Gennady Golovkin Defeats Murata and Chases His Stolen Greatness

By Peter Silkov

Writer at The Boxing Glove

Gennady Golovkin overcame 16 months of ring rust and the encroaching shadow of father time, to stop Ryota Murata in 9 rounds on Saturday night. This win adds Murata’s WBA belt to the IBF title belt which he already held. The victory reignited GGG’s career, making him a ‘unified champion’ now that he holds two world middleweight title belts, but this fight was for a lot more than the increasingly random and frustrating world boxing belts. Murata held the ‘super’ WBA world championship belt, but then the WBA has a long record of being able to come up with seemingly never-ending variations of the world championship belt, from, interim, to regular, and silver to super. In reality, the belts were an afterthought, this was GGG making his first appearance in the ring after 16 months of inactivity, against an opponent who figured to be a worthy test. Fighting just one day after his 40th birthday, Golovkin was seeking to prove that he is still a relevant force in the division that he once dominated so thoroughly, that many top contenders spent their whole careers avoiding him. It's difficult to remember another world champion in recent times (aside from Guillermo Rigondeaux) who was reduced to chasing his challengers rather than having his challengers chase him.

Despite having a fan-friendly style, which has made him one of the most popular and exciting fighters of his era, Golovkin struggled to find big names willing to share the ring with him. Perhaps this was because, as well as being exciting, GGG was also destructive. Devastatingly destructive.

Canelo made GGG wait about 5 years before he finally agreed to face him in the ring. Following a prolonged and acrimonious build-up during which Canelo played a good impersonation of a blushing bride as he hedged and dodged fighting GGG until Golovkin was 35 and already showing some signs of slipping from his formidable peak. In his contest, prior to the first Canelo match, GGG had been taken the full 12 rounds for the first time during his title reign after a lackluster performance against Daniel Jacobs. Canelo’s management had bided their time masterfully.

The record books will tell you that on September 16th, 2017, Golovkin and Canelo fought each other to a spirited 12-round draw. Then, almost exactly one year later to the day, the two men met in a rematch with Canelo winning a majority decision, after another highly charged encounter. The truth though, as many well-versed boxing followers will tell you, is something rather different from what is on the record books.

To start with, very few, (including Canelo’s usually fanatical fan-base) believed that the first fight should have been anything other than a clear decision win for GGG. Though the fight was competitive, GGG won many rounds clearly and dominated with his heavier punching and higher activity. Yet not for the first time (nor the last, unfortunately) the fight turned out to be judged by the three blind mice. Even the one card that voted for GGG was far too close. If the judging of the first fight was bad, the rematch wasn’t much better. This time the fight was genuinely closer, with GGG’s superior strength from 12 months earlier having noticeably waned. Was this due to the encroachment of age (GGG was by now already 36 years old) was there some other reason for Canelo’s sudden increase in strength? The whole Mexican meat episode is well known now, yet safely swept under the carpet by most fans and the media, but the difference in Canelo’s performance in the space of one year may still be more telling than some would like to imagine.

The decision itself was again judged unjust by the majority of the crowd and even Canelo’s usually die-hard fans greeted the verdict with boos. Canelo had his ‘victory’ and that’s all that mattered in the history of this gravy machine. Already there were signs that Canelo could never be beaten on points. Certainly not in front of his fans at the T. Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

Four years on, and memories fade fast in boxing, especially when they are inconvenient. The well-crafted and expertly guided cash cow has been maneuvered into world titles at two more weights since his second match with GGG and is now regularly hailed by many in the press as p4p number one in the world. He is even feted as the greatest fighter ever produced by Mexico. GGG meanwhile has been left chasing shadows, trying to recapture the glory that should have been his but was cruelly taken from him, not once but twice.

Imagine if Golovkin had officially won those fights against Canelo, imagine if he had won even one of them? His career trajectory, his standing in the sport, would be so much different today.

GGG is not bitter, he doesn’t whine about the Canelo fights, yet he has spoken strongly about his treatment by the judges of both those fights and how he believes that he was robbed of victories twice.

Canelo made GGG wait for 5 years before their first fight; he has now made him wait for four years for their 3rd meeting. Turns out GGG fans weren’t wrong when they claimed that Alvarez would never agree to a third fight until Golovkin is past his 40th birthday.

On Saturday night Golovkin entered the ring… one day past his 40th birthday, knowing that a win against Murata may well open the door for that long-awaited 3rd match with career nemesis, Canelo. Soon it became clear that with every fight he has, GGG is now increasingly fighting two opponents whenever he now enters the ring. His physical opponent and that old foe of fighters and athletes throughout history, father time.

Watching GGG now is akin to seeing a classic old rock band performing in their 60s or 70s, (athletes age faster than musicians). The brilliance, which once lit up every performance, has become more of an occasional spark here and there. This might sound harsh, but it is difficult to imagine the GGG of seven or ten years ago being troubled by Murata the way he was on Saturday night.

Murata started the match very strongly and with confidence, which belied his underdog status. To be fair Murata is no spring chicken himself at 36, but the Japanese-born slugger has only had 18 professional contests compared to GGG's 42, and that comparative freshness showed, at least in the early rounds of Saturday night's fight.

From the beginning, it became very clear that this was not the Golovkin of old, but rather an ‘old’ Golovkin. The old ability to take control of the center of the ring was missing as GGG found himself unceremoniously outpunched and outworked by a visibly faster, fresher, and stronger fighter. The action was intense from the beginning, but it was Murata, (who won Olympic Gold at the 2012 Olympic Games) rather than GGG who was forcing the action. When Murata landed the weight of his punches was visible, and on occasion, GGG was visibly moved even shaken, especially by some of his opponent's body shots. Golovkin’s punches on the other hand seemed to be bouncing rather harmlessly off Murata.

The first four rounds of the fight followed the pattern of both men meeting mid-ring and trying to attain domination with a continuous exchange of leather. Though GGG was certainly having his moments, it was Murata who was able to land more often and with more effect and GGG who was finding himself in the uncomfortable position of being put onto the back foot, a position which he has rarely found himself in during his stellar career.

Golovkin was being drawn into that weird twilight zone that older fighters begin visiting more and more often as their careers reach their ends. It is a place where they begin to find themselves slipping out of time with the present, as they face fighters who are suddenly faster and stronger and seem to be moving in a higher gear.

GGG has always been seen as almost the perfect fighting machine, but the GGG machine spent much of the first 4 rounds misfiring. His defense, never his strongest feature, was alarmingly porous at times, as Murata’s punches, especially the right hand, found his time and again. Golovkin's speed, once razor-sharp, has noticeably waned in recent years, but at times against Murata, he seemed a significant half-second or so behind the punching speed of his opponent. Also, of concern was GGG's movement. Though never a fleet-footed mover, GGG used to use economical and swift footwork, which always seemed to have him in the right place at the right time.

On this night though GGG started with legs that seemed almost rooted to the canvas at times. When he did move it was with the heavy hesitancy common to the older fighter.

After four rounds GGG needed to do something to turn the tide in a fight that seemed to be getting harder and harder for him. GGG found that something extra in the 5th round and showed again that extra ingredient that marks out the true champions. The ability to turn a fight around when visibly up against a faster and stronger opponent.

In the fifth round, the GGG machine finally found a higher gear, and his hands started to move with greater speed. The real turning point came midway through the round when a Golovkin punch ripped Murata’s mouthpiece from his mouth, sending it flying across the ring.

From that moment Golovkin had reached out of his personal twilight zone and turned back the clock. From the 5th round on, Golovkin began gaining the upper hand in the action. The battle was still raging toe-to-toe, but now it was GGG who was landing more frequently and beginning to display his wide variety of punches.

With Golovkin in the ascendance, Murata began to slow, as he began to take more and more punishment. Yet Murata’s courage never wavered, and at every point where it looked as if GGG was about to gain overwhelming control, Murata would come back with punches of his own. Yet Murata’s attacks were becoming more tired and desperate as the rounds flew by.

GGG may be faded and past his 40th birthday, but his fitness and determination remain impeccable. This along with his heart and granite chin has much to do with him finally overcoming Murata.

The end finally came in the 9th round, which started as a strong Golovkin round as he opened up seemingly looking for a knockout, Murata withstood a withering attack by GGG, but rather than going down actually launched a brave mid-round counterattack. At one point it looks as if GGG may have shot his bolt and punched himself out trying to finish Murata. However, Golovkin then struck back with a ….. to send Murata spinning down to the deck like a broken doll. It was at this point that Murata’s corner sensibly threw in the towel, just as the referee was waving the fight over. GGG had broken down another challenger.

One could be too critical of Golovkin’s performance, and the truth is that though he is visibly faded in comparison to the GGG of the past, he remains a formidable and brave fighter. Also, there is the aspect of his 16 months of inactivity before this fight and how much of his early frailty was down to ring rust rather than a permanent decline. Murata also deserves credit for his performance and for pushing GGG into such a difficult fight.

This fight underlined that GGG while not the fighting machine of the past remains formidable and with the kind of fitness that would still push the very best at his weight. With this win, GGG has reignited his career, and his visible vulnerability is liable to make him a more attractive prospect to many top fighters.

But what now for Golovkin?

Though there will be several options that GGG could follow right now, one looms large above all the others. As much as he might not want to admit it, and even with two world title belts to his name, GGG is still chasing. He is chasing that elusive 3rd fight with Canelo Alvarez, and a final chance to inflict an official defeat upon the man many feel he has already beaten twice.

photo: dazn

As always with Canelo, nothing is certain until the ‘Golden Goose’ of boxing decides to announce his intentions. Yet it is expected that if he gets past Dmitry Bivol on May 7th, then he will next meet GGG for their long-awaited 3rd fight, sometime around mid-September.

After the second match between Golovkin and Canelo, it was a common joke among some boxing followers (mostly those not blinded by the Canelo media machine!) that Canelo would probably make Golovkin wait until he was past 40 until he got a third match. Ironically that is what seems to be about to happen. Canelo and his team have bided their time masterfully and now GGG seems ripe for the 3rd fight. Still exciting, still a big draw, but certainly a far less dangerous proposition than he was four years ago.

Should GGG even take the third fight with Canelo? He will know now that the chances of gaining a decision over Canelo are beyond slim, even if he is deserving of it, and beyond that, there is only the stoppage route to victory, something which even five years ago GGG wasn’t able to get close to achieving. For all the hype, dodgy judges, and cherry-picking (not to mention other shady stuff) there's no doubting Canelo’s toughness. Whatever may be behind it.

If Golovkin couldn’t stop Canelo 5 years ago, it's highly unlikely that he will be able to stop Canelo today in his present reduced form.

photo: stubhub

What also needs to be taken into account is the likelihood that the 3rd fight will take place at 168 pounds, a weight that will overwhelmingly favour Canelo rather than GGG. Golovkin is currently and has always been a natural 160-pounder(who seldom gains more than ten pounds between fights) rather than someone who comes down from over 190 pounds for his fights as Canelo has always done.

The purpose of a third fight with GGG for Canelo has always been to score a definitive defeat over Golovkin. Hence part of the reason for the long wait between the 2nd and proposed 3rd fights. Canelo has only been interested in fighting GGG again if he was secure in the belief that he could score a non-controversial victory this time. Ideally, he would like to stop or knock out Golovkin.

Canelo still bristles over the controversy surrounding his two matches with Golovkin and would like nothing better than to end the rivalry with a stoppage victory over Golovkin.

Certainly, the Golovkin who struggled with Murata did not look equipped to deal with Canelo at 168 pounds. Sadly the man who was once a feared and much avoided fighting machine now seems very mortal and vulnerable. He is ripe for Canelo to pick for his much-wanted ‘definitive’ victory.

Having followed Golovkin throughout his spectacular career, and after seeing him robbed by the judges twice against Canelo, I would rather not see a reduced GGG fight Canelo a third time at a point in time where it suits no one but Canelo.

After watching Golovkin battle past Murata, even taking into account his ring rust and the ability to improve himself between now and September, it is clear that time has moved on for GGG. Those tools which once made him the best in the world will never be quite as sharp nor so deadly again. A fight between Golovkin and Canelo now would be a poor reflection upon a fair fight between the two in their primes. GGG was already past his prime when Canelo finally fought him for the first time and now he is past the point where he will be a danger to Canelo.

No one knows this more than Canelo and his team which is why the fight is finally being made.

Golovkin is a warrior and the chances are that he will still take the third fight against Canelo despite any advice he may receive to go in a different direction.

Following their fight, GGG visited Murata’s dressing room and gave him back the WBA belt. It was the kind of classy gesture that makes a true champion and gives a fighter the kind of greatness that can't be bought by a crooked judge's scorecard. GGG may never beat Canelo Alvarez officially on paper, but he holds something over Canelo which is perhaps more precious than any victory in the ring. Integrity. It is that, above all else which underlines Golovkin's true greatness.

No cherry-picking can beat that.

Follow us on Twitter: @TheBoxingGlove and  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theboxingglove

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/theboxingglove/

If you are an boxer, amateur or professional, and want us to follow you or tell your story, contact petersilkov@yahoo.com   or theboxingglove@yahoo.com

If you are an author and you would like your book reviewed, contact Peter Silkov at petersilkov@yahoo.com or theboxingglove@yahoo.com

The Boxing Glove Big Fight Preview: Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo Alvarez... A Date With Destiny

By Peter Silkov

Now that the pantomime is over between you know who, and what’s his name, the smoke has finally cleared a little bit to reveal the most eagerly anticipated middleweight fight since Hagler vs Hearns back in 1985. Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 33koes) and Saul Canelo Alvarez (49-1-1, 34koes) meet next week, September 16, at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, in a clash that has been at least three years in the making.

The various controversies, whispers, and disagreements, which have blocked this fight from happening, up until now, including Canelo’s infamous ‘I am not a true middleweight yet!’ claim, are all well known enough not to have to go into again. Now that the match is finally here, what do we really have before us? Is it a real ‘superfight’ or something a little bit different, more along the lines of a good business deal?

One look at both men's records, and fighting styles, tells us that this should be a well matched encounter that could produce something special. Both men have primarily aggressive fighting styles, but are also sound technically.

The build up to this match has been respectful from both sides, which is refreshing, and has added to the almost old school feel of this showdown. This is the kind of showdown between top fighters that used to happen regularly in boxing, but now is generally put off, especially in the heavier divisions, save for the occasional ‘superfight.'

If there is a worry, a person with a jaded eye might point out that the pair have been almost too respectful in this build-up and that talk of an upcoming ‘trilogy’ between the pair has been rather odd and ill-timed.

It's hard to think of any of boxing's famous ‘trilogies’ that have been ‘pre-planned', and the very action of arranging a trilogy in advance may lead won to wonder just how much planning has gone into the actual fights themselves.

Yet, one hopes that this slightly cynical fear will not be supported by what is finally witnessed on September 16. Come fight night, we are hoping to see both men giving 100% for victory, and for one of them to be awarded with a fair victory free from controversy. This is what boxing desperately needs, from a fight that it has been crying out for over these past two years.

Trilogy or not, this is a career defining fight for both men. For Canelo, it is a chance for him to finally show that he is more than just a good fighter who has been built up into something more by the media and Golden Boy promotions. Gennady Golovin meanwhile, needs this victory in order to finally underline the claims of greatness that have been surrounding him.

Photo: Metro.Uk

At the age of 35 years old, GGG has dominated the 160-pound division against anyone willing to get into the ring with him for the past 7 years, and over the course of 17 title defences. Despite this impressive resume, Golovkin has yet to find that defining fight, that defining defence, in which he has been called to show himself at his very best under pressure. In much the same way as 80s middleweight king, Marvin Hagler, struggled to find a meaningful fight before his contests with Duran, Hearns, and Mugubi.

Against Canelo, Golovkin will, for the first time, be facing an opponent whom a large amount of people believe has a chance to beat him.

If GGG beats Canelo, then his detractors will find it difficult to seriously ask ‘who has Golovkin beaten?’ GGG has already beaten the best at 160 pounds, aside from the three men that have constantly avoided him; former WBC champion Miguel Cotto, WBO champ Billy Joe Saunders, and up until now, Saul Canelo Alvarez. Indeed, it is worth remembering that Canelo gave up the WBC championship, rather than accept a fight with Golovkin earlier this year.

Looking at both men’s careers, while it can be acknowledged that Canelo has beaten the higher profile fighters compared to Golovkin, it must also be said that Canelo has been moved along very cleverly, and faced far more ‘soft targets’ than is often admitted. Since losing widely to Floyd Mayweather Jr. 4 years ago, Canelo has faced the limited and shop worn James Kirkland, Alfredo Angulo, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the vastly out-weighed and over-matched, Amir Khan, and the largely unproven at world level Liam Smith. Canelo’s best victories in the past 4 years have come against the slippery Erislandy Lara, (a fight in which many observers felt that Canelo was lucky to escape with a victory) and against Miguel Cotto. Against Cotto, although Canelo took victory and won the WBC world middleweight title in the process, it was not a devastating performance by Canelo and again, there were those who believed that the veteran Cotto had done enough to claim victory.

Photo: RingTV

The common thead throughout Canelo’s career is that he has never impressed quite as much as has been expected of him. Even in his last fight last May, against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., in a fight so one-sided that it resembled a bad sparring session. Canelo, for all his perceived strength and power, was unable to floor Chavez Jr. even once, let alone stop him. Canelo looked devastating against Amir Khan, yet even against the over-matched Liam Smith, Canelo struggled at times to impress.

Canelo’s strength has always been his size advantage over his opponents on fight night. It is well known that he goes up to 180 pounds at least, by fight night. Technically he is a sound fighter with a good chin, but he is also one-paced, and lacks flexibility in the ring. Mayweather, Lara and even Khan, showed how Canelo can be out-boxed, and dominated by the jab. Is this a strategy, which Golovkin might try against Alvarez?

Golovkin is usually thought of as an all-action slugger with a knockout punch in either hand, yet he has shown in the past that he is also a very shrewd technical boxer when he wants. Against David Lemieux in 2015, instead of going toe-to-toe with the big-punching Canadian, GGG chose to clinically take him apart with a technical display that GGG has not shown since.

Against such a physically strong fighter as Alvarez, who looks to have a sound chin, Golovkin may well need to call upon his finer boxing skills, just as he did when he took on Lemieux.

The worry for GGG’s supporters might be that at 35, the Kazakhstan fighting machine is beginning to feel the wear and tear of 18 world title fights, and father time. Certainly GGG’s last outing, six months ago against Daniel Jacobs, which saw the champion taken the full 12 rounds for the first time in his career, was his most unimpressive performance since he first won his world titles. There were those who felt that he was lucky to leave the ring still with his titles.

Photo: Boxing News

Golovkin has since said himself that it is the Jacobs fight that helped finally make his match with Canelo. Was it just an off night for GGG or was it a clear indication of a decay in his pugilistic skills. It should also be remembered that in his previous fight against England’s Kell Brook, Golovkin looked slow and sloppy at times with an almost non-existent defence, before finally stopping Brook in the 5^th round.

Are these performances indications of decline, or simply a symptom of GGG’s growing boredom at being unable to gain the big fights that he has wanted for so long.

In fact, it might also be argued that perhaps GGG has purposely ‘held back’ in recent defences, in an effort to make himself look more match friendly to Canelo Alvarez.

It is clear that GGG has not been the precise fighting machine he was against Lemieux, for at least his last two fights.

Here lies the crucial part of this upcoming contest. If Golovkin can find the form that he showed 2 or 3 years ago, then he should have a clear technical edge  over Canelo. At his best, Golovkin is a much more versatile boxer than Canelo.

Photo: Fightland.com

Canelo’s main attributes are his physical strength, and his comparative youth compared to GGG. At 27, Canelo Alvarez is at his physical peak while Golovkin at 35, as discussed earlier, is most likely past his peak.

This all goes together to make their fight that much closer. While Golovkin might have been a clear favourite 2 years ago, now he is not.

This match up could play out in two distinct ways. On the one hand, we could see both going toe-to-toe in an all out brawl, to test each other's durability and resolve, alternatively, we could see a much more technical fight, even perhaps a bit of a chess match between the two men. GGG will look to use his jab and wear down Canelo over the distance. If Alvarez has shown a weakness, other than his one-dimensional fighting style, it is his tendency to tire in the later rounds of fights. However in order to tire Canelo, GGG will have to work at a high pace himself, higher than he did against Jacobs in his last fight.

Can Golovkin operate at a high pace himself over 12 rounds, a distance, which Canelo is used to travelling in comparison.

Barring any scoring controversies, this fight is likely to be won by the fighter who can set the higher pace. Yet, Golovkin's best chance of victory may well come inside the distance. If the fight goes the full 12 rounds, (and is a competitive affair, as it is most likely to be) then it is hard not to envisage the Las Vegas Judges favouring Golden Boy’s favourite son. We have seen Canelo gain decisions over Lara and Trout, which were questionable and who can forget the judge who made his fight with Mayweather Jr. a draw!

Despite his popularity with the fans, Golovkin will most definitely be the ‘outsider’ in this fight, and one needs only to look at the recent two Andre Ward vs Sergey Kovalev contests to see what can happen when you are fighting a favoured fighter in Las Vegas. Golovkin will have to go into this fight with the mindset that he will need either a stoppage or a completely dominant performance over the distance in order to claim victory.

The feeling at The Boxing Glove is that Golovkin either wins this match inside the distance after wearing Alvarez down, or else he is looking at losing perhaps controversially on points. One doesn’t like to be a cynic, but after watching recent big fights, especially in Vegas, it is hard not to be. Vegas has a habit of siding with the house fighter.

Let’s hope that I am wrong and that we see a great fight, followed by a just result free from controversy. That would really make Saturday's fight something special.

Follow us on Twitter: @TheBoxingGlove and  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theboxingglove

If you are an athlete and want us to follow you or tell your story, contact petersilkov@yahoo.com   or theboxingglove@yahoo.com

If you are an author and you would like your book reviewed, contact Peter Silkov at petersilkov@yahoo.com or theboxingglove@yahoo.com

 

Big Fight Report: Gennady Golovkin’s Reputation Bruised In Big Apple Showdown As Daniel Jacobs is Robbed Of Victory

By Peter Silkov

Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 33koes) always says that he loves to provide ‘a big drama show’ for the fans, but last night against Daniel Jacobs (32-2, 29koes), his performance should have cost him his title. In the belly of New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden, Gennady Golovkin retained his world middleweight titles (and won Jacobs' WBA regular belt) with a showing that will forever be used against him in future when he is measured against the division's greats. To say that Golovkin was disappointing sounds like sour grapes, and does an injustice to Jacobs' clever, and brave performance. Yet, the sharpness and fire that we have come to expect from Golovkin, was only too clear in its absence last night. He produced only flashes of the finely tuned fistic assassin that he has gained a reputation for being over the length of his title reign. One of the major questions that comes out of this fight, is was Golovkin simply that bad, or Jacobs' that good. In the end, Golovkin seemingly produced enough to secure the win, after being taken the full distance for the first time since 2008, but his aura of invincibility has been left permanently bruised.

The fight itself was not the slam-bang showdown, which many fans were hoping to see, instead we saw an intriguing tactical contest, with some smatterings of good exchanges. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was the caution shown by Golovkin. Often praised for being a patient assassin in the ring, against Jacobs, the GGG man’s patience often veered into the bounds of lethargy. When he did finally try to get going, Jacobs proved to be an unwilling accomplice.

The first three rounds of the contest were very quiet, as both men sized each other up, and seemed unwilling to make a mistake. However, it was Jacobs who was the more active, and seemed to do enough to win this first portion of the match, as Golovkin’s usual first round scouting mission stretched well into the 3^rd stanza. Jacobs made good use of his seven inch reach advantage over GGG from the start, and his jab would prove to be a problem for Golovkin throughout the night.

In the 4^th round, Golovkin seemed to finally flick the switch and go into destruction mode, as there was now purpose in his marauding pursuit of Jacobs. He managed to knockdown Jacobs in the first minute of the round, with a right-left combination, but the knockdown itself was scrappy, as too was Golovkin’s follow up. So often praised for his finishing of wounded opponents, GGG remained sluggish as he tried to finish Jacobs through the rest of the round, allowing himself to be tied up, and generally lacking the finishing spark one would expect from him.

The 5^th round was a good one for Golovkin, as he pressured Jacobs, and forced him to hold, but Jacobs at times stood his ground and struck back, and Golovkin still seemed to be biding his time. By the 6^th round, Jacobs had not only recovered from the knockdown, but seemed to be growing in confidence. From this point, he used more lateral movement, along with his jab, and made Golovkin look often flat-footed, and slow by comparison. The fight now settled into repetitive groove of Jacobs using movement and his jab to score steadily against the constant pursuit of GGG. There was frequent holding, which often seemed to befuddle Golovkin, whose inside work was poor throughout the fight. Strangely, against a fighter of Jacobs' height and build, GGG’s usual body attack was almost nonexistent, and his jab, so often one of his most potent weapons in past fights, was strongly nullified by Jacobs' own reach and jab.

As the rounds passed, there often seemed to be a lack of urgency from both Golovkin, and his corner. If they felt that it was just a matter of time before he caught Jacobs with a fight-ending power shot...they were sadly mistaken. Sensing that he had already withstood the best GGG had to offer, Jacobs' confidence increased with the passing of the rounds, and at times, he out-boxed GGG with comparative ease. Golovkin’s technical skills were visibly absent on this night as he seemed to struggle with some of the basics. Perhaps the advancing years, and a long run of stoppage victories, have blunted GGG’s boxing skills.

If anything, it was Jacobs who landed some of the fights best punches in the second half of the contest. Showing that he could stand and trade with GGG, as well as out-box him.

Golovkin’s corner finally seemed to wake up after the 11^th round, and Golovkin was sent out to do some damage in the 12^th and final round. Yet, while he won the round, the action was still close, as the game Jacobs continued to fight back, and many of GGG’s punches were missing their target.

Photo: Fight News

In the end it went to the judge's score cards for the first time in a GGG match since 2008. Scores of 115-112, twice, and 114-113 allowed GGG to retain his world title, but not his reputation as the division's destroyer. While not wanting to take anything away from Jacobs' display, which was aided greatly by his excellent corner, it looks as though at the age of 34, and after lengthy amateur and professional boxing career, GGG is in definite decline. The clues to a decline that were visible against Kell Brook six months ago, were confirmed last night. Golovkin is now two years older than Marvin Hagler was when he lost to Sugar Ray Leonard, yesterday's match was his 17^th defence in a title reign going back almost seven years. It should be no surprise that the wear and tear of age and activity seems to be finally taking a toll on GGG.

Ironically, following this unification fight, the middleweight division is now more muddled than it was previously. On the evidence of last night Gennady Golovkin can no longer be considered the clear cut number one in the 160-pound division, and while there will no doubt be increased demands for a Golovkin vs. Canelo contest, the fight that really needs to happen first is a rematch between Golovkin and Jacobs. 

Full Fight:

Follow us on Twitter: @TheBoxingGlove and 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theboxingglove

If you are an athlete and want us to follow you or tell your story, contact petersilkov@yahoo.com

If you are an author and you would like your book reviewed, contact Peter Silkov at petersilkov@yahoo.com or theboxingglove@yahoo.com

Copyright © 2017 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved.

GGG Vs. Jacobs: Big Fight Preview: Can Jacobs Spoil Gennady Golovkin's Garden Party?

 

Photo: Daily News

By Peter Silkov

On March 18, at New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden, Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33koes) hopes to be one step closer to his, often mentioned, goal of becoming the undisputed middleweight champion of the world, by adding Daniel Jacob’s (32-1, 29koes) WBA belt, to his already impressive title haul. Golovkin holds the IBF, WBC, and IBO middleweight titles, in addition to being recognized by the WBA as its ‘super’ world champion, (the same WBA which sees Jacobs as its ‘regular’ world champion.) Such is the state of the sport today unfortunately, even the world boxing bodies themselves seem to be getting confused.

Photo: Sweet Science

However, aside from the muddle of boxing politics, and the seemingly never ending chain of world titles that now envelops boxing, there are few people today that follow the sport who do not recognize Gennady Golovkin as the true number one at 160 pounds. Some might produce an argument that Canelo Alvarez is the rightful linear world champion, due to his victory over Miguel Cotto, who himself had beaten Sergio Martinez, the fighter whom previously was recognized as the true world champion at 160 pounds. Yet, the Martinez, whom Cotto beat, was an injured fighter with a ruined knee, who could barely walk, let alone fight. Then Alvarez’s own point’s defeat of Cotto was a lukewarm display, rather than the kind of impressive dynamic performance that we have come to expect from Gennady Golovkin. Alvarez’s subsequent avoidance of a showdown with Golovkin, and his decision to take on welterweight Amir Khan, then move back down to light-middleweight and fight Liam Smith for the lightly regarded WBO title, has largely nullified his claims of being the real-world champion at 160 pounds. The fact that Canelo is now due to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., on May 6^th, at a weight limit of 165 pounds, after his well-documented protestations that he is ‘not yet a full middleweight’ has made Canelo’s position even more absurd.

The bottom line is that Gennady Golovkin is currently the best fighter at 160 pounds, by quite a long way. Indeed, it is hard not to make an argument for him being one of the top fighters today pound-for-pound, at any weight. The big question is, can Daniel Jacobs do anything to change this on March 18? The fight takes place a day after St. Patrick’s Day, and Jacobs may well need a bit of the luck of the Irish against his Kazakhstan born opponent. 

One of the criticisms aimed at Golovkin is that he has ‘not fought anyone’ of significance during his career and title reign. While it is true that Golovkin hasn’t had the kind of defining fight which all great champions need to bring the best out of them, and to truly show their greatness, it is hard to find anyone that he has avoided.

Photo: The Sun

Golovkin’s resume as world champion includes solid contenders such as Martin Murray, Matthew Macklin, Gabriel Rosado, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio, Curtis Stevens, and David Lemieux. Of course, he is waiting on Canelo Alvarez, but of course, he’s not a true middleweight, so it might be a long wait. Also, there is WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders, but he seems to be in no hurry to meet Golovkin in the ring either. Miguel Cotto is another name absent from Golovkin’s record, but once again, Cotto made no secret about his lack of enthusiasm regarding a meeting with Golovkin between the ropes.

This will be Golovkin’s 17^th defence of his world title and comes at a crucial point of his title reign. In his most recent outing, six months ago, Golovkin took on IBF welterweight title holder Kell Brook, stopping him in 5 rounds. Despite giving Brook a thorough going over, and breaking his eye socket in the process, it was not a polished performance by the champion. Furthermore, Golovkin received some strong criticism in some areas for defending his title against a ‘smaller’ man, even though the record books tell us that he was by no means the first middleweight champion to defend his title against a welterweight champion. Just four months previously Canelo Alvarez had himself demolished welterweight Amir Khan, who does not even hold a significant title at welterweight. 

Photo: Sky Sports

Despite the finality of his victory over Brook, who finished dazed and bloodied in the 5^th round, Golovkin did not look his best. His defence was sloppy and even the usual sharpness of his punches was missing. There is little doubt that against Jacobs, Golovkin will need to be as sharp as he was when he fought David Lemieux. Jacobs is a good boxer, with a dangerous punch, and Golovkin, despite his reputation of having an excellent chin, would be well-advised to sharpen up his sometimes leaky defence.

If Golovkin has a weakness, it could well be his own success. He has become accustomed to being able to walk through his opponents and at times disregard defence. It is bad habits like this that could eventually lead to Golovkin’s downfall one day, if he is not careful. There is a suspicion that his long run of title defences, along with his increasing years, has perhaps taken a little of the shine from the now 34-year-old Golovkin. Despite his image, Golovkin is human after all, and at the age of 34, it would be natural if he were starting to physically slip from his peak.  Certainly, this is something which several of his possible future opponents are only too keen to see happen.

With this in mind, it is important for Gennady Golovkin to perform against Daniel Jacobs. Saturday’s fight is a chance for Gennady to show that he is still a finely tuned fighting machine. He will not want to just win, but win impressively. Especially with a possible big showdown with the elusive Canelo Alvarez, still being constantly talked about.

Photo: Bleacher Report

When looking at Jacobs’ record, one thing that becomes clear is that his opposition has largely been a lower level than that of Golovkin’s. Jacobs’ most impressive victories have come in his last two contests, beating Sergio Mora in seven rounds, and Peter Quillin in one round. The Quillin fight especially showed that Jacobs has formidable punching power. Jacobs’ lone career defeat so far has been a July 2010 defeat to Dmitry Pirog for the WBO middleweight title, when he was stopped in 5 rounds by the promising Pirog (who never fought again due to a back injury.)  It seems unlikely that Jacobs will be able to outbox Golovkin for 12 rounds. Not only is Golovkin a far better boxer than he is generally credited for, but it is doubtful that Jacobs has the mixture of durability and boxing skills to last 12 rounds with Golovkin, and win a decision. Jacobs’ best chance of victory seems to be to land one or more of his big bombs upon Golovkin’s chin and hope that he can crack GGG’s whiskers. To do this, he must try and put Golovkin under the kind of pressure that Gennady’s previous opponents have not managed to do, and try to break the GGG man that way.  No easy task against a fighter who has barely been shook up by a punch as a professional, let alone severely hurt or knocked down.

The truth is, when he wants to, Golovkin, can dodge or ride punches with ease, and can be a much harder target to hit than is generally believed.  He is far from being simply a one-dimensional brawler with a big punch. These facets about Golovkin are the real secrets of his long-running success. Unless his recent display against Kell Brook was a real indication that he is now in decline as a fighter, Gennady Golovkin will simply have too much of everything for Daniel Jacobs on the March 18th. 

Photo: Real Combat Media

Like most of Golovkin’s fights, this is a clash which should be exciting while it lasts, but with the stronger boxing skills, the better power and superior durability, Golovkin looks certain to take Jacobs apart bit by bit, before stopping him. If Jacobs tries to box Golovkin he will last into about the 6 to 8^th rounds, but if he goes for the high-risk strategy of going toe-to-toe with Golovkin, then the chances are that he will be caught early himself, and stopped sometime in the first 3 rounds.

On March 18, Golovkin will once again show that he is a level or two above simply being just a ’good’ fighter. Of course, ironically, his main problem is that in truth he is too good for his own good. 

The Golovkin vs. Jacobs main event will be supported by a fight that may well steal the show, with Roman ’Chocolatito’ Gonzalez (46-0, 38koes) making the first defence of his WBC world super-flyweight title against Wisaksil Wangek (41-4-1, 38 koes), in a match which could well prove to be the fight of the night.

Photo: Boxing Scene

This will be Gonzalez’s first outing since he won the WBC super-flyweight crown from Carlos Cuadras, in what was one of the fights of the year for 2016, and undoubtedly the hardest fight of Gonzalez’s unbeaten career. Gonzalez became the first Nicaraguan to win a world title at 4 weights against Cuadras. Yet, he was also shown, by the slippery and speedy Cuadras, that life at the higher weight may perhaps be harder than he first thought. Although he prevailed in the end, and won a close decision over Cuadras, ‘Chocolatito’ ended the fight with his face bruised and battered, while the deposed champion remained largely unmarked. There were signs in this fight against that Gonzalez’s famed strength and power had perhaps not moved up with him from the lower flyweight division.

Against Wangek, Gonzalez will be facing a fighter with a much more straight- forward, aggressive, fighting style, which should suit him, in comparison to the flashy and slick boxing skills of Cuadras.  Yet the Thai challenger will be a formidable opponent in his own right. He is himself a former holder of Gonzalez’s WBC world title, having lost it in 2014 on a close technical decision to the same Carlos Cuadras whom Gonzalez beat for the title last year. Since that setback, Wangek has won 14 fights in a row to qualify for this shot at his old crown. Wangek is a battle-hardened fighter who recovered from losing three of his first five professional contests after he was thrown in the deep end at the start of his career against the likes of Akira Yaegashi, and Kenji Oba.

Photo:BeatsBoxingMayhem

‘Chocolatito’ usually enjoys having fighters come straight at him, and this is what Wangek is likely to do, and the hard-punching challenger will certainly test Gonzalez’s strength at this higher weight. If the lighter punching, Cuadras, could produce moments of discomfort for Gonzalez with his punches, then can the heavier punching Wangek go a step further.  The answer to this question could make for a fascinating and exciting title fight. 

Roman Gonzalez fully deserves the plaudits, that he is finally getting at this stage of his career. He is a great all-round boxer-fighter, with the kind of skills which makes you cast your mind back to the great champions of the past. He has also earned his place at the top of the pound-for-pound tree by facing all his major challengers throughout three weight divisions, over the past eight years. It is a bitter irony, that despite all this, Gonzalez still finds himself given the short end of the purses, when compared to his larger, yet far less accomplished, fellow fighters.

With this mind Gonzalez, will want to produce an impressive performance against Wangek, and set up what would be a very interesting rematch with Carlos Cuadras, that hopefully will finally bring Gonzalez some of the big purse money, which he so richly deserves.  

Gonzalez will be attempting to show that he has now become acclimatized at his new weight division against Wangek, and that the mixture of skills and strength, which he held at the lower weights, has not been depleted. This is likely to be a tough fight with some entertaining toe-to-toe encounters, but Gonzalez if he is on form, should be able to out-slick Wangek with his superior boxing skills, and slowly break him down, on the way to scoring an impressive late rounds stoppage. This is certainly a fight that will tell us whether Gonzalez is as much a force at super-flyweight, as he was at the lower weights, or has he finally taken that one step too far. 

Also on the Madison Square Garden under card:

Carlos Cuadras (35-1-1, 27koes) faces the useful David Carmona (20-3-5, 8koes) with a win a must if he is to set up a rematch with ’Chocolatito’ for later this year.

Andy Lee (34-3-1, 24koes) returns to the ring for the first time since losing his WBO world middleweight title to Billy Joe Saunders 15 months ago.  Lee faces KeAndrae Leatherwood (19-3-1, 12koes) in what is another ’must win’ fight if Lee is to get back into serious title contention.

 

 

Follow us on Twitter: @TheBoxingGlove and 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theboxingglove

If you are an athlete and want us to follow you or tell your story, contact petersilkov@yahoo.com

If you are an author and you would like your book reviewed, contact Peter Silkov at petersilkov@yahoo.com or theboxingglove@yahoo.com

 

Copyright © 2017 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved.