By Jake Donovan
The combination of Gennady Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez on the same show has clearly resonated with the boxing public. The pair of unbeaten rising stars – considered high among the very best in the world – appear in separate bouts on October 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which will play to a sold-out crowd according to event handlers.
Golovkin will face David Lemieux in their middleweight title unification bout, while Gonzalez – the unbeaten World flyweight champion and now widely recognized as the best fighter in the world – will defend his crown versus former two-division champ Brian Viloria.
“The show is virtually sold out,” Tom Loeffler, the managing director of K2 Promotions suggested during a recent media conference call to promote the evening’s co-feature attraction between Gonzalez and Viloria. “We were at 292 tickets (left) as of this morning.”
The PPV telecast marks the first time for Golovkin, Lemieux and Gonzalez in that medium, at least in terms of being featured in this capacity. Viloria – who represented the United States in the 2000 Olympics – has appeared on PPV undercards before, but never in a fight of this magnitude.
The show has taken on a different dynamic in the wake of the recognized ring retirement of Floyd Mayweather, who for the better part of the past 11 years was regarded as the best fighter in the world. Upon his departure from the game following his 12-round win over Andre Berto earlier this month, Gonzalez has gained near-universal recognition as the heir to the throne.
Right behind the unbeaten little big man from Nicaragua is Golovkin, whose ring dominance dates back to his incredible amateur career that included a Silver medal during the 2004 Athens Olympics. In the pro ranks, the undefeated knockout artist from Kazakhstan has amassed a ring mark of 33-0 (30KOs), and has established himself as the best middleweight on the planet.
Given their recognition as among the best in the world, coupled with the significance of their upcoming bouts, it only makes sense that the October 17 has been so well received at the box office.
“It's one of the few and rare occasions you have two of the top fighters appearing on the same show and the fans and media have responded,” Loeffler notes. “Roman's performance on HBO surpassed the already high expectations going in.”
It remains to be seen if a similar response will be met in terms of viewers at home willing to pony up $50 (plus $10 for HD subscribers) amidst an active PPV market. The fight comes on the heels of Mayweather-Berto, which performed well below expectations as it relates to any Mayweather event, and is also just five weeks prior to the highly anticipated showdown between World middleweight champion Miguel Cotto and former super welterweight champ Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
While an actual number has yet to be offered as a measuring stick for the event to be deemed a success, K2 Promotions view the October show as means to further develop the future star power of two elite boxers.
“We would happy with the success of the event on PPV,” Loeffler cleverly responded without attaching expectations. “It opens up a lot of doors for the future for Roman and Gennady.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene
