By Jake Donovan
The 50-1 odds against his fighter strongly suggest otherwise, but promoter Oswaldo Küchle has the utmost confidence that Marco Antonio Rubio will shock the world this weekend. The middleweight knockout artist from Mexico faces a major uphill climb as he faces Gennady Golovkin this Saturday at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Few if any give Rubio a shot at being anything more than a competitive opponent for a few rounds. But his handlers have heard that story before—and at this very same venue, no less.
“Nobody gave Jhonny Gonzalez a chance when he came here last year to face Abner Mares,” Küchle reminds the boxing community. “We saw what happened there.”
What happened was Gonzalez icing Mares—at the time an unbeaten featherweight titlist, his third reign in as many weight classes—in a single round at the StubHub Center to claim the title and also 2013’s Upset of the Year.
Rubio’s team is banking on some of that same magic to spill over into this weekend’s headliner, which airs live on HBO.
“Jhonny shocked the boxing world last year. You can expect a big surprise from Marco Antonio Rubio this Saturday,” guaranteed Küchle.
Rubio (59-6-1, 51KOs) makes his third attempt at a major title, having fallen short in losses to Kelly Pavlik (Feb. ’09) and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (Feb. ’12) in previous tries. The interim title he carries into the ring this weekend could be the most significant belt at stake, though; the winner will be named mandatory challenger to World lineal middleweight king Miguel Cotto.
Overall, Rubio has won six straight, including a highlight-reel 10th round knockout of Domenico Spada in April to claim an interim belt.
His biggest win came prior to his title shot versus Chavez Jr., scoring an upset knockout win over previously unbeaten David Lemieux in April ’11, on the road in Montreal, Canada.
“Marco Antonio marched into Canada, in another fight where nobody gave him a chance,” Küchle is quick to remind the public.
Golovkin (30-0, 27KOs) has reigned as a middleweight titlist for four years. Saturday’s contest marks his West Coast debut, coming in front of a sold-out crowd at StubHub. The Kazakhstani has scored 17 straight knockouts, having not been extended the distance in more than six years.
His most recent win came in July, stopping former middleweight titlist Daniel Geale in three rounds.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
