Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin is the picture of amicability. But don?t be deceived, the fighter known as ?Triple G? may also be the most feared prize fighter on the planet.
The WBA, IBO, and WBC (interim) world middleweight champion, Golovkin has run up a string of 20 straight stoppages. With a ledger of 33-0 (30 knockouts), he boasts a 91% knockout ratio, the highest in the history amongst 160-pound title holders.
On Saturday, Golovkin takes on IBF middleweight champion David Lemieux (34-2, 31 knockouts) at New York?s Madison Square Garden.
What makes Golovkin such a terror? Just a smidgeon over 5 foot 10, the 33-year-old Kazakhstan native with thin legs and a tapered upper body, looks more like an elite swimmer than an economy-sized Mike Tyson.
And yet, despite popular perception, there is little correlation between bicep girth and punching power. Like most elite bangers, Golovkin is adept at bringing his upper and lower body in sync so that he can convert the power in his legs into his mitts.
One of the keys to slugging prowess is balance, keeping one?s weight over center. Golovkin?s balance is impeccable. He can zing a series of canon shots without pitching forward and always remains in a position to punch.
In over 350 amateur contests and 33 professional bouts, Golovkin has never been knocked down. He has confidence in his chin and ability to end a fight with one swipe. With that experience and aplomb, Golovkin has become a calm destruction-delivering machine ? one that has shown steady improvement in timing and setting up his shots.
A relentless attacker such as Golovkin always runs the risk of smothering his power by getting in too close. But like the great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Golovkin always maintains a cushion of punching space as he closes the gap with his opponent.
In 2013, Matthew Macklin had some of his boxing ambitions caved in by a Golovkin left hook to the liver. Macklin later explained that standing in front of a fighter who can deliver Golovkin?s packages of pain produces both panicky mistakes and premature exhaustion.
When asked what was best about his fighter, Golovkin?s trainer, Abel Sanchez, said, ?He has been knocking people out with the left hook lately, but his right is the more powerful punch. But more than pure pop,? Sanchez said, ?I love the fact that Gennady does not get drunk on his power. He is very patient. He cuts off the ring and comes in behind the jab.?
