Gennady Golovkin has outlasted Danny Jacobs in an exhausting 12-round defence of his middleweight boxing titles.
Both fighters are knockout artists, yet this one in New York on Saturday went the distance - the first time Golovkin has not had a KO in 24 fights, and his first time going 12 rounds. The Kazakh won 115-112 on two judges cards and 114-113 on the other.
In the toughest fight of his stellar career, Golovkin often was stymied by Jacobs changing to a left-handed style. But a series of hard rights throughout the bout were enough - barely - to bring his record to 37-0.
With Madison Square Garden reverberating from chants of "GGG" or "JACOBS", no one could be sure of the outcome right until the final punch.
"I respect Daniel Jacobs and he did a very good job and clean job and respect my team and all people that support me. Daniel Jacobs is my favorite fighter, clean, good quality, very good fighter. This is boxing I am boxer I respect his team. This is boxing and I needed a decision fight. I wasn’t thinking that I needed the twelfth round to win the fight. This was my first test at twelve rounds. I needed a quality fight not just the twelfth round," Golovkin said
"Of course I am ready to fight Canelo, of course I want that fight. I'll be like an animal for that fight. I will give Danny Jacobs a chance for a rematch."
Earlier, Thailand's Srisaket Sor Rungvisai stunned previously unbeaten Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, knocking down the Nicaraguan in the first round, bloodying his face with an unintentional head butt in the third, then winning a majority decision for the WBC super flyweight championship.
Even though Sor Rungvisai was docked a point in the sixth round for another head clash - there were several in the brutal bout - he never backed off. He relentlessly attacked the cut over the right eye of Gonzalez, who clearly was hampered by the blood streaming down his face.
In only his second fight outside Asia, Sor Rungvisai improved to 42-4-1 with 38 knockouts. Gonzalez, considered by many the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, is 46-1.
