It?s hard to believe that there only three months left in this calendar year. With the end of the year fast approaching, it?s time to start thinking about who has been the best Boxer of the Year. If you have watched the sport of Boxing closely this year, there seems to be little to zero doubt who is most deserving of being called the best of 2013.
Gennady Golovkin has become one of boxing?s quickest rising stars and his stardom continues to grow by the day. The 31-year old from Kazakstan has had a most dominant year of any Boxer so far, and still has one more bout left this year to hopefully close out a fantastic year for ?GGG?.
Golovkin (27-0, 24 KO?s) is currently the best middleweight in the world right now, and is the holder of the WBA and IBO belts. He has knocked out all three of his opponents this year in destructive fashion. In fact, he has won 14 consecutive fights by knockout and has the highest knockout percentage of any champion in the sport. Golovkin?s ring charisma and pure ability have earned him a solid fan following that?s growing virally with each knockout.
He has is now being called boxing?s newest ?Boogeyman?, the most avoided man in the sport. The champion is coming off his most impressive win of his career in his last fight. Golovkin knocked out Matthew Mackin in the third round with a short left hook to the body. One punch knockouts to the body are the rarest knockout you?ll see in boxing. It was only a little over a year ago that Macklin knocked down the consensus best middleweight in the world, Sergio Martinez, in the seventh round before not being able to come out for the 12th and final round of their title bout. Many assumed that Macklin would give Golovkin his toughest test as a pro. Instead, the champion cut right through Macklin and left the Irishman in agony while he lay down on the canvas at Madison Square Garden.
In his previous bout before Macklin, Golovkin may have put the whole boxing world on notice when he faced Nobuhiro Ishida. Ishida is no Sugar Ray Leonard, but he had never been stopped in his career and faced some quality opponents. It was no problem for Golovkin as he ate Ishida up for lunch with a potential Knockout of the Year against him for a third round KO win.
Golovkin will look to continue his rise when he defends his WBA middleweight title against Curtis Stevens Nov. 2 in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. This bout is expected to serve as a final push to give the Kazakhstan fighter major opponents in 2014. The build up to this fight has been quite interesting.
Stevens (25-3, 18 KOs), a strong fighter from Brooklyn, has posted nearly a half dozen photos of a coffin emblazoned with the initials of his upcoming opponent, Gennady Golovkin, on his Twitter account to promote their title fight. Stevens posed with the coffin- it says ?RIP GGG? is surrounded by vigil lights. Another image shows Stevens with a bunch of friends praying over the casket.
Golovkin didn?t like the photos, and he intends to destroy Stevens when they meet.
?I show him real action in the ring. I want street fight. No decision, I want street fight. Put just a beating on him,? said Golovkin. ?He has a big mouth. For me, it?s about respect. I respect everybody. This is not my style.?
If Golovkin can score another knockout win against Stevens, it looks as if boxing has found a new fighter in Golovkin, that they can take an interest in and look forward to watching fight. Knockout punchers aren?t created or molded, they?re born. He has a deep amateur background with over 350 fights and lost only five of them. It is obvious that he?s improving and becoming more dangerous by every round. The future is very bright.
