The much-hyped and long-anticipated Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao match earlier this month turned out to be a fizzle, and the boxing world is looking for the next standout to take over the pay-per-view mainstay mantle held by Mayweather and Pacquiao. Gennady Golovkin, as he?s proven over and over again, could be that next superstar.
With Mayweather and Pacquiao on the backsides of their careers ? Mayweather, who?s now participated in two of the biggest pay-per-view box offices in boxing history, has intimated that his next fight will be his last ? Golovkin, well known now as Triple G, could be the next boxer to capture the mainstream fan?s imagination.
He?s 33 years old, and he?s only jumped into the mainstream mindset in the past couple years, but as he proved last Saturday night by stopping Willie Monroe Jr. in the sixth round on HBO, Golovkin is perhaps the most exciting fighter to watch today.
Willie Monroe Jr. goes to down for the first of two second-round knockdowns by Gennady Golovkin on Saturday. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
In dispatching Monroe, a solid middleweight coming into the match on a nine-fight winning streak, Golovkin recorded his 20th-straight knockout, and in his 33 career fights, the undefeated Golovkin has 30 knockouts.
How impressive is that knockout percentage?
Golovkin might never reach the same box-office heights as Mayweather ? the Kazakhstan native has moved with his family to Los Angeles, but his broken English could hinder for him now (it should be noted that Pacquiao?s determination to learn the language certainly increased his marketability in this country) ? but he has a few advantages that could help him become the next big thing in boxing.
1) He has tremendous knockout power, and he?s not afraid to use it: Watching a Golovkin fight is an exercise in restraint for the viewer. Don?t visit the restroom. Don?t walk to the kitchen and grab a beer. Don?t look away for a second. The man who owns the highest knockout percentage in middleweight title history has one-punch power that can immediately end the night for his opponent. Golovkin is the kind of fighter that makes you feel sorry for his opponent. But you also want to watch exactly what Golovkin will do to that opponent.
2) He?s made himself look slightly vulnerable lately: The biggest criticism of Mayweather and of Bernard Hopkins when they were in their primes was that they didn?t make exciting fights. Despite their all-time great status, they oftentimes didn?t take chances on offense, preferring at times to let their defensive wizardry carry them to victory. Mayweather rarely looked like he was in any kind of trouble. But Golovkin has shown a little vulnerability. Monroe hit Golovkin with dozens of clean shots to the head, and that makes you wonder what would happen if Golovkin ever faced a real power puncher. But if you ask Golovkin, all of this is by design. He?s said he doesn?t mind carrying his opponent for a few rounds. ?Yes, of course. I feel comfortable,? Golovkin told HBO?s Max Kellerman after the fight. ?Saturday night, this is not five minutes. A lot of people come, and my people [get a show].?
3) Unlike Mayweather, who was one major reason it took a half-decade for his fight with Pacquiao to actually occur, Golovkin wants to fight the best right now: The problem is that the top fighters in his immediate weight divisions ? Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, and Andre Ward ? haven?t shown much interest in getting into the ring with Golovkin. As Kellerman said on the HBO broadcast, ?Fighters with options don?t get into the ring with Triple G.?
So, where does Golovkin go from here? He said he wants to fight twice more this year, and here?s hoping that he can make fights with one of the top fighters in the game. Golovkin, after all, has shown that he can dispatch all the B-level fighters his promoters can round up. Even when he?s getting hit with a clean punch in the face at the same time he?s knocking out his opponent.
