Gennady Golovkin vs. Marco Antonio Rubio: El Veneno Is a Proper Test for GGG

Almost no one expects IBO and WBA middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin to lose to Marco "El Veneno" Antonio Rubio on Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Golovkin is listed as minus-10000 favorite to win per Odds Shark, but that doesn't mean the hard-punching veteran can't provide Golovkin with some tough rounds.

Let's be clear, no one who fights Rubio's stand-and-trade style has much of a chance to beat Golovkin. GGG has strung together 17 straight wins by stoppage, and he's a very safe bet to run that streak to 18 on Saturday.

The combination of pure boxing skill and sledgehammer power makes him the premier slugger in the sport. If Golovkin is to lose, it'll be against a man with the speed, length, stamina and boxing acumen who can beat him to the punch, and implement lateral movement for 12 rounds.

That's clearly not who Rubio is.

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The 34-year-old interim WBC champion is 59-6 with 51 KOs. He comes to finish his opponents, thus he and Golovkin have the same goal. Per this quote from an interview with the Ring Magazine's Anson Wainwright, Rubio knows the chances this bout goes the distance are slim.

"This will be a night to remember, one of us is going to be knocked out. And I can tell you this, I’m coming prepared to knock him out!"

It's that mentality that will lead to Rubio being stopped, but it'll also lead to a furious exchange of punches that we've not really seen in a Golovkin bout. It's safe to say, no opponent Golovkin has faced has the power-punching resume that Rubio boasts.

His 77 percent KO rate is excellent no matter how you look at it. Golovkin's 30-0 with 27 KOs is obviously impressive, but his still-formulating resume won't be complete without a win over a hard-nosed and tough Mexican contender like Rubio.

There's a reason this bout is being called: "Mexican Style." Rubio hails from Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico and Golovkin fights as if he is from the boxing hotbed. The native of Kazakhstan has garnered a significant following because of his straight-forward, no-nonsense style in the ring. 

Capturing a win over a proven and respected fighter who brings the same style will only further validate Golovkin's place on boxing's pound-for-pound list. Because Rubio is currently the mandatory challenger for WBC world champion Miguel Cotto, a win for Golovkin would elevate him to that status. 

A Golovkin-Cotto bout would do very well at Madison Square Garden, but of course, Golovkin still has to solve El Veneno.

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