WBC: Vanes Heavier Than Golovkin at 7-Day, 30-Day Weigh-Ins
WBC, IBO, IBF, WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs), defends his crowns against two-time world title challenger Vanes Martirosyan (36- 3-1, 21 KOs), this Saturday, May 5th, at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Golovkin and Martirosyan have a combined record of 73-3-2 (54 KOs), with a winning percentage of 94%, plus 3/4 of those victories came in by knockout.
As part of the WBC safety standards, both fighters have successfully submitted their 30- and 7-day pre-weighings, in addition to the medical examinations requested.
At the 30 day-weight in mark, Vanes was 170-pounds and Golovkin came in at 165.8-pounds. At the 7-day mark, Golovkin was 162.9-pounds and Vanes was 167.1-pounds.
Golovkin, 36, looks to defend his middleweight title successfully for the 20th time, a feat previously accomplished only by surefire Hall-of-Famer Bernard Hopkins.
Despite battling Canelo Alvarez to a stirring 12-round draw last September, Golovkin boasts an astonishing 87% knockout-to-win ratio. He’s coming off back-to-back efforts against Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs, perhaps the finest opponents in the 160-pound division.
Martirosyan, 31, is moving from the super welterweight division to 160 pounds to challenge “GGG,” and will be seeking a title for the third time.
Both fighters were amateur standouts who appeared in the 2004 Olympic Games, with Martirosyan representing his adopted nation of America, while Golovkin won a silver medal for Kazakhstan. Boasting a combined pro record of 73-3-2, 54 KOs, Golovkin and Martirosyan have a 94% winning percentage.
The opening bout marks the first women’s boxing match on HBO, with Cecilia Braekhus of Cartagena, Colombia (32-0, 9 KOs) meeting Kali Reis (13-6-1, 4 KOs) from Providence, RI, in a ten-round welterweight title bout. Braekhus seeks to extend her nine-year world championship reign in her 22nd consecutive title defense.