Earlier this afternoon in front of a jam-packed room of media at NYC’s historic Gallagher’s Steak House in midtown Manhattan, K2 Promotions and DiBella Entertainment hosted the initial press conference to announce the highly-anticipated Middleweight Championship between defending champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (26-0, 23KO’s) and Ireland’s top-rated, former world title challenger Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin (29-4, 20KO’s).
The two highly-regarded middleweights will meet in their must-see showdown June 29th at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods ® Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The world title bout will be part of a HBO Boxing After Dark® triple-header, with the first live televised bout beginning at 9:45 PM ET/PT.
GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN (WBA & IBO Middleweight World Champion)
I am very happy to be here back in NYC and back on HBO. We know that this is a very difficult fight for us, and one of the biggest fights that can be made in boxing right now. Matthew is going to be the toughest challenge I have ever had. He is just as big, fast and strong as me and we are expecting a very tough fight on June 29th.
MATTHEW MACKLIN (WBC #3, WBA #11 and & IBF #14)
I am not the kind of person to turn down world-title shots so when this fight was offered to me, it was a no-brainer. My lifelong dream has been to become world champion and now I have another shot at capturing the middleweight world title.
I take nothing away from GGG. I think that he is a great champion. On June 29th though, he is fighting me and I am by far the biggest puncher that he has ever fought in his life. He won’t be able to just walk in on me like he has been able to against some of his past opponents.
I want to be involved in the biggest and best fights that I can be in and that’s exactly what we have in our upcoming title bout. I think that GGG is going to have a great career and I have nothing bad to say about him as a fighter or a person, but he is going to lose on June 29th.
When Bernard Hopkins fought Felix Trinidad, everyone was picking Trinidad to walk right through Hopkins and knock him out. That didn’t happen though and Hopkins knocked him out, and that is exactly what is going to happen when we meet on June 29th. I am going to knock GGG out.
TOM LOEFFLER (Managing Director of K2 Promotions)
It is always nice being up here on the podium with people you honestly call friends. This fight is one of the best in the middleweight division and the response that we have seen thus far throughout the media is a testament to that.
This fight wasn’t an easy fight to make, we have all made a ton of sacrifices to make this happen.
I feel that we have the best middleweight in the world in GGG, but the only way to show that is to get those other so-called best middleweights to actually get into the ring and fight him. I have a harder time making a fight for GGG than I do for the Klitschko’s. That is why I give a lot of credit to Lou and Brian and Matthew for taking the fight.
LOU DIBELLA (President of DiBella Entertainment)
I am thrilled to be standing here to announce this fight. Style-wise this fight is a can’t-miss. There are few other fights in the middleweight division and boxing that are as anticipated as this matchup.
Kudos go to Peter Nelson and everyone at HBO for making it known that HBO really wanted this fight. They believe in the excellence and quality of this matchup.
I want to send a special thank you to Tom and everyone at K2. We have both made a ton of sacrifices to make this fight possible because this is a fight that everyone wants to see.
I saw GGG fight in Monaco and when you simply demolish a world-class fighter (Nobuhiro Ishida) who has never been knocked out, you have to be impressed.
You saw in the Rosado fight with GGG that he will mix it up and rumble and Matthew is unquestionably the biggest and strongest fighter that he has ever fought. Matthew is going to go right after him and that’s what makes this a great fight.
PETER NELSON (Director of Programming HBO Sports)
All of us at HBO are happy that we were able to put this fight together. We have had a great string of fights recently and we expect to continue that string with this great fight on June 29th. We don’t see any loser in this event. We are expecting a spectacular performance by both GGG and Macklin. It is a great privilege and we are very proud to have these two great fighters call HBO their home
BRIAN PETERS (Brian Peters Promotions/Macklin Manager)
We are delighted to be here and want to thank everyone involved in making this great opportunity a reality. Want to thank our promoter Lou DiBella, who is easily the most passionate and interesting promoter in the world.
Hopefully GGG and Matthew can show the tenacity that Peter Nelson of HBO showed in making this fight (room erupts in laughter).
Most middleweights are scared to walk down the street with GGG let alone fight him. He is a helluva fighter, there is no doubt about that, but we are very confident in Matthew’s ability and expect a great showing on June 29th.
DANIELLE CARPENTER (Executive Director, Advt. & Brand Foxwoods)
It is always a thrill for Foxwoods to host a world-class boxing event and the opportunity to team up with DiBella Entertainment, K2 Promotions and HBO Boxing further helps solidify Foxwoods Resort Casino as the premier venue for professional boxing on the East Coast.
