Gennady Golovkin vs. David Lemieux: TV, Live Stream Schedule, Final Prediction

Gennady Golovkin heads into his middleweight unification bout against David Lemieux on Saturday night with a golden opportunity to continue his rise toward boxing's elite. At the same time, it's a chance for the underdog Canadian to earn a breakthrough of his own.

Mainstream interest in the sport took a hit after Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao failed to deliver the memorable showcase many expected. This bout should be far more exciting with both fighters preferring a more aggressive style while possessing serious knockout power.

Let's check out all of the important information for Saturday's hyped matchup. That's followed by a fight preview and a prediction for which boxer will walk out with a lot of gold around his waist.

Fight Details

Where: Madison Square Garden in New York City

When: Saturday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. ET

Watch: HBO PPV

Live Stream: HBO GO

Preview

Regardless of the result, both fighters deserve credit for taking this bout. They could have opted to dance around each other for a while, taking on less competitive foes and creating underwhelming matches, but they instead attacked the high-profile matchup head-on.

Golovkin comes in with an unblemished 33-0 record with 30 knockouts. Lemieux is 34-2 with 31 knockouts. That sets the stage for what type of fight to expect Saturday night.

Neither boxer backs down from a brawl. That's going to lead to plenty of fast-paced action and should create an outstanding atmosphere inside MSG. The question is which fighter will be able to make the most of the close-range exchanges.

GGG embraces that type of battle and believes it's what sets him apart when it comes to providing entertainment value to the fans, per Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press.

"Every time people look at me, they say, 'Oh, it's a drama show,'" Golovkin said. "They like my style. It's a Big Drama Show."

Lemieux isn't backing down from the challenge, either. He's confident he'll be able to pull off the upset inside the World's Most Famous Arena, as noted by Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.

"I'm not a dreamer. I'm a realist," Lemieux said. "I know I'm going to win. I've gotten to know my abilities. … Determination is why I'm here today. We're two pit bulls unleashed and we're both going to go for the neck."

The early rounds will tell the tale. A major reason Golovkin remains undefeated is his unique ability to attack without sustaining serious punishment in return. Most fighters who push so hard for the knockout end up getting beaten up along the way.

He's shown a durable chin, absorbing whatever strikes are landed and still having enough power left in the tank to finish an opponent. Lemieux must cause damage inside those first three or four rounds in order to have a chance in the second half of the fight.

All told, it's a highly intriguing matchup, and Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated joined the chorus in praising each titleholder for agreeing to it:

Golovkin goes into the fight with the advantage. He owns the more well-rounded skill set to go along with his power and, at age 33, is seemingly in the best form of his career. Of course, all it takes is Lemieux landing one huge shot to change the outlook.

Prediction: Golovkin by eighth-round TKO