Saturday night at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut, WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24 KOs) successfully defended his titles by icing Matthew Macklin (29-5, 20 KOs) with a left hook to the body at 1:22 of round three.
It sometimes seems that the praise for Golovkin is inflated and premature. But when he?s in the ring, no matter who he is facing, the Killer from Kazakhstan wastes no time before wasting his opponent.
Fighting out of the red corner in light blue trunks with GGG emblazoned on the waistband, Golovkin appeared as relaxed as if he was about to take stroll on a sunny day.
Macklin, by contrast, fighting out of the blue corner in green trunks trimmed with orange, was a bundle of nervous energy.
In round one Mack the Knife jabbed and moved, and moved and moved in an attempt to avoid Triple G?s bombs. He could run, but of course he could not hide, and it was a matter of time before he felt the stalking Golovkin?s power.
At the close of the first the champ caught the challenger with a hook that drove him to the ropes. Had the ropes not been there, the gutsy Irishman would have gone down.
Triple G drew first blood in round two. Mack the Knife, who is the first top 10 middleweight Golovkin has faced, looked slow as molasses in the ring. Having tasted Gennady?s power, Macklin was reluctant to mix it up. There was, however, no such reluctance on the part of Golovkin, who delivered thudding punches to the Irishman?s head and body, in addition to opening up a cut above his left eye.
Round three was a formality. One didn?t need a crystal ball to tell which direction Macklin?s fortunes were heading. The writing was on the wall. There?s not an ounce of quit in Matthew Macklin, but he was in there with an extraordinary talent. Golovkin?s power is augmented by impeccable balance and clever footwork, and his ring IQ might be off the charts. He caught Macklin with his back to the ropes and landed a devastating left hook to the body. The Irishman crashed to the canvas like a sack of potatoes, where he remained immobile for many minutes.
Triple G has arrived.
After the fight, Golovkin was all smiles.
?I told you this was my regular fight, not biggest chance for me. This was my regular fight because I am champion. It was a good performance.? Describing the knockout, Golovkin said, ?It was my perfect position for body shot, just my lucky punch. This fight is present for my public, for Irish public, for everybody, for American people, for TV people. Thank you very much. Because I won this fight, I know I just am ready [for Sergio Martinez]. I think this is great business for everybody, for fans, for TV too.?
Mack the Knife, despite having lost the fight, was a gracious as usual.
?Without a shadow of a doubt,? he said, ?he?s definitely the best kid I?ve ever fought. I had a plan to exploit his weakness, what really was his lack of experience, having been 10 rounds once. Credit to him, he didn?t let me get into my groove at all. And he wasn?t rushing me. He was patient. He was hard to hit clean and his punches were landing. They?re not quick, blistering and explosive. It?s not the ones you don?t see. It?s different punching power. His are more clubbing, solid, every shot?s hard, even his jab. You feel the weight of it.?
After tonight?s performance, it?s time to revise the pound-for-pound rankings. There?s a new sheriff in town and his name is Gennady Golovkin.
