Comments Thread For: Golovkin's Trainer: Stevens Tougher Than We Thought

[Tom Cruise]

I remember watching Stevens when he was first coming up, he used to be a beast. Then after his first loss, he just seemed to just slide off into obscurity. It seems to me like the guy tends to fall off when he's in the spotlight. He definately has the talent to have given GGG a better fight. If he would have fought the whole fight like he did in rounds 4 and 5 (esp. 5), I would have given that Curtis a shot at actually beating GGG. But for what ever reason (as I stated earlier), he folds up under pressure with the big fights. When he would put his punches together, throwing combinations, and actually THROWING punches with some conviction behind them, he was tagging GGG at will (which wasn't very often but see rd 5). Now I'm not saying he would have won, but he could've had an honest shot at it. After that knock down, you could almost see the will to win left him (don't know if it was fear or despair), but he was clearly tuned out and refused to listen to his trainers. When he stayed in the middle of the ring, he was holding his own, but he couldn't stay off the ropes. What's the deal with fighters that do that, does it feel like a security blanket for them? I thought I noticed a pattern in the beginning that when he got hit to the body, he started backing in to the ropes... but by the last 3 rounds he was just gravitating there almost immediately at the start of the round and didn't want to come off of them.

Side note: Didn't the tattoo on Curtis's back used to say "Showtime"? I know he was Curtis "Showtime" Stevens, but tonight they announced him as "It's my time" Stevens and the tattoo had been gone over with a different name. I couldn't tell for sure what he changed the tattoo to say, it was like some weird version of "Brownsville", but there was a 3 in there after what looked like sortof a V. I was kindof laughing to myself, thinking "I wonder if HBO told him they wouldn't give him a televised fight as long as he had "SHOWTIME" on his back and in his name. Damn. This so called "cold war" between TR & GBP is bad enough..... now they had to add in the whole "My Company will only work with [either] HBO or Showtime". That's the kind of **** that's ****ing up boxing. Think about how many amazing fights that will never be made or even considered, because Bob Arum and GBP want to play 'who's got the bigger weiner' bull****.

I just don't think Stevens had the will to keep trying to push GGG back. Against a heavy handed guy like Golovkin even those shots he took on the gloves would be hurting him. He may have felt more encouraged if he was able to hurt Golovkin aswell but when he took the shots and kept moving forward he seemed to break Stevens will in there

[MDPopescu]

Stevens is better than I expected. Gave a good showing despite losing.

Then how worse did you expect him to be?... Like not having courage to stand after the knockdown?

[flint]

Then how worse did you expect him to be?... Like not having courage to stand after the knockdown?

he had plenty of courage. you saw what happened in round 2.and he fought on. he's human just like anybody else. you won't last at all against stevens.you're not a fighter.

[MDPopescu]

he had plenty of courage. you saw what happened in round 2.and he fought on. he's human just like anybody else. you won't last at all against stevens.you're not a fighter.

True... But since when one who writes here has to "last" against any professional fighter whatsoever? Are you serious?

[bojangles1987]

I was surprised that Stevens lasted another 6 rounds after the KD. He took some really hard shots in the process.

[KickAzz]

I was surprised that Stevens lasted another 6 rounds after the KD. He took some really hard shots in the process.

Why surprised? He went into survival mode. He employed the Joshua Clottey defense

[Weebler I]

I remember watching Stevens when he was first coming up, he used to be a beast. Then after his first loss, he just seemed to just slide off into obscurity. It seems to me like the guy tends to fall off when he's in the spotlight. He definately has the talent to have given GGG a better fight. If he would have fought the whole fight like he did in rounds 4 and 5 (esp. 5), I would have given that Curtis a shot at actually beating GGG. But for what ever reason (as I stated earlier), he folds up under pressure with the big fights. When he would put his punches together, throwing combinations, and actually THROWING punches with some conviction behind them, he was tagging GGG at will (which wasn't very often but see rd 5). Now I'm not saying he would have won, but he could've had an honest shot at it. After that knock down, you could almost see the will to win left him (don't know if it was fear or despair), but he was clearly tuned out and refused to listen to his trainers. When he stayed in the middle of the ring, he was holding his own, but he couldn't stay off the ropes. What's the deal with fighters that do that, does it feel like a security blanket for them? I thought I noticed a pattern in the beginning that when he got hit to the body, he started backing in to the ropes... but by the last 3 rounds he was just gravitating there almost immediately at the start of the round and didn't want to come off of them.

Side note: Didn't the tattoo on Curtis's back used to say "Showtime"? I know he was Curtis "Showtime" Stevens, but tonight they announced him as "It's my time" Stevens and the tattoo had been gone over with a different name. I couldn't tell for sure what he changed the tattoo to say, it was like some weird version of "Brownsville", but there was a 3 in there after what looked like sortof a V. I was kindof laughing to myself, thinking "I wonder if HBO told him they wouldn't give him a televised fight as long as he had "SHOWTIME" on his back and in his name. Damn. This so called "cold war" between TR & GBP is bad enough..... now they had to add in the whole "My Company will only work with [either] HBO or Showtime". That's the kind of **** that's ****ing up boxing. Think about how many amazing fights that will never be made or even considered, because Bob Arum and GBP want to play 'who's got the bigger weiner' bull****.

He did okay y'know. Maybe someone from Brooklyn would've expected better but it's the 'levels' thing, Golovkin is just on a different one to Stevens. C+ or C- fighter against an A- or A+ fighter.

[bojangles1987]

Why surprised? He went into survival mode. He employed the Joshua Clottey defense

No he didn't, not until the last couple of rounds. He went at Golovkin in the rounds after the KD, he took some hard shots and gave a few of his own. I thought those shots he took would have ended him earlier.

[HarvardBlue]

This was a win-win situation for Stevens. He got the money he wanted for the fight. He put on a good show against someone who was suppose to destroy him with one punch. Golovkin's trainer saying something like this makes it even better.

[MDPopescu]

This was a win-win situation for Stevens. He got the money he wanted for the fight. He put on a good show against someone who was suppose to destroy him with one punch. Golovkin's trainer saying something like this makes it even better.

Of course it was a "win-win" situation for Stevens --he got floored in the 2nd round, he was carried until the 8th, and then quit... Win-win alright...