Examination of his boxing r?sum? may not burn our eyes with a ?who?s who? of the middleweight division, but not all of this is his fault?
Saturday?s middleweight championship contest at Madison Square Garden in New York City may well have been the floating cube of ice, while next month?s ?Mexico vs. Puerto Rico? showdown in Las Vegas is very much the whiskey in the glass. It seems as if promoters and fighters alike are eager to fill the void created with the retirement of Floyd Mayweather and the impending end to the career of Manny Pacquiao.
Newly unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) of Kazakhstan is truly the cream of the crop of his respective division. An endearing demeanor out of the ring coupled with devastating power inside it are qualities which have allowed him to move forward in the sport and gain steam amongst its top attractions. He?s gained followers and fans from around the globe and his promotional handlers, K2 Promotions, have showcased his talents in such places as New York, Los Angeles and Monaco. His precise, powerful and shockingly surgical punches unleashed upon David Lemieux on Saturday night were sights to marvel.
Now that the two aforementioned carriers of boxing?s shield have already or at least begun to ride off into the sunset and especially after another resounding result, is Golovkin the one to succeed them? In regard to some opinions stateside, let?s look at a few facts. He?s not American, he has neither a troubled past nor problems avoiding bad press and he has the highest knockout percentage of any middleweight champion in boxing history. His detractors are usually among the quickest to point out the level or lack thereof in terms of quality opposition to his credit. Is this argument still as valid after his eighth round destruction of David Lemieux?
To be fair, examination of his boxing r?sum? may not exactly burn our eyes with a ?who?s who? of the middleweight division, but not all of this is his fault. This is not Bernard Hopkins? middleweight era and Golovkin may have just missed the ?Super Six World Boxing Classic? super middleweight tournament by a few years as well as pounds. He?s pretty much fought who he could, when he could. Many boxing fans traveled great distances to see Golovkin fight and judging by the expediency of ticket sales for Saturday?s event (15,000 were sold within one week of sale date, per Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions). By Friday, Madison Square Garden was sold out.
Naturally, eyes will move to Golovkin ultimately facing off with the winner of the November 21 pay-per-view card featuring Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez and Miguel Cotto. What a mouthwatering affair that should be, not only in November but later next year as well. Some within the boxing world had predicted that should Golovkin prevail by a resounding margin or a ?cleanup on aisle three? type of knockout, then we?d get to see the true unification of the middleweight division sooner than later. One thing boxing diehards may not like is the thought of Gennady becoming a twice-a-year variety of fighter or that his HBO days may be a thing of the past, save for replays one week after his pay TV appearances.
If we are to take Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya?s declarations as truth that Triple G will indeed fight the winner of next month?s middleweight showdown in Las Vegas, then make plans for a very big event sometime in 2016. However, there are some who believe that should Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) pull off the upset as a 3 to 1 underdog, then a matchup with Golovkin is not only implausible, but also close to impossible. Bad career move perhaps. Not a chance in the seven seas, the seventh layer of Hades or even the most delicious seven layer dip. A Puerto Rico versus former Eastern Bloc showdown may not have the same ring to it. His career is closer to the end than the beginning and he?s a lock for the Hall of Fame, but alas, let?s visit this argument once more in late November.
By contrast, Canelo Alvarez (45-1, 32 KOs) took no easy road back after his lopsided defeat to Floyd Mayweather two years ago. The bout which broke existing records in both gate money as well as pay-per-view totals left him much more schooled and scolded than beaten up. No one would have faulted him for taking a tune-up or easy comeback fight somewhere in interior Mexico. He instead fought Alfredo ?El Perro? Angulo six months later and Erislandy Lara in the summer of 2014. Two risky opponents. Two wins. Granted, Angulo wasn?t the one we remembered. But his three-round demolition of James Kirkland last May in Houston basically solidified his space under the boxing sun. He seems to be more than willing to take the challenge posed by Golovkin, head-on if necessary.
No one seemed to listen to the lot of us when we implored whoever would listen to set Mayweather vs. Pacquiao in a huge venue such as AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Of course, we were told to kick rocks and chew on a few more. The eventual result was a less than entertaining back and forth dribble for the paying customer. The saving grace may have been the sentiment that the $100 price tag for pay TV couldn?t possibly have hurt as badly as the sting felt by someone who maxed out their credit card for a ticket to the bout in Vegas. It?s not a far stretch to imagine a GGG vs. Canelo bout taking place in a stadium somewhere in California or Texas. A champion from Mexico against a champion who has gained more and more fans for fighting like a Mexican fighter.
But let?s not get too ahead of ourselves.
