Dissecting Golovkin's MW Reign

[-Antonio-]

It is weak. At least Martinez had Pavlik and Williams. It's not GG's fault though. He's in a pretty weak division. The winner of Cotto/Canelo may fight him, even then that would not mean a whole lot. He's going to have to move up to prove his legacy, which is disappointing because he is a perfect sized middleweight.

[Blueduck]

I don't think Golovkin fans want Cotto himself so much as the belt. When Martinez had it, we wanted Martinez. Cotto has it now, so we want Cotto. If Alvarez wins it, we'll want Alvarez.

Exactly, only two ways to greatness and huge fights nowdays. Either jump around in weight trying to force fights, or get all the belts and become undisputed champion in a division.

This way people in your own division have to fight you if they want to be champion, and you have kind of a roadblock of both entire divisions above and below you that people have to come through you or skip two weight divisions. As GGG has so much trouble getting people to fight him I think option #2 would work better for him, but understand politically it's tough to make happen.

[soul_survivor]

He passes the eye test and he's obviously got world class power, but how can you anooint him when he has yet to fight a soul? Some people just reach for straws, they see Golovkin and they think he can be good for the sport so they make false, outrageous claims.

Personally, I was watching this sport when Pavlik fought Rubio and made him quit in his corner in 7 rounds. This message board condemned Pavlik for defending against bums. Why? Was Pavlik not cute enough? Not Borat enough? Didn't have a ******ed accent? Is it because Ronda ******* Rousey didn't go to his fights?

looool funny guy

but some of what you say makes sense, we have to be careful about blowing GGG out of proportion. yeah he's great to watch and imo beats just about everyone at mw but he has to actually do it rather than us hypothesise it, so i get where ur coming from.

Everything you say is true but still Cotto is recognized by many as the lineal middleweight champion of the world and that's why GGG wants to fight him. I considered GGG the real middleweight champ for almost two years now when Martinez refused to fight him even though he had been the number one challenger for a long time.

ggg made his debut on hbo in 2012, didn't fight a true top 10 contender till 2013 when he fought macklin. in that time, martinez had one fight post jr which was against murray and was injured yet again. then came the cotto fight. in that time, ggg was only on the minds of most boxing audiences for about a year or so.

[Dr Rumack]

...and made quick work of the guy who has an official win over Sturm. GGG's reign is more known for the names that are missing from his resume than who he's actually fought. The cold hard fact is, fighters can only fight those who are willing. 3G has to be built in a way that takes longer than what fans want due to that fact. He would be in a higher position if Sturm didn't avoid him years ago. He's going to become an A-fighter @MW by crushing all the fighters around him til he's the only one standing and there's not one doubt that he's THE BEST. In the process, he stays in top shape and his fanbase and mythos as the MW boogeyman grows.

A lot of people don't seem to realise how much he was screwed over in the early part of his pro career. This all could have came much sooner for him if it wasn't for that,

In legacy terms, I think it's in his best interest to pursue a fight with the Cotto-Canelo winner next year. If he goes to 168 first and loses, you will have critics claiming that he was never truly the best at 160 either. He needs to underline his middleweight run with that one high profile win.

But not at all costs either. Froch, Jr, and Ward are available at 168 in the near future. But come 2016 it's possible that none of them will be, and 168 will be a wasteland. If he can't get the shot at the lineage at 160 next year, then it would be better to move up sooner rather than later.

He's not a big middleweight, but there's little to gain in another 12 months of wins over Macklins or Rubios. He's done enough of that.

He's accomplished the unlikely feat of gaining huge momentum in the US as a non-English speaking Kazakh fighter. But as Kellerman rightly pointed out, he's past that now. He should know by next summer if Cotto/Canelo is a go or not. If it is, great. If not, time to look elsewhere for a big name.

[BennyST]

He's slowly but surely taking out everyone at middleweight. Don't compare him to champion Hagler, despite the belt, it's actually more accurate to compare him to pre-championship Hagler, who also spent a long time being avoided.

Golovkin's resume is nothing special, I love the guy but I can admit that. He's in a weak division, I can admit that as well. But he's fighting the absolute best middleweights that have been willing to fight him. And slowly but surely, that competition is improving as Golovkin's fame does.

Really looking at it, he's beating the majority of the best fighters in the division. How many other beltholders have beaten 3 or 4 of their division's 10 best fighters?

Yep, good post. Very true. Eventually he'll get his fight. He only needs the one, Ward, Chavez, Cotto, Alvarez, Quillin, even Froch?

The middleweight division is utter balls right now, so it'd be good if he could just clean up on one big fight. Just one name fight. That's all he needs now, otherwise he'll end his career never having beaten one top name opponent. He's got the title, defenses, and the KOs. He's just lacking any good opponents that can just put him into that area where other big names will then go in for it.

Until then, it's just going to keep being these second rate hacks, which has just gone on too long. Someone needs to get him, or give him, just one big name fight. It's ****ty when the current best fighter in the divisions greatest name is Daniel Geale. Really ****ty. That's just not what should be happening. I don't know whether his management just don't have enough pull, or the big opponents just keep saying no, but at the top that's rarely ever the case because the big bucks are involved and they'll go for whoever has the big bucks. When the $ are there the fights happen, so it makes you wonder if his management simply don't have the financial, pull to get it done. It's gone on long enough now that it does make you wonder.

I think once he gets one big name, then more will follow however. Let's just hope it's soon though, otherwise he'll end up with a whole career of Murrays, Geales and Rubios which would be pretty tragic for a guy that's the best in the division (should say arguably, but it doesn't seem like it after Martinez' sudden decline and Cotto taking over as the 'man'). He just needs to get firmer $ backing, because that'll always bring in the big boys. Without that money backing, it'll just keep being these gimme fights.

If it doesn't happen within the next one or two fights max over the next year, I'd say he should move up and try to get one of the big names at 168 otherwise his career will pass him by as a could-have-been.

Hagler and GGG though?

[Guest]

How did you come to that assessment on Martin Murray? Before Bursak, he never had a win over a top 30 MW. He gave Martinez & Sturm tough fights, but that's as much due to his opponents being past their prime and Murray's large size than anything to do with his ability. Martinez was dealing with injuries and Sturm struggling with weight and was being taken the distance in close fights with everyone he fought in that period. Murray should've lost to Khomisky last year and looked lousy against 'The Black Roy Jones Jr'. Almost all of Golovkins recent opponents save Ishida would likely beat him. Adama gives Murray a hard night.

I also don't see the logic behind pushing a Cotto fight in order to define Golovkin. People should recognize that as a farce of a fight and I'm disappointed in Golovkin even calling Miguel out. A hobbled Martinez & semi-retired WW Delvin Rodriguez don't erase the fact that Miguel was beaten by smaller and/or less skilled fighters than Golovkin. Forget Margarito, Pacquiao, and Trout, Clottery was able to impose his size & durability on Cotto. Cotto at MW is simply a marketing scheme for an Alvarez fight.

He said anyone really and the interviewer said to name names.

So it's basically like someone saying to you, so take this job what do you want $100K, 50K, or 25k.

Of course you're gonna say 100k.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Knocking out bums.

There. Dissected.

[HeroBando]

Knocking out bums.

There. Dissected.

He'd love to knock out Froch if he could get him in the ring, but Carl feels he punches too hard

[BennyST]

Knocking out bums.

There. Dissected.

That's some ultra science, expert analysis right there.

On point though sadly.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

He'd love to knock out Froch if he could get him in the ring, but Carl feels he punches too hard

Laughable. The man whose made his name fighting the very best in the world isn't scared of a man whose made his name fighting cab drivers.