By Victor Salazar
IBO/IBF/WBA middleweight world champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin delivered a different type of performance this past weekend which still generated the same result.
Golovkin utilized a power jab and kept Lemiuex at a distance, eventually forcing him to take a knee in the 5th and getting the stoppage in the 8th of their unification bout before a sold out crowd of over 20,000 at New York's Madison Square Garden.
The key was the jab and one his trainer Abel Sanchez says should be rated very highly.
“His jab I give it a 12 out 10,” Sanchez told BoxingScene.com. “I thought it was magnificent. As far as overall, he could have pressed a little more when he had him hurt to the body in the 3rd or the 4th. The issue that he wants to practice the things we trained for and please the fans at the same time. He could have gotten him out earlier if he pressed earlier on. I give him a 9 out of 10.”
Sanchez also feels that Gennady boxing acumen doesn’t get enough credit, especially with his 345-4 amateur record.
“He had 350 amateur fights,” explained the trainer. “If you checked the Kazakhstani amateur program it’s one of the best in the world. I was fortunate enough to get a solid foundation and perfect the things that we work on. I’m glad we got to show that off and David was the canvas for us to put on the art work because he was the type of fighter that we could showcase such things because he’s always lunging in.”
Sanchez felt Lemiuex was a challenge because he held a title but remained firm that Curtis Stevens was Golovkin’s toughest test to date.
“I thought he (Lemieux) would attack more but Gennady boxed and kept his distance and threw him off,” stated Sanchez. “He had the belt to lose, he tried harder, I’m sure he trained hard but he was more composed and less sloppy than in the N’Dam fight. I said Curtis was always the toughest fight. I said it before Curtis was a better puncher but David was a champion.”
