Golovkin vs Brook: Gennady Golovkin stern ahead of facing Kell Brook in world title bout
Saturday 10 September 2016 23:58, UK
Rumours of viruses and jet-lag continue to shroud Gennady Golovkin's preparations for Saturday's world title defence against Kell Brook in mystery.
Bar an outrageous bluff from Team Golovkin, it's difficult to see Friday's weigh-in as anything other than a mental victory for underdog Brook.
Gone were the trademark smiles and gone was the Kazakh's talk of putting on "a big drama show." Gone was any interaction with the media whatsoever; the champion arrived late and left immediately after clocking 158.9lbs on the scales.
Golovkin conducted the bare minimum of interviews at Thursday's press conference and his physical appearance left promoter Eddie Hearn and former world champion Johnny Nelson using the champion's "drawn" and "thin" face as a source of increasing hope an upset is on the cards.
On Friday, the WBA Super, WBC and IBF champion seemed even more bereft of inspiration - raising his arms slowly to salute an Indigo Theatre crowd that spent much of the event booing him. Was he upset by the hostile atmosphere? Frustrated by the 'traffic' that had delayed his arrival? Sick? Jet-lagged?
Golovkin's long-time trainer Abel Sanchez was adamant that Golovkin's decision to bypass interviews was to allow Brook "his moment" on home turf. Brook's trainer Dominic Ingle, meanwhile, will be basking in the fulfilment of his prophecy that the weigh-in would prompt odds of 'The Special One' dethroning a legend to shorten.
It's unnerving to see Golovkin looking forlorn. There seems little fire in his eyes or colour in his cheeks. Brook claims he saw fear in the former. That may be unlikely given Golovkin's experience, but physical problems are obviously a major, major problem for a boxer.
In 2010, Carl Froch travelled to Denmark with his WBC world super-middleweight title but his arrival was delayed by an ash cloud. He returned to British shores empty-handed and although his conqueror Mikkel Kessler was considered a greater threat than Brook is considered to Golovkin, there is no doubts that disrupted lead-ups can prove pivotal.
If the shuddering sound of Golovkin's left hook on the pads earned him an edge at Tuesday's public workout, his alleged deterioration over the past two days has handed some degree of momentum to Brook, who looked superb on the scales and very much alive to his opportunity.
Golovkin has never been the most impressive specimen, aesthetically. In fact, his power and technique seems all the more freakish because it belies an unremarkable appearance. He weighed in a pound under the middleweight limit and whispers he was struggling to make 160lbs are surely now laid to rest. A draining virus would render him more likely to be battling weight loss rather than chasing it.
It's much more to do with the demeanour. For one usually so keen an exponent of joie de vivre, Golovkin looks a shell of himself. When he belatedly took to the stage, he did so in the manner of a youth who had been hauled out of bed by his parents and made to go to school. There was almost an air of confusion about him as he scratched his head while the scales registered.
Neutral boxing fans will hope it's a storm in a teacup and that one of the most exciting boxers in the world enters The O2 ring with his A-game and puts on a "big drama show."
If the calm is unusually calm, maybe it's before Golovkin produces the greatest storm of his career but as it stands, Brook's camp will never have been more confident than now.
Watch Gennady Golovkin v Kell Brook, live on Sky Sports Box Office from The O2, on September 10. Book the event via your Sky remote or online here.
