Gennady Golovkin ready to cement status as world's best middleweight against Daniel Jacobs
Tuesday 10 January 2017 19:33, UK
Gennady Golovkin is confident he will cement his status as the best middleweight on the planet when he takes on Daniel Jacobs at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 18.
Following prolonged negotiations, Golovkin (36-0-33KO) will put his WBA 'super', WBC, IBF and IBO middleweight belts on the line against Jacobs (32-1-29KO) in a meeting of two of boxing's most feared knockout artists.
The 34-year-old Kazakh, who stopped Kell Brook in the fifth round of their fight in July, is looking forward to facing the highly-touted Jacobs.
Golovkin said: "I believe Daniel is ready for this fight. I have four belts. This is the dream for everybody.
"It is very important for us [to see] who is number one in the middleweight division and who is the best."
Jacobs, who spent 19 months out of boxing after being diagnosed with cancer in 2012, has knocked out 12 straight opponents since suffering the only defeat of his career to Dmitry Pirog in 2010.
And the 29-year-old New York native is confident he has what it takes to upset Golovkin on home soil.
Jacobs said: "This is the fight that I have always wanted. This is the pinnacle that you could possibly reach to consider yourself the best.
"I have the utmost respect for Gennady and his team. I believe that these guys are the best in the middleweight division and I have to come to prove to the world - and to shock the world - that I am the best.
"If I am 100 per cent mentally and physically prepared there is going to be a new undisputed middleweight champion of the world."
It was also announced that WBC super-flyweight champion Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez will defend his title against mandatory challenger Srisaket Sor Rungvisai on the undercard.
