By Jake Donovan
Demond Nicholson was probably among the few who was instantly prepared to answer the question “Who is Steve Rolls?” the moment the unbeaten middleweight was named as Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin’s next foe.
The 26-year old super middleweight from Laurel, Md. came up just short versus Rolls in their June ’17 Showtime-televised thriller. He’s since won four of his past five starts, while his prior conqueror had fallen off the boxing radar before being handpicked to face Golovkin atop a June 8 DAZN-streamed show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Despite the firm belief that he won their bout, Nicholson has taken a glass half-full approach both to the memories of that night as well as his old foe hitting the jackpot.
“Truth be told, when they told me Steve Rolls was going to fight GGG, it made me smile,” Nicholson (21-3-1, 20KOs) told BoxingScene.com of his immediate reaction. “Our fight could’ve went either way. Of course, I thought I won, but the (1st round) knockdown did me in according to (two) judges and I can’t do anything to change how that fight played out.
“All I can do is be happy for Steve, that he got an opportunity like this. I know people think he’s just cashing out, but I see it as his being in position to even get that fight, and his believing he’s gonna shock the world. It gives me confidence that bigger fights are out there for me as well.”
Next up for Nicholson is a local appearance on the undercard of Jarrett ‘Swift’ Hurd’s unified title defense versus Philadelphia’s Julian Williams. The Fox-televised card takes place Saturday evening at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va., less than 45 minutes from Hurd’s Accokeek, Md. hometown and roughly the same distance for Nicholson, who faces Ernest Amuzu (25-4, 22KOs) while in search of his fourth straight victory.
“It’s such a great feeling to be on Swift’s undercard, especially on a big card like this at home,” notes Nicholson, who has scored three straight knockouts since a stoppage loss to Top 5 super middleweight contender Jesse Hart last April. “It’s really special to me, the chance to support my friend and also the opportunity to further my career.”
The bout comes four weeks before Rolls enters MSG as a massive underdog (Golovkin is currently a 100-1 favorite and Rolls at +1150, according to BetOnline.ag), a night that at the very least will make him a much richer man. The chance for so much more exists, however long the odds.
“Look, of course nobody’s going to pick him to win—it’s GGG, after all,” Nicholson notes. “Still, he’s getting his shot and knowing what I know about Steve, he’s going to leave it all in the ring. That’s what you have to do when you get these fights, just take your shot.”
The same mentality carries into his own next ring adventure, although more as an audition for a future leading role.
“I hope to fight at least for an eliminator by the end of the year,” Nicholson insists. “Getting on this show, with all those people from Fox in the house, I’m treating this fight like my own chance to hit the lottery. For a guy like Steve, he’s 35 so maybe it’s now or never for him but he stayed unbeaten and has a fight that most others only dream of getting.
“I know in order for me to get to the contender level, I’ll have to take a fight where everyone sees me as a big underdog as well. I’m fine with that. I hope Steve goes on and shocks the world, because that’s exactly what I plan to do the moment they leave the door open for me to make it to that level.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
