Gennady Golovkin vs Steve Rolls Preview June 8th
Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan returns to the ring after a nine month absence to take on Steve Rolls of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada this Saturday, June 8th. The 12-round super middleweight bout (164 lb catchweight) takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York city and can be seen live in North America on DAZN. Golovkin last fought a rematch against Saul Alvarez in September and controversially lost his IBO, WBC and WBA ‘Super’ World Middleweight Titles via a majority decision. Rolls last fought in December when he beat KeAndre Leatherwood by a 10-round unanimous decision for vacant USBA Middleweight Crown.
**Watch live on DAZN this Saturday. Your first month is free.
Golovkin vs Rolls Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Steve Rolls +1075
- Gennady Golovkin -6250
My Pick
Golovkin’s not getting any younger as he’s now 37 years old and still hoping for a second rematch against Canelo either though he arguably won both of their two meetings already. His record stands at 38-1-1 with 34 Kos and the loss and draw both coming to Alvarez. Triple G had a streak of 23 straight knockouts going until beating Danny Jacobs by unanimous decision in March of 2017. With the two fights against Alvarez he’s now gone the distance in three of his last four fights as he stopped Vanes Martirosyan in the second round in May of last year.
Golovkin’s power may be slightly diminished but he managed to drop Jacobs and also wobbled Alvarez. The former champ stands just over 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 70-inch reach and turned pro back in 2006 after a fine amateur career. He’s fought 196 rounds since then with his stiffest competition being Alvarez, Jacobs, Kell Brook, David Lemieux, Willie Monroe Jr., Marco Antonio Rubio, Martin Murray, Daniel Geale, Curtis Stevens, Matthew Macklin and Gabriel Rosado. He was attempting to defend his title for the 21st time when losing to Alvarez last year.
He isn’t perfect, but Golovkin he simply goes about his job no matter who he faces. He’s also shown that he has a granite chin to go along with his power and fine boxing skills. He isn’t afraid of getting hit while he unleashes fierce body and head shots, but can also be patient while stalking his prey. He’s usually in fine shape and just keeps coming and eventually wears the majority of his opponents down. With an 85 per cent knockout ratio, it’s fair to say Golovkin’s a knockout artist and it’ll be interesting to see if anything’s changes as this is his first fight with Johnathon Banks as trainer.
Most boxing fans have never heard of Steve Rolls, even those who live in his local Toronto neighbourhood. He’s a 35 year old with a perfect mark of 19-0 with 10 Kos. He’s basically the same height as Golovkin but does own a minimal two-inch reach advantage. He won the vacant NABF Jr Middleweight Title in 2015 by stopping Steed Woodall in four rounds. Like Woodall, the rest of Rolls’ opponents are also unrecognizable to most fans perhaps other than Demond Nicholson and 12 of the 19 had winning records.
Rolls had a pretty successful and extensive amateur career and reportedly went 83-14. He then turned pro in 2011 and has fought just 95 rounds since. He’s got average power with a current knockout ratio of 53 per cent and was dropped in the third round of his fight against Woodall. Rolls has fine boxing skills but he’s taking a huge step up in class against Golovkin and he’ll need a solid chin to accompany those skills if he has any chance.
Prediction…
This looks like a mismatch on paper but Andy Ruiz showed the world what can happen if your opponent underestimates you. But unlike Anthony Joshua, Golovkin has a granite chin. This is a once in a lifetime shot for Rolls and he’s definitely prepared well for it but I think sooner or later he’s likely to crumble at the hands of Golovkin’s thudding power.
Golovkin’s power and experience should be too much for Rolls.
Play: Golovkin -6250 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Gennady Golovkin betting • Steve Rolls betting