I HAD to listen to the message from Eddie Hearn twice on my phone, I couldnโt believe that I might be fighting โGGGโ. At last. I had been shouting from the mountains that I wanted a big fight. All these welterweights are running away from me, and there were no big fights coming. Even the fighters that were talking about fighting me were pricing themselves out with how much money they wanted. It had become almost impossible.
Iโd looked at Golovkin before, Iโd seen Canelo Alvarez give his title up rather than face him, Iโd seen other middleweights run away. When I was offered the fight, I started running towards him. I want that fight, and Iโve grabbed it with both hands. I got the deal done. There is nothing bigger or better in world boxing at the moment โ you have the best welterweight in the world stepping up two weight divisions to face the most feared man in boxing.
The difference between me and guys like Alvarez and Chris Eubank is Iโve got the power, Iโve got the determination, and Iโve got the belief. When I say I want the fight, I want the fight. I put pen to paper and I sign. Iโm going to get in there and give it to Golovkin like nothing heโs experienced before. I am going to show the world that I am a naturally big guy and I can stand with these guys, and more than hold my own. This was all written in the stars for me to fight this kid, and for me to shock the world.
Obviously itโs a high-risk fight because Iโm fighting a much bigger guy, but I am big myself and on the night there wonโt be nothing between my size and Golovkinโs size. I have never boxed at middleweight, but Iโm a monster in the gym when Iโm a middleweight, and then I have to come down in weight to make 147lbs. I will be a different animal โ I will have more energy, more power, and more resilience.
There is no catchweight because he is the middleweight champion, thatโs where he won his belts, and theyโre what heโs putting on the line. Middleweight is 160lbs, and thatโs what weโll be coming in at. Youโll see an animal on the night, one who is fully hydrated, a wrecking machine.
Amir Khan said he was โ100 per centโ behind me, but in the next breath he said, โJust donโt pull outโ, making out I would make up some excuse and pull out closer to the fight. Basically Khan is a joke to me. Iโve heard that as a person heโs not a bad kid, heโs nice guy, but when weโre talking business, weโre talking fighting, Iโve got to wash my hands with him because he drives me crazy. Iโm fighting the most feared man on the planet, and I donโt know what Khanโs latest excuses are for not fighting me before this, but itโs just pathetic. As fighters we want to be involved in the best fights that we can be while weโre in the sport, and this fight against Golovkin shows exactly what Iโm about. Iโm giving the fans what they want because they pay our wages, I want to give them the best fights I can.
Khan struggled at middleweight, the size was too much, but Amir Khan is no Kell Brook. Heโs not the โSpecial Oneโ. Iโm looking forward to feeling Golovkinโs power, Iโve heard a lot about it, I want to see what all the fuss is about. You will see at press conferences before, at the weigh-in, and on fight night, that I am a big, big welterweight. People will be in shock when they see what happens.
This is not necessarily the end of my days at welterweight. Wherever the opportunities are from now on, I will take them. I will go up, down, left, right. Wherever those fights are, wherever the bag of money is, Iโm there to fight. The thing about me is, Iโm a prizefighter, Iโm going in to fight, and to win.
This article was originally published in Boxing News magazine