WBA Middleweight Champ Golovkin Continues Big Bear Training For 6th Title Defense Against Rosado on Jan 19 @ MSG
By Carlos Costa
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 27 Dec 2012
Unbeaten WBA/IBO middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan continues rigorous training at the 8,000-feet high mountain city of Big Bear, California for the sixth defense of his black/golden belt against Puerto Rican-American "King" Gabriel Rosado in the co-main event of the Salido-Garcia fight on January 19 at the Madison Square Garden, New York.
Golovkin has been working with Southern California trainer Abel Sanchez who owns and trains out of the state-of-the-art "The Summit" boxing and MMA gym in Big Bear Lake.
Along with Golovkin, trains fellow world champion Zaurbek Baysangurov (28-1, 20KO's) of Russia (WBO super welterweight world titlist), who accompanies Golovkin in trainings and his morning runs through the snow-filled streets of the quiet Big Bear (photo).
Silver medalist in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21KO?s), who has defended his middleweight world crown five times in crushing knockouts, plans to add "King" Gabriel Rosado (21-5, 13KO?s) to his growing list of scalps.
A thrilling victory on January 19 could propel Golovkin to future high profile bouts against top fighters in middleweight category, a division in which the recognized king is Argentina?s Sergio ?Maravilla? Martinez (50-2-2, 28KO?s).
Another top middleweight who has been in the radar of Golovkin is the German of Bosnian descent Felix Sturm (37-3-2, 16KO's), the former middleweight champion whom Golovkin has been calling for years. But Sturm lost his title in a razor thin split decision to Tasmanian Daniel Geale (28-1, 15KO's).
An aggressive slugger with a fearsome knockout ratio of nearly 90%, Gennady Golovkin won the WBA interim 160 lbs title in August of 2008 by pulverizing Colombian Milton Nu?ez in only 56 seconds at the Roberto Duran Arena in Panama.
Golovkin's January 19 defense at the famed Madison Square Garden will be his second before US audiences.
Last September at the Turning Point Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y., the tough Kazakh annihilated his last victim, Polish left-handed knockout artist Grzegorz Proksa (28-1, 21 KOs), by technical knockout in round 5.
GOLVOVKIN'S AMATEUR CAREER, KEY TO HIS SUCCESS TODAY
The success of Golovkin in professional boxing seems to be a direct result of his stellar 8-year career as a top international amateur fighter from 1998 to 2006.
During the impressive run, he captured some of the most prestigious accolades in amateur boxing, including Silver at the Summer Olympics as well as Gold at World Amateur Boxing Championships.
In addition, he also captured Gold in the 2004 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines.
The year before, Golovkin had won the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, beating future two-time champion Matvey Korobov, Andy Lee, Lucian Bute (stoppage), Yordanis Despaigne and Oleg Mahskin in the finals.
In contrast, challenger Gabriel Rosado had only 11 amateur fights.
ROSADO, A NEWCOMER IN THE MIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD RANKINGS
The Puerto Rican-American has just entered for the first time into the WBA world rankings as the #15 middleweight (November 2012), regardless of the fact that Rosado has fought his entire career in the super welterweight division.
What impressive victory has Rosado, 26, achieved in the middleweight division to be ranked among the top fifteen 160-pounders of the Planet baffles fans.
Rosado's entrance in the middleweight world rankings was a "discretion of the WBA rating committee," as stated by the WBA official web site.
Nevertheless, after being ran over in two rounds by mexican "El Perro" Angulo (22-2-, 18KO's) in 2009, Rosado has claimed the State of Pennsylvania title and other interim regional belts. He has won five of his last super welterweight six fights by way of knockout.
In his last outing in September in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the 26-year-old Rosado knocked out semi-retired 38 year-old super welterweight journeyman Charles Whittaker (38-13-2, 23KO?s) in round 10.
In that last fight, Rosado weighed 152? lbs, so the Puerto Rican might want to add extra pounds to battle Golovkin, a fight who has battled as middleweight his whole life.
GOLOVKIN FAVORITE TO RETAIN TITLE
On paper, the by-far more accomplished Gennady Golvkin should cruise over the lighter Gabriel Rosado who seems to have been brought out into the spotlight to be pummeled by the fearsome Kazakh world champion in the prime of his fighting prowess.
Golovkin is widely thought as favorite to retain title, likely by way of knockout. However, it has been repeatedly proven that in boxing nothing is written in stone.
But Gabriel Rosado?s prospects of defeating Golovkin to become world champion on January 19 appear to be a Titanic task for the Philadelphia-born Puerto Rican.
The Golovkin-Rosado clash is one of the stellar combats of the HBO-televised January 19 Top Rank/K2 Promotions card featuring Mexican world champ Orlando "Siri" Salido defending his WBO featherweight belt against undefeated 25-year-old rising star Mikey Garc?a (30-0, 26KO's).
In addition, Puerto Rican Rom?n ?Rocky? Mart?nez risks his 130 lbs (59 kgs - 9 stone 4) title against tough Tijuana native Juan Carlos Burgos.
Venue: The Theater at MSG on January 19. First fight 6PM. Price Range: $25 - $200
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.
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