You have to give it to thirty-five year old Marco Antonio “Veneno” Rubio. He really means it when he says he will fight anybody. A lot of fighters go-to answer when asked who you would like to fight next is the general, “I will fight anybody” but when Rubio says it, he means it. In a fourteen year professional boxing career he has faced the best of the middleweight division.
Most of his losses have come when he steps in competition. He did it as early as in his 6-0 when he faced Saul Roman. Roman beat him by stopping him in two. Rubio went ahead and avenged the loss some fights later by stopping Roman in the fourth. That in itself describes Rubio’s career. He gets knocked down and gets up again. He’s dropped fights to Kofi Jantuah, Kassim Ouma, Kelly Pavlik and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr but at the same time he owns wins against Fitz Vanderpool, Frankie Randall, JC Candelo, Jose Luis Zertuche, Enrique Ornelas, Rigoberto Alvarez, David Lemieux and in his last fight Italian Domenico Spada to capture the interim WBC middleweight title.
With his last win he won the right to challenge for the WBC middleweight title of the world that is held by Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. Rubio has not only called out Cotto for the opportunity but the World Boxing Council asking the organization to honor their rules and force Cotto to face him. Needless to say his pleas fell to deaf ears.
On October 18th Rubio will get his wish to fight for a title but he will do it against the most feared man in the division, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. They will meet for Golovkin’s WBA and IBO 160-pound titles at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, CA, just outside of Los Angeles. The twelve round bout will mark the first time Golovkin will fight on the west coast and will be broadcast live by HBO.
With his aggressive style and with a focus on the body, Golovkin has gained quite a following with the Mexican boxing fan base. Despite never have fought in California, Golovkin trains in Big Bear, CA, and is often seen in the stands at various fight cards in LA and its surroundings. As he has gained momentum with impressive knockouts on HBO, the boxing audience has really taken a liking towards the man from Kazakhstan.
Rubio might just prove to be the toughest opponent Golovkin has faced in recent years. Rubio, known for his power, is a true middleweight that has campaigned in the division for years after out-growing the 154-pound division early in his career. Rubio has fought other middleweights and survived their power and is on a six-fight win streak and with his own strap around his belt. Can Rubio survive the early onslaught from Golovkin and take him to deep waters? Golovkin has only been the distance three times and not since 2008. The longest he has gone since then has been ten round by none other than Kassim Ouma.
We will soon see if “GGG” in the antidote for the “Veneno”.
