Kell Brook describes what it’s like to face Gennady Golovkin

With the big fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin now just one day away, Kell Brook talks to Sky Sports about his experience fighting Golovkin and what Canelo should be able to expect in the ring.

Brook began by mentioning that Golovkin’s reach actually surprised him once he was standing opposite of him in the ring, trying — unsuccessfully — to stay out of range of Golovkin’s punches. And speaking on Golovkin’s vaunted power, Brook says:

“I've never been in with anyone with that much power. It was weird power as well, hard to explain but it is definitely powerful. Some fighters have a sharp, snappy power, others have that really dense power and his was in the middle. All I can say is that even when he hits you on the arm, you know you've been hit.”

Brook then says that it’s easy to size up Golovkin from the outside, but once you’re in the ring with him and he’s putting the hurt on you, you realize you couldn’t have really prepared his power and well-placed shots.

Then, switching gears to any weaknesses he saw in Golovkin’s game, Brook simply mentions the fact that since Golovkin is always applying pressure, he’s there to be hit himself — and that he tried to implement a hit-and-run approach that he expects Canelo’s team has taken a look at.

“You don't have to go looking for him. He is there to be hit - you can see it in his body language. I tried to use it to my benefit and you can see that when I did catch him.

“There's boxing at distance, no more than three shots then out, then frustrate him. That was the plan, because it wasn't hard to tell when it was working. I am sure 'Canelo' and his team have looked at it, and that's what I will be looking for them to do.”

The only potential problem with that game plan is that Canelo isn’t exactly fleet of foot, meaning that he won’t necessarily be able to skate away from Golovkin as easier as some other mobile opponents. That said, Canelo is going to have to utilize at least some lateral movement to combat the relentless pressure Golovkin brings to the table, especially if he’s at a power deficit.