CRUNCH TIME IN THE BIG APPLE
BIG-HITTERS Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs both weighed in less than half a pound inside the 160lb limit for their world middleweight title clash in Madison Square Garden. New York, bedecked in green, was beginning to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in boisterous style as the two knockout artists took to the scales. Neither Golovkin nor Jacobs — or virtually anyone else — expects the fight to go the distance, with Triple G the favourite to land first.
Golovkin, a concussive puncher, (36-0-0) faces Jacobs (32-1-0) for the WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO belts and he weighed in at 11st 5lb 10oz in New York. ‘GGG’ has not fought since he broke Kell Brook’s eye socket in their ferocious bout last September. The stoppage victory over IBF welterweight
king Brook extended Golovkin’s perfect record to 36 wins, with 33 knockouts. Victory over Jacobs would keep alive hopes of a superfight with Mexican sensation Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. His adversary tonight — who tipped the scales at 11st 5lb 13oz — boasts an impressive record of his own. Jacobs has stopped 29 opponents in 32 wins and the New York native is unbeaten in seven years.