s team for stepping up to a challenge that most people didn’t want. And the fans are the big winners here. They’ll be the winners if they watch this on HBO.

But they would be the bigger winners if they come to Foxwoods. Tickets are $300 for VIPs, $200 rings, $90 and $45. They’re available at Foxwoods.com or by calling Ticketmaster. We hope to see all of you in Connecticut. And if not, we hope you all tune in to HBO. Thank you very much for your time and attention.

Tom Loeffler: And our closing comments also is to just reiterate with Lou said. I mean it’s just everything’s pretty much been said on the call. But it’s going to be a terrific fight. You know both fighters, both Gennady and Matthew come forward. It’s going to be a lot of fireworks in the ring.

The Golovkin-Macklin World Championship Bout is promoted by K2 Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in association with Foxwoods Resort Casino. The fight will take place in the MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut and will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $300, $200, $90 and $45. Tickets may be purchased online at foxwoods.com by calling the Foxwoods’ box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods’ box office. Tickets may also be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet and online at Ticketmaster.com.
For updates and additional information, please visit www.K2Promos.com, www.dbe1.com or www.HBO.com/boxing.