Gennady Golovkin vs Kell Brook: It's still mission impossible for Britain's Brook - despite Golovkin's catalogue of ailments

Golovkin is apparently under the weather - and his condition has raised Brook’s chance of beating the Kazak fighter in Saturday's fight at the O2 Arena from zero to slight

Gennady Golovkin and Kell Brook ahead of Saturday night’s middleweight world title fight (Getty)

The good news is that Gennady Golovkin, one of the coldest operators in the boxing business, is not feeling very well, has the sniffles, a sore throat, possibly a bad hand and looks for the first time in his career like he is dead at the weight.

The catalogue of ailments, denied but not rejected, appear to have raised Kell Brook’s chance of beating the Kazak fighter in Saturday night’s middleweight world title fight at the O2 Arena from zero to slight. “They are just excuses from him, he knows he will lose,” countered Brook when news of Golovkin’s condition was mentioned.

Brook is the unbeaten IBF welterweight champion, a survivor of a machete attack in 2014 when he was left for dead in a pool of his own blood and is finally at the end of a long summer in the Canary Isles where he piled on 13 pounds of solid muscle, probably across the top of his back, shoulders and in his thighs. Brook is moving up two divisions, leaving his sanity in the lower weights and taking one of the greatest risks ever by a British boxer.

“I was minutes away from dying with me leg hanging off,” said Brook. “This is just boxing – he’s just a normal man, he ain’t got a machete, he’s just got two arms. I’m not afraid.” Well, he should be: Golovkin is unbeaten in 35 fights, has knocked out his last 22 opponents and that includes the 17 men that have been stopped in consecutive world title fights. The victims were all middleweights, men with the genuine bulk Brook lacks. Golovkin is naturally stronger, taller, has longer reach and has so far varied just about every ending with a punch selection that makes connoisseurs of the old noble art purr.

Brook is faster than Golovkin, which is a decent keystone to start constructing a fighting dream. Golovkin, however, is a bit slower than all of his opponents and that is because he works on being in distance with a clinical precision of punch, two components that ruin any notion that speed dominates. Golovkin’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, said this week in response to the proclamation of magic that had transformed Brook: “It takes more than a ten-week scientific experiment to topple Gennady Golovkin.”

On the scales on Friday the smiles had gone from Golovkin’s face, the grin on Brook’s was as wide as it has been since he agreed terms for the murderous assignment. Golovkin seemed edgy, Brook too relaxed and somewhere between the extremes their true moods were probably lurking; at about 10:45pm on Saturday night the wait will be over and before the echo of the bell has faded there is likely to be a heavy sign of early intent. Golovkin looks annoyed at something, Brook too eager and any chance of a gentle brawl unfolding behind a dance of cautious skills has vanished.


 Golovkin is unbeaten in 35 fights and has knocked out his last 22 opponents 
 (Getty)

Brook will need to pull back on his bulging confidence, use the boxing brain that has been stuffed with wisdom since he was a small child at Brendan Ingle’s lunatic gym on the hilly and forgotten slopes that surround Sheffield. He will need to recall the unique, some might say stupid, sparring sessions with men a foot taller, ten stone heavier and then play over in his mind the endless hours he watched the marvel of Naseem Hamed weave his eccentricities through hard labour in the ring under Brendan’s watchful eye. That is where this fight - the potential miracle outcome - could be won.

Golovkin is no stranger to the weird side, a product of the last sunset at the Soviet system, a clinical learner who, as a professional, has studied the graceful movement of cutting horses to polish his own ability at shutting down a man’s ambitions under the neon. He makes good fighters panic, makes them run and scream as he inflicts steadily more pressure and increasingly more power. Golovkin is truly ruthless, chilling and on the scales I glimpsed an iciness that makes me fear for Brook once the formalities have been performed and the ring’s last loiterers have settled into their plush seats.

Brook will try and try, bravery is not one of his flaws, and against any other welterweight, light-middleweight and middleweight in the world he would probably leave the O2 as the champion. Sadly, Golovkin is not on the list, not on any fantasy list that Brook, his people or his fans can realistically dream of beating. He is not ill, just wicked in the ring.