Team Ishida: Golovkin fight is the last chance

Nobuhiro Ishida probably doesn't deserve the WBA middleweight title shot he'll get on March 30 when he faces Gennady Golovkin in Monte Carlo, but trainer Rudy Hernandez says the Japanese veteran will come prepared, as they know this is probably the last chance that Ishida will get on this level.

"It may be the last time," Hernandez said. "He understands that. He's in tremendous shape, he's motivated and ready to go."

Ishida (24-8-2, 9 KO) has had just one world title shot, which came in his last fight, where he lost badly to Dmitry Pirog in Russia in May 2012. That followed a one-sided defeat against Paul Williams three months prior.

The fight has been rightly criticized as a non-competitive mismatch, but some simply see it as a way for Golovkin (25-0, 22 KO) to stay busy before hopefully facing someone better this summer.

Hernandez also says he feels Golovkin is the best fighter in the weight class today.

"He's the toughest middleweight out there, the best in the world, but we intend to go there and win," he said. "Ishida brings great height and reach and very good skills. He's not that easy to hit. He'll be very competitive.

"Golovkin sits down on his punches and he's very strong. He's the best puncher in the division right now. The little things he does make him better than everyone. And he rarely misses."