Boxing: Golovkin vows not to overlook Wade with Alvarez on horizon

LOS ANGELES, USA – Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin vows he won’t be looking past challenger Dominic Wade on Saturday, April 23, despite the buzz over a possible future fight with Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

“I understand what to do,” Kazakhstan’s Golovkin said this week as he put the finishing touches on his preparations for the bout at the Forum in Los Angeles.

“I understand it’s very important, every fight with an opponent. I understand my motivation is my goal for all the belts in the middleweight division. I have motivation. I feel good. I’m working hard every day. You know, I just feel this is my time.”

The unbeaten 33-year-old is one of the most explosive fighters in the sport, with 31 knockouts in 34 bouts to date.

Most recently he was seen destroying Canada’s David Lemieux in eight rounds – his 21st straight knockout win –  to add the International Boxing Federation belt to his World Boxing Association and International Boxing Organization titles.

Alvarez is scheduled to defend his World Boxing Council middleweight belt against Britain’s Amir Khan on May 7 in Las Vegas.

Golovkin, whose 15 successive title defenses are second in middleweight history behind Bernard Hopkins’s run of 20, is hoping he’ll get his shot at Alvarez after that.

First, however, comes Wade, unbeaten in 18 fights with 12 knockouts.

He’d like nothing better than to play the spoiler of a Golovkin-Alvarez match-up.

“Maybe I’ll be the one to shut it all down,” said Wade, who promised “a war” on Saturday.

“I see flaws in his game that I can take advantage of,” Wade said. “He’s very strong but also very basic in some ways.”

Abel Sanchez, who trains Golovkin in Big Bear, a mountain resort east of Los Angeles, says every fighter has flaws – but he believes the Kazakh’s are being whittled down and that he will go down as one of the greats of the middleweight ranks.

“I think that eventually when, 20 years from now, when we all sit down and discuss, when people sit down to discuss the middleweights, Golovkin will be one of the middleweights that they talk about,” Sanchez said.

However, Sanchez is wary of the “young and hungry” Wade – and Golovkin, despite his status as prohibitive favorite, knows the challenger will be motivated.

“I remember my situation (before winning a title),” Golovkin said. “This is his big chance; his dream fight.” – Rappler.com