SONAHR: Feb. 2, 2014 – Osumanu Adama of Ghana displayed a hall-of-fame level of heart during his unsuccessful attempt to relieve Gennady Golovkin of his WBA middleweight title on Saturday. But that attribute was not early enough in the face of Golovkin?s hall-of-fame level punch and skills, not to mention plenty of heart in his own right. It?s remarkable that the Ghanaian made it as far as the seventh round, considering that he was ranked only at No. 12 by the WBA and was thought to be nothing more than an opportunity to fatten Golovkin?s bank account at little risk.
Floored in the first, sixth, and seventh stanzas, Adama kept coming back for more until the referee mercifully decided to spare him further punishment. Adama even managed to bloody the champion?s nose. Still, Adama did not belong in the same ring as the man known as ?GGG?.
Then again, who the hell does?
Well, maybe lineal champion Sergio Martinez. Even though the aging Argentine?s body is showing signs of breaking down, Martinez is still ?The Man? at middleweight, albeit an old man. But Martinez? next fight will not be against Golovkin. Instead, he?s facing Miguel Cotto, another superstar who has seen better days. Provided that Martinez gets past Cotto, a showdown with Golovkin would occur sometime in the latter part of this year. If it doesn?t happen then, it probably won?t happen at all.
Meanwhile, Golovkin?s next bout is scheduled for April 26. The leading candidates to face him are James Kirkland, Daniel Geale, and Andy Lee. Lee is no better than Adama, and Geale is a former champion who appears to be on the downslide. Kirkland is an intriguing opponent, primarily because of his aggression and punching power. But his chin is suspect ? and that?s a weakness Golovkin would be certain to exploit.
Any of those three would be fine as a ?marking-time? opponent for Golovkin. But he needs to face someone more highly regarded than Kirkland, Geale, or Lee to build on the momentum he has already established. Trouble is, there?s not much left in the middleweight ranks other than Martinez. WBO title-holder Peter Quillin is undefeated, but also untested. Hardy perennial Felix Sturm is hot again, coming off a two-round kayo of IBF champion Darren Barker. But does Sturm have enough left to hold off a force of nature like Golovkin?
At 31, GGG is in his prime, with 26 knockouts in 29 wins and a zero in his loss column. There is little left for him to do at middleweight. Perhaps his will move up to super-middleweight next year. Waiting for him there will be none other than Andre Ward. Ward-Golovkin ? now there?s a potential superfight that could match the pots of pay-per-view cash raked in by the biggest of Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao?s bonanzas.
