Boxing Picks 2017- Gennady Golovkin v Daniel Jacobs (March 18th)

There have been some wonderful fights in 2017 already and this year looks to be getting bigger and bigger with some of those scheduled to be coming up. The first half of the year has some mega-fights and there are bound to be some more to come in the second half which makes it a great year for fans of this sport.

The big news looks to be the crossover fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather which seems to have taken a step forward over the last couple of weeks. I wasn't convinced it would ever happen, but it looks like I might be wrong, although I am not going to change my mind on what I believe will be the outcome of the fight.


This Saturday a huge Middleweight fight between Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs takes centre stage and don't be mistaken into thinking this is not a proper fight. It won't go the distance, but Jacobs might surprise those who think Golovkin is the unstoppable machine they believe him to be.

Gennady Golovkin vs Daniel Jacobs

The layers have set Gennady Golovkin as the big favourite to win this fight which isn't a real shock when you consider he is one of the pound for pound leading boxers in the fight. However you should underestimate Daniel Jacobs at your peril as he is going to be coming into the fight as the bigger man with the superior reach and with a very impressive Knock Out ratio of his own.

Jacobs' punching power is highlighted in being the only man to stop Sergio Mora twice while his Round One defeat of Peter Quillin has to be respected.

Personally I think Jacobs is going to be a very dangerous fighter in the first few Rounds as I am not sure Golovkin's defence is capable of keeping him at bay and so we are going to get a really good idea as to how strong his whiskers are. Golovkin was stung by Kell Brook for a brief moment in his last fight and Brook found the target with some regularity which makes a fighter like Jacobs a real threat.

Golovkin has been in the ring with David Lemieux whose win over Curtis Stevens franks the one the Kazakh star had over him. The way Golovkin breaks down his opponents is a great sight to see and I do think he will be the more likely winner the longer this one goes.

Of course the first few Rounds is about taking the Jacobs power and working out the style in front of him and there are going to be some big punches that connect with him. It is a real test for Golovkin to show the world whether he is this machine that should be on top of the pound for pound list and I do think the first few Rounds will be really enjoyable and exciting to watch.

Ultimately the issue for Jacobs is I am not sure he has the same punch resistance that Golovkin has displayed so far through his career. Jacobs was dropped by Mora and his sole previous loss has come in a stoppage and I am not sure he will be able to take the Golovkin shots once we get into the second half of the fight.

I think the early Rounds will see Jacobs try and get on the front foot and force the pace and try and get Golovkin out of there. I do think Jacobs will be dangerous and you just never know what can happen in a boxing ring when you have two guys who punch as hard as these two do.

I just don't think Golovkin will go rushing in for the kill but will look to negate what Jacobs wants to do before starting to take control of the fight in around Round Four/Round Five. From there it will depend on how much belief Jacobs has in his ability to hurt Golovkin in the remainder of the fight, but I can see Golovkin putting some solid punches together from around Round Eight onwards which breaks his American opponent.

Not many opponents have got into the second half of the fight with Golovkin, but I think Jacobs will be respected by the Kazakh and it might just take a little longer to get used to what he is bringing into the fight. There is a chance Jacobs falls into something early as he tries to get his own offensive work going, but I am looking for a second half stoppage for Golovkin.

MY PICKS: Gennady Golovkin Win Between 7-12 @ 3.25 Ladbrokes (2 Units)