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Half-Korean boxing champ Golovkin ready to rock LA

May 12, 2015

Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood

Golovkin and Monroe will fight at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Saturday, May 16. (Brian Han/Korea Times)

By Brian Han

LOS ANGELES — The momentous excitement within the boxing world shifts from Las Vegas to Los Angeles Saturday as undefeated WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will defend his title against contender Willie Monroe Jr.

The half-Korean half-Russian boxer from Kazakhstan has established himself as one of the sport’s premier stars.

What the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight may have lacked as an anti-climactic blockbuster bout could very well be made up at the The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

“Mayweather-Pacquiao may have not met up with expectations, but I can say with confidence that this one will be different,” said Managing Director of K2 Productions Tom Loeffler.

The 33-year-old boxer has recorded 29 knockouts in his 32 victories so spectators can expect to see both his tactical prowess and power on full display come May 16. His endurance and defense speak volumes as well as he has never been knocked out or even knocked down in both his amateur and professional careers.

Undefeated WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin’s mother is known to be Korean. (AP)

Golovkin painted a different picture during the official press conference at the Westin Hotel in L.A. in front of a room crowded with reporters. The knockout champion stayed respectful throughout his brief statement.

“[These matches] will be a present for everybody,” he said. “Everybody here is a professional athlete and everybody understands the situation… I promise a great show.”

His opponent Monroe chose to steer his comments more towards the fight itself while showing gratitude for the opportunity to compete on one of boxing’s biggest stages.

“I want to thank Gennady himself for saying he’ll fight me because I’m a stylistic enigma,” the 28-year-old New York fighter said. “He feels that he can beat anybody. Both of us are at the top of our careers and May 16 one will come out on top.”

Besides Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, Golovkin has built himself into a force both inside and out of the ring.

“A young kid from Kazakhstan from a small, blue collar town to being the reason this event will have the highest ticket sales California has seen in two years says a lot about his marketability, his style,” Loeffler said. “He’s a guy people like to root for and buy a ticket to see.”

Surprisingly enough Kazakhstan is home to approximately 150,000 South Koreans according to The Astana Times, which explains Golovkin’s unique heritage.