The main attraction of the weekend boxing event Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan, known for knocking out 30 of his 33 opponents since he turned pro in 2006.
Aside from his high percentage knockout rate, Golovkin has also dispatched more than half of his opponents in no more than four rounds. No one of his 33 opponents survived the full 12 rounds with just one guy — Michael Murray of England — lasting 11 rounds.
Golovkin’s opponent David Lemieaux is likewise a known KO artist, who has knocked out 31 of his 34 opponents. The 26-year-old Canadian has only two career defeats and has been on a nine-fight winning streak since losing to Joachim Alcine in 2011.
The Golovkin-Lemieux fight could go either way as both fighters are known for their deadly power punches. Lemieaux is still the underdog leading up to the Saturday HBO pay-per-view card.
In the supporting card, pound for pound king Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez — who is also unbeaten since he turned professional in 2005 — known to have knocked out 37 of his 43 opponents.
Gonzalez is aiming to preserve his unbeaten career record against Filipino-American Brian Viloria, a former four-time world flyweight titlist.
While Viloria has lost four in 36 of his professional fights. He has also disposed 22 of his 36 foes via KO.
Two of the supporting bouts, which include the Tureano Johnson vs Eamonn O’Kane and Luis Ortiz vs Matias Ariel Vidondo fights, are expected to show knockout endings as they also have impressive career records.
In a recent open workout prior to the MSG weekend event, Golovkin (33-0-0, 30 KOs) said his New York encounter with Lemieux will be a good test for him as he prepares for more challenging fights ahead.
“This is going to be like a street fight,” he said. “He has a good style – almost like an amateur style. I will beat any style – amateur style or brawl style. He will be a good test for me.”
Golden Boy Promotions” Oscar de la Hoya, who is promoting Lemieux, is confident the Golovkin-Lemieux fight will be a sellout.
“This record-breaking pre-sale only confirms that this fight will be one of the most exciting of the year as the best meets the best for middleweight supremacy,” said De La Hoya, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.
“Fans are thirsty for action and they know that is what David Lemieux and Gennady Golovkin will deliver on Oct. 17 at Madison Square Garden,” he added.
A win by Golovkin over Lemieux could put him in contention with the winner of the upcoming fight between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez.
