
The pressure is on for two middleweight champion boxers who will both be competing for the WBA and IBO belt.
The bout will be broadcast live worldwide on July 27 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The fight will be intense for both fighters. With his impressive knockout percentage and hard punching power, Golovkin will be tough to beat, while Geale is seeking his second chance at both titles.
Gennady Golovkin
Stats: 29-0-0 (26 KO’s)
Height: 5 feet 11 inches
Current WBA and IBO middleweight champ Gennady “GGG” Golovkin has never been defeated in his career as a professional boxer, nor has he been knocked down or out. He holds the highest KO ratio in middleweight history (89.65 per cent KO percentage) and is keen to keep his title.
Golovkin certainly knows how it feels to be tough. Born in Karaganda, in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic to a Russian coal miner father, his motivation for fighting comes from his older brothers Vadim and Sergey.
Growing up, Gennady’s brothers would make him fight random men in the street. They would point someone out, ask him if he was afraid and push him into the fight once he said no. Both were killed in action while serving in the Russian army when Gennady was just 14.
Daniel Geale
Stats: 30-2-0 (16 KO’s)
Height: 5 feet 10 inches
Daniel “The Real Deal” Geale is the stereotypical Aussie underdog. He is a former three-time middleweight champion, having held the IBF, WBA and IBO titles.
Over his career, he has held notable victories over other world champions including Roman Karmazin, Sebastian Sylvester, Anthony Mundine and Felix Sturm.
One of Geale’s most well known rivalries was against Anthony Mundine. He lost their first bout in May 2009 in a controversial split-decision. However, Geale bounced back and beat Mundine in a rematch in January last year.
Having lost his IBF title against British fighter Darren Barker last August, Geale will be looking for redemption. A win in this fight will make him a two-time holder of the IBO and WBA titles.
With his impressive ability to take punches, Geale will be a true competitor for Golovkin’s title. But the question remains whether he can withstand the champ’s punching power or not.
Newsroom’s prediction: Geale by split decision – Jackson Miller
Top photo from Daniel Geale’s Twitter page.