UPDATE.
The other day, THE RING and WBA super middleweight kingpin Andre Ward had his first chance to size up IBO and WBA middleweight boss Gennady “GGG” Golovkin at an HBO presser ahead of his return this weekend against Edwin Rodriguez. I don’t believe it was a coincidence, and the two looked like one big Peanut Butter n’ Jelly sandwich when photographed together. Ward, who just witnessed his brutally classic destruction of Curtis Stevens and a few other assaults from him this year, knows Golovkin is around to size him up. Both men have a very defined course in front of them that lead to each other. A win this weekend for Ward would probably mean a rematch with Carl Froch (who had a lot to say in the video you may have noticed), should he get by George Groves (no gimme). Then there’s Adonis “Superman” Stevenson and the threat of Sergei Kovalev.
Golovkin wants it with just about anyone from 154 to 168lbs. He’s called out the consensus best fighter in the world (Floyd Mayweather) and the guy right behind him (Ward). Golovkin has to be [at least] right behind these two, and I don’t think Andre would be keen on allowing Froch or anyone else at 168lbs to get a crack at Golovkin before he does.
If he beats Rodriguez and then goes on to best say Froch again in England (and he should take that fight- Froch has been red-“HOT” and running his mouth), this fight will start to make a lot of sense. I initially wrote this article directly after Golovkin’s chilling knockout of Matthew Macklin at the end of June, and he’s obviously become an even bigger monster since. We’ve learned recently that he’ll fight yet again on Feb. 1st (opponent TBA next week) and will most likely have a showdown with a still on the mend WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (I’m thinking fall 2014). I can’t see anyone that they’d be matched-up with in the forseeable future that could beat them (and that includes Mayweather at 154lbs for Golovkin). So by maybe late 2014, we just might be talking about the reality of this incredible match-up and genuine “Superfight”.
DREAM FIGHT IN THE MAKING: ANDRE “S.O.G.” WARD VS GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN
Back in late January of this year, Andre Ward, the man who calls himself the “Son of God”, had this to say about middleweight sensation, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin:
“Golovkin is a strong kid,” Ward said. “Physically, he looks like he hits pretty hard, he’s got some heavy hands. He looks like he’s getting a push from media and fans. I think he’s got potential, but I think he’s got work to do. He gotta beat some upper-echelon guys.
“Right now it doesn’t look like those guys want to fight him, so its not his fault. But I definitely feel like that could be a big fight (between he and Golovkin) down the road.”
That was then- but this is “now”.
When Ward offered those remarks, it was on the heels of Golovkin’s flu-ridden and clinical destruction of Gabriel Rosado. In retrospect, those comments are really interesting now, in part, because of what the IBO/WBA middleweight champion has done since- and what Ward has not.
He’s done an excellent job offering real expert commentary on HBO’s live fight broadcasts, and I for one was glad he wasn’t around for the latest (and most impressive) demolition job offered by “GGG” on Nov. 2nd over Curtis Stevens at MSG Arena in NYC. Ward is ready to re-establish himself this Saturday night, and I expect him to dispatch Edwin Rodriguez in grand fashion. The “kid” he referred to, is actually two years older than him at 31, and is flirting with the possibility of Carl Froch at 168lbs sometime next year.
This would be tragic if Ward let’s this happen. For not only has Froch downplayed the total importance of a rematch with Ward, but he’s downplayed Ward himself. When you are no less than the #2 fighter in the world (I think he might be the best), and a peer that you’ve beaten see’s you as almost irrelevant, that’s a problem. With a win over Rodriguez, Ward should start “openly engaging” the prospect of facing Golovkin much sooner- rather than later, as this fight could unquestionably catapult him to #1 in the world.
As for what would happen if they fought?
Well..
Andre Ward vs. Gennady “GGG” Golovkin
There is something curious about men finding contentment in such a volatile and violent pursuit as boxing. But then again, no one ever said fighters were ordinary men. When you have to summon will you didn’t know you had, it is only you that can understand the bliss of triumph that has eluded you.
Andre Ward (26-0, 14KO’s), is the best super-middleweight on the planet. Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (28-0, 25KO’s), is the best middleweight on the planet. They are both unbeaten and without a truly defining victory.
They need each other.
They have seen each other in various pre-fight meetings and they know each other well. Don’t think for one minute that Andre wasn’t compiling mental notes, or that Gennady wasn’t aware of that while he was butchering Macklin or Stevens.
He was.
If they were to fight, all of this data and gamesmanship would produce a scintillating affair.
With hundreds of fights between them at the highest levels of both the amateur and professional ranks, this would be high level drama. Ward would assert himself as the ring general right away, looking to control the space- and he would. He has better feet, subtlety and overall skills than “GGG”, plus he owns a more cerebral attack.
As if he’s an inner-tube from your bike, Andre would put him in water and find holes in him. But that doesn’t mean he would find it easy to fix him either- if at all. Not since the great Julio Cesar Chavez, has anyone seen the type of effective aggression administered by Golovkin. I watched him absorb the full brunt of Steven’s powerful left hook, and walk right through an elite middleweight in Macklin. Golovkin has bona-fide “1 punch” KO power and a brutally damaging attack that “relentless” doesn’t seem to quite sum up. But while I think it would breakdown and grind the uber-slick Sergio Martinez to a halt- Ward is a different story. Andre would expose defensive deficiencies in Golovkin’s game, while chipping him and putting him together, with his own precision attack. To do this, he would pay a tremendous price, for Andre would stay right in the pocket with Golovkin, but he would essentially pick him apart.
Neither one of them know what its like to lose- and that’s why it would be so special. It would be a modern Chavez vs. Taylor, but this time Taylor would see the final bell and have his hand raised in victory. Andre “SOG” Ward would beat Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, via thrilling UD.
