Gennady Golovkin and Kell Brook are tied together by more than just a contract. Both are unbeaten world champions. Both also have their doubters, despite their sustained success in the paid ranks.
On Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, the two will meet in an intriguing fight that will have ramifications beyond just their own careers.
Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) is the most feared fighter on the planet. Such is his reputation, many of the leading middleweights don't want anything to do with him.
That is where Brook (36-0, 25 KOs) stepped in. The holder of the IBF belt at welterweight has taken a leap of faith—or a foolish risk, depending on your personal view—to move up two divisions and accept what could be a career-defining bout.
Matchroom Boxing tweeted a tale of the tape:
The clash tops a bill that also includes two other world-title fights in the English capital.
Lee Haskins defends his IBF bantamweight crown in a rematch against Stuart Hall, while Charlie Edwards bids to become the IBF champion at flyweight when he challenges John Riel Casimero.
Brothers Callum and Paul Smith, as well as Conor Benn, Kid Galahad and Gavin McDonnell, are also in action.
When: Saturday, September 10, 10:30 p.m. BST (5:30 p.m. ET)
Where: O2 Arena, London
TV: Sky Sports Box Office (UK)
Preparing for Plan B
Golovkin is in danger of being stuck in boxing's version of no-man's land. He craves the chance to take on the biggest names in his division—the problem is the feeling isn't mutual.
After dismantling Dominic Wade inside two rounds in April, the Kazakh hoped his next outing would be against Saul Alvarez, who had the WBC title at the time.
He wasn't alone in wanting to make the fight happen. It seemed a logical move, both from a boxing and business point of view. Two of the best pound-for-pound fighters could meet to decide who is the best at 160 pounds, as well as make themselves a lorry load of money. Canelo, however, dashed the dream by vacating his title and returning to super welterweight.
Golovkin and his team had to begin the search for an alternative option, a plan B that still held the public's interest.
Rather than select another middleweight from the middle of the pack (of the top five in The Ring magazine's rankings, GGG has only faced David Lemieux), they've gambled on getting Brook to move up instead.
Golovkin cannot be blamed for the unwillingness of others to step up to the plate. Nor should he be criticised if Brook's attempt to swing for the fences ends up with him striking out quickly.
All the 34-year-old can do is put on a show, and it appears that is exactly what he intends to do.
"I hope our styles match well to give the fans a present. I want to produce a dramatic show and that is why I have come to London," Golovkin told Sky Sports News HQ.
"This is a gift for everyone, American fans, German and Kazakh, everyone will enjoy this. I am not scared, this is my job and I feel very comfortable here."
The silver medalist from the 2004 Olympics has recorded 22 successive stoppage wins and has a stunning career knockout ratio of 91 per cent. No one has managed to stretch him beyond Round 11.
He has an aura of invincibility around him, but could the journey from the United States open up a chink in his armour? Ron Lewis of the Times tweeted how Golovkin had to cut short his commitments at the media event on Thursday:
It could be nothing. But, if GGG was feeling under the weather, it at least proves he's human after all.
Accepting the Call
A calculated gamble worth taking or a shot in the dark doomed to end in disappointment. Brook has had to listen to plenty of opinions about his choice of opponent ever since signing the contract.
Had Chris Eubank Jr. and his team not dallied during negotiations, a different Englishman would have been in the opposite corner to Golovkin this weekend.
Brook was set to defend his IBF welterweight belt against Jessie Vargas later in the year until one phone call changed everything.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, explained the events to George Gigney of Boxing News:
We set them [the Eubanks] a deadline and it wasn’t adhered to. They didn’t come back in time for the deadline. I phoned Kell later that night to talk about Vargas and I said ‘Do you want to fight Golovkin?’
He asked if I was serious and I told him I hadn’t spoken to them [Golovkin’s team] about it but I know they’d love it, it’s a huge fight and he just said ‘yeah, I’ll fight Golovkin. 100 per cent.’
So we moved probably within 24 hours. It happened over 36-48 hours, and I didn’t want to get involved in any of the speculation because I didn’t want to ruin the chance of Golovkin fighting in the UK.
Now The Special One has the chance to write his name into boxing folklore.
Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard both won world titles at welter and middleweight. Brook, however, is trying to match the duo in one giant leap that even astronaut Buzz Aldrin would be proud of.
The 30-year-old has welcomed the extra 13 pounds of breathing room. That doesn't mean he's been pigging out since the switch, as trainer Dominic Ingle told Bleacher Report: "It’s not just about cutting calories or adding them in. We’ve got to have usable muscle, because he’s got the frame to carry it."
After being heavier than Golovkin at both check-weight tests ordered by the WBC, he was a pound under the limit at Friday's weigh-in:
Brook can empathise with Golovkin when it comes to problems finding opponents. Since dethroning Shawn Porter in August 2014, he's faced Jo Jo Dan, Frankie Gavin and Kevin Bizier.
Ingle summed up the situation when he added: "He should have had two years of big fights. Some of that is down to him, but it just hasn’t quite happened. At 30, Kell cannot wait another two years for it to happen."
Thanks to one telephone conversation, Brook doesn't have to wait any longer.
Prediction
"There is fear in me over this fight, but that's going to make me so sharp on the night. Having that fear is healthy," Brook said in the buildup, per Isaac Robinson of SkySports.com.
The challenger is right to be anxious. Golovkin is a formidable foe, particularly if you've never fought a championship fight at middleweight before.
For the underdog—Brook is a 7-2 shot, per OddsShark—to spring a surprise, he must earn the respect of his rival. Even if that means walking a tightrope with the referee, he has to stop GGG getting into an early rhythm.
Golovkin is an expert in cutting down space and cornering foes. Brook needs to be fleet of foot and fast of thought to make sure he doesn't fall into any such traps. He also has to stop the champion from stepping into range without any fear of the repercussions.
That's all easier said than done.
Brook needs to produce the perfect performance to pull off the mother of all upsets. If he can get ahead early and cope with the pressure late, a points win could possibly happen.
However, it's more likely Golovkin—provided he is healthy—will walk through whatever comes his way and triumph inside the distance yet again.
Bleacher Report will be live-blogging the big fight. Join us on Saturday to keep up to date with the action in the English capital.