Gennady Golovkin and Willie Monroe Jr. held a press conference yesterday to announce Golovkin’s upcoming middleweight title defense on Saturday, May 16, from the Forum in Inglewood, California, and televised live on HBO Boxing. Check out the opening quotes here.
“I’m very excited to fight again in Los Angeles where I now live” said Golovkin. “Monroe is a skilled southpaw and I look forward to the test he will provide. I promise my fans another ‘Big Drama Show’.”
Said Monroe, “Its going to be one of those fights; speed vs. power, slickness vs. aggressiveness and the bull vs. the matador. I am ready. I’ve been in training already for three weeks before we even got this fight. We will be more than ready on May 16.”
“With the extraordinary success and record crowd of Gennady’s last fight in Southern California at the Stub Hub! Center, we’re very excited to bring him back to Los Angeles on May 16th at the Forum which has such a long and legendary history of boxing,” said Tom Loffler of K2 Promotions.
“We commend Willie Monroe Jr. for accepting the challenge of fighting Gennady, which many other contenders and even title holders are unwilling to even consider.”
“The old adage is that styles make fights and we believe that Willie has the style that will make this a great fight. Willie showed that by winning the 2014 Boxing Middleweight tournament and his win over Bryan Vera proves that he is one of the best middleweights in the world. On May 16 he will prove that he deserved to fight Gennady Golovkin for the Middleweight championship of the World.” said Banner Promotions’ president, Artie Pellulo.
“Watching many fighters, fans can only hope to be entertained, but with Gennady Golovkin they can expect to be,” said Peter Nelson, Vice President, Programming, HBO Sports. “Since challenging for his first world title, Golovkin has knocked out all 13 opponents he has faced, a longer streak and higher knockout percentage than any present world champion. On May 16, he looks to build on those accomplishments against Willie Monroe Jr., who himself seeks to enlist among the ranks of storied underdogs who have upended expectations at the legendary venue of the LA Forum.
DANA DUFINE, SVP West Coast, Madison Square Garden Co. said, “The ‘Fabulous’ Forum has a rich boxing history dating back to 1968. This building has hosted over 400 fights and welcomed over 2 million boxing fans through its doors. We are proud to add to its history with the World Middleweight Championship matchup of Gennady Golovkin vs. Willie Monroe Jr.”
