Gennady Golovkin vs Daniel Jacobs

Pound-for-pound great Gennady Golovkin (GGG) makes his return to the ring against mandatory challenger Daniel Jacobs in what many are touting as GGG’s final bout before the mega-fight showdown against Canelo Álvarez. Here at TSZ, we assess the head-to-head records of the main contest, as well as what is in store in what promises to be an exciting undercard.

• As one of the most feared boxers on the planet, Golovkin currently holds the IBO, WBA, WBC and IBF world middleweight belts, with just Billy-Joe Saunders’ WBO belt left to claim.
• GGG’s unbeaten record (36 – 0) and 92% knockout ratio - including 23 KO’s of his previous 23 opponents - makes him the undeniable favourite against Jacobs.
• Nevertheless, Jacobs boasts an impressive record himself that is not to be overlooked. With just a solo loss back in 2010 against the unbeaten Dmitry Pirog, Jacobs also packs serious power with an equally impressive 88% knockout success.
• Since winning his biggest fight against cancer in 2011, Jacobs has KO’d his last 10 opponents and picked up the WBA ‘Regular’ along the way.
• Jacobs has a three-inch reach advantage which could play a role in the tactics adopted from both fighters.
• The pair have recorded 35 consecutive stoppages between them, which almost guarantees the type of explosive fight all boxing fans expect to see when GGG is involved.
• With GGG’s pedigree, we are expecting him to produce another stoppage, albeit in the later rounds.

• The chief undercard fight sees an interesting match-up between current world WBC super flyweight holder Roman Gonzalez and the powerful Wisaksil Wangek.
• Gonzalez is considered by many as the true heir to the throne of Floyd Mayweather. He has amassed a 46 fight unbeaten professional record which has included world titles at the four previous division weight categories, as well as an impressive 88 fight unbeaten amateur record.
• Wangek is a former WBC super flyweight title holder and boasts an 83% KO record, suggesting his style is based on power. However, with four losses to his name and having fought a host of lesser-known opponents, this challenge may be one step too far for the Thai boxer.
• Both fighters share the same KO % but Gonzalez has amassed eight wins to Wangek’s three on points, suggesting he has the technical skills and defensive nous along with the power – an all-round game that will be hard to break down and as a result, Wangek will require a KO. However, judging by what’s on paper, this fight looks like it will only go one way, and that’s in favour of Gonzalez.

• The two Mexican’s go head-to-head in what can only be considered a tune-up bout for Cuadras.
• Cuadras boasts just one loss and a draw from 37 bouts with a 73% KO record, compared to Carmona’s three losses and five draws from 20.
• Cuadras’ last six opponents have been of a high calibre, including a loss to the division king-pin, Roman Gonzalez, in which he has a mandatory title shot rematch providing he is triumphant against Carmona.
• If Carmona is to cause a surprise upset, he will need to take Cuadras the distance, which he has managed to successfully do in 12 of his previous fights.

• A fascinating undercard with two up-and-coming lightweight prospects in Ryan Martin and Bryant Cruz.
• Martin boasts an unbeaten record (17 – 0) compared to Cruz’s solo loss (17 – 1).
• Notably, Martin has a distinct four-inch height advantage and a mammoth six-inch reach advantage. With these distinct physical benefits and a slightly stronger KO record, the 24-year-old American will be difficult to beat.