Gennady Golovkin vs. Dominic Wade: Everything You Need to Know for Upcoming Bout

Unified middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin puts his claim to the middleweight world championship on the line against undefeated American middleweight contender Dominic Wade Saturday night at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

HBO will telecast the bout live.

No, this isn’t the kind of fight you probably want to see Golovkin in at this point, but Wade is no pushover either. So while Golovkin bides his time waiting for lineal middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez to face him, it’s refreshing to see him stay busy in the ring rather than just sit around and complain about not getting the kinds of fights he wants outside of it.

Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday’s middleweight throwdown.

Gennady Golovkin

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Golovkin has one of the best jabs in boxing.

Age: 34

Height: 5'10 ½"

Weight: 159

Reach: 70 inches

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 34-0 (31 KOs)

Rounds Fought: 154

Trainer: Abel Sanchez

Strengths: Power, superb boxing technique, aggression

Weaknesses: Sometimes open to counters because of his willingness to engage

Intangibles: Golovkin seems to be at his best right now, but it’s possible he is overlooking Wade a little bit in anticipation of a megafight with Alvarez. 

As popular as he’s become, the jury is still out in regard to just how great Golovkin might actually be. Sure, he looks like the real deal. His domination over increasingly decent middleweight competition has many believing he’s the best middleweight in the world and one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in boxing.

Thomas Hauser of The Sweet Science even suggested he's already one of the best middleweights ever. 

But Golovkin has yet to face elite competition. Wade isn’t that, but as Golovkin goes through various title defenses in lieu of waiting around for bigger names, the different styles he faces now and how he handles different situations will continue to indicate what kind of fighter he really might be.

He looks outstanding so far.

Dominic Wade

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Wade is a virtual unknown heading into Saturday.

Age: 26

Height: 5'10 ½"

Weight: 161

Reach: 74 ½ inches

Stance: Orthodox

Record: 18-0 (12 KOs)

Rounds Fought: 60

Trainer: Jay Stancil

Strengths: Wade has long arms, and he uses it to keep his opponents at the end of his snappy jabs and counters.

Weaknesses: He has faced limited competition and doesn’t move his head much.

Intangibles: Unlike most of Golovkin’s opponents to date, Wade was a decorated amateur and is undefeated as a professional (though many believe Sam Soliman should have won in his last fight).  

There’s nothing really spectacular about Wade. He’s a lanky scrapper who carries decent power. He relies on his jab and left hook to draw opponents toward him. He’ll need to keep Golovkin off balance by using feints and counters if he hopes to make it the full 12 rounds. 

In theory, Wade could peck his way to a decision win over Golovkin by landing more punches over the 12 rounds. His long arms might keep Golovkin on the outside, and if Wade can time Golovkin coming in, and if he can make Golovkin flustered enough to forgo defense, Wade might land something hard enough to do some damage.

There’s nothing for Wade to lose in this fight. This bout will give him worldwide exposure for the first time in his career, and that can only be a good thing for a fighter who is trying to drum up fan support. 

What's at Stake

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Golovkin holds three middleweight alphabet titles.

Golovkin’s myriad world titles will be on the line. He’s the WBA, IBF and IBO middleweight champion, though he’s yet to capture the lineal championship thanks to the last three champs, Sergio Martinez, Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez, being smart enough to stay away from him.

Golovkin hopes to keep the pressure on Alvarez, who faces former 140-pound titleholder Amir Khan next month, to make the middleweight that fight everyone wants to see: Alvarez vs. Golovkin. The only way he does that is by keeping that impressive 21-fight knockout streak going and dominating his opposition.

Meanwhile, Wade has the opportunity of a lifetime against Golovkin. He heads into the bout virtually unknown but would become a star overnight if he were able to upset Golovkin. If anything, a good showing might help him earn another TV fight gig on HBO, something all fighters aspire to have during their careers.

Televised Co-Feature

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Is Gonzalez the best fighter in boxing?

Lineal flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez will defend his status as the best little fighter in boxing against McWilliams Arroyo. In what’s becoming a trend, the 28-year-old from Nicaragua will seek to impress Golovkin’s core fanbase with his own brand of ruthless destruction.

This will be the third time in a row the two are paired together as co-features. 

It's easy to see why. Gonzalez and Golovkin are similar fighters. Both are aggressive stalkers who fight with as much fury as skill. It’s a rare combination in boxing, especially among fighters so revered among the top 10 pound-for-pounders in the sport.

Gonzalez is ranked No. 1 by most major publications, including Bleacher Report, for a reason. He’s the Golovkin of the lighter weight classes, though one who also has the resume to prove it. He should have no problem with Arroyo, a 30-year-old Puerto Rican who has fought just once since 2014.

Odds and Where to Watch

Where: The Forum in Inglewood, California

When: Saturday at 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT

TV: HBO

Odds: Golovkin (-10000), Wade (+1600), per OddsShark.com (at time of publication)

Golovkin is a huge favorite. If you aren't in Inglewood on fight night or don't live in the West Coast, you'll probably have to stay up late to watch what should be a blowout. 

Analysis and Prediction

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Don't expect the unexpected.

We all love the underdog story, but Golovkin is just too strong and too skilled for Wade. It will be a short fight.

Look for Wade to come out aggressively early in the fight to try to establish something strong, only to be countered into oblivion by Golovkin. If Wade gets by that first barrage of punches, and that’s not a sure thing, Golovkin will go in seek-and-destroy mode and have Wade out of the fight by the third or fourth round.

Wade simply has nothing to keep Golovkin off him. He's not particularly strong or fast, and his level of technical skill is well below Golovkin's, too. It'll be a bad night for Team Wade unless he makes things ugly and boring by staying away from Golovkin as much as possible. Then, it will be a bad night for viewers instead. 

Prediction: Golovkin via TKO 3