Gennady Golovkin knocked Brooklyn-born Curits Stevens to the mat with a left hook in round two on Saturday night at the Theater at MSG. Most expected the Kazakh to close the show, finish off Stevens, but his opponent didn’t cooperate. He hung tough, stayed smart, and made it to round eight.
Stevens landed scoring blows on the way, more than Golovkin is used to, but body shots in the eighth got to him. He was caught on the ropes, trying in vain to cover up and went back to his stool nearly spent. His corner said no more, seeking to keep him from being battered in the next round.
Golovkin, who needed to be patient as Stevens fought a tactically smart style, went 293-794, to 97-303 for Stevens, who spent the night trying to catch Golovkin after an errant launch.
