Golovkin vs. Macklin: "I belong on this level" - Macklin

If there's one thing that can be said for certain about Matthew Macklin heading into his challenge against Gennady Golovkin, it's that he is not short on confidence despite facing one of the most feared men in boxing. In an article on Boxing Scene by Mike Coppinger, Macklin discusses his feelings toward fighters deemed unbeatable and why he knows he will come out victorious against Golovkin.

"They will get beaten, they do get beaten. They are human," Macklin said. "When they get hit on the chin, they get knocked out just like anyone else does. When they go 10 rounds at my pace, they get tired just like anyone else does.

"A lot of these guys - Rosado and (Nobuhiro) Ishida - deep down they know they're really not on that level," Macklin stated. "But I've proven I'm on that level to myself more importantly that anyone. I know I belong on this level."

I doubt Ishida really had to dig deep into his soul to find he was not on Golovkin's level, but Macklin could be making a good point here. One definitely cannot go into fighting a guy like Golovkin with an attitude of being intimidated. To his credit, Macklin has been in with two of the best middleweights over the past few years, Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez. Despite not being able to quite get the victory over either, he has a clear championship-level edge in experience over Golovkin.

Will that mean anything when the two men are alone in the ring?