Gennady Golovkin kept his KO streak alive by stopping former British middleweight champion Martin Murray at 2:10 of round 11?
Saturday night at the Salle des ?toiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco, WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs), from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, stopped former British middleweight champion Martin Murray (29-2, 12 KOs), from St. Helens, Merseyside, UK, at 2:10 of round 11.
It was Triple G?s 19th consecutive knockout. But it looked, at least until referee Luis Pabon waved it off, like the fight might go to the judges? scorecards.
Fighting out of the red corner in red trunks with white trim, it was a more difficult fight for Golovkin than most expected. Murray, fighting out of the blue corner in silver trunks, boxed smart and landed more punches on the champ than we?re used to seeing. His high guard created problems, but Murray was firing a pistol against a cannon, and the cannon was victorious in the end.
Golovkin got off to a slow start. Both men fought carefully in round one, but Murray landed more and dictated the pace. In the second round Murray?s rights to the champion?s face offset the first of many body shots to follow. Whenever Tripe G got close, Murray clinched. It wasn?t pretty but it was effective. We had Murray winning the first two rounds. HBO?s Harold Lederman had it even after two.
Golovkin started letting his hands go in the third round. A right cross was countered by a Murray hook. Another right cross from Golovkin caught and stunned his gutsy opponent. Murray shook it off and continued to set the tempo, but Golovkin was coming on. He landed 22 punches to Murray?s 13.
Always focused, always unrelenting, the champion poured it on in round four. He dropped Murray twice with right hooks to the body. Murray beat the count both times, a testament to his courage. But it looked like it was going to be a short night, or a long night, depending on Murray?s ability to endure pain.
A Golovkin uppercut drew first blood in round five. Murray was busting up, but there?s not an ounce of quit in the rugged Englishman. He fired off a 1-2 that caught the champ, not the first or last combination he would land on this night, and he was fighting back, not with abandon but intelligence at the bell to end the round.
The beatdown continued in rounds six and seven. With blood flowing from both nostrils and his left eye beginning to swell, Murray, when Golovkin wasn?t drilling him along the ropes, continued to fight back. He was able to counter. He was able to land punches. It was impressive if hopeless, much like an antelope trying to evade a lion.
The slaughter continued in round eight. Golovkin?s ability to cut off the ring did Murray no favors. The same holds true for his devastating hooks to the head and body. Murray to his credit sucked it up, but he was a no-win situation. HBO?s troika of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones began wondering if it was time to save Murray from himself. His cornerman, somewhat more optimistic, perhaps because he wasn?t taking the punches, told his charge at the end of the round, ?I still believe you can win the fight.?
Murray started the ninth by landing a four-punch combination. It was over but not over, at least a far as Murray and his cornerman were concerned. But Golovkin, in addition to his offensive gifts, can take a punch, and the rat-tat-tat of Murray?s fists inspired him to bring out the heavy artillery. In round 10 the champion dropped a depth charge of a right and the challenger went down a third time. He got to his feet at the bell but looked every inch a beaten man.
The ref went to the blue corner to ask Murray if he had enough. He said, ?I?m okay, I?m okay, very, very good. Don?t stop it.? Neither Luis Pabon nor anyone else was convinced, but he let the fight continue.
Just seconds into the 11th round, Golovkin nailed Murray with a right. He dropped his hands. He sank against the ropes. Pabon had seen enough and called an end to the fight.
We now know that Golovkin can be hit. We also know, assuming we didn?t know before, that there?s not a middleweight alive who can beat him.
