Why Does Gennady Golovkin Fear Greatness?

[soul_survivor]

Slightly off topic...
Hagler almost lost to Duran. Give credit to Duran for trying to force the fight against a bigger man.

I've seen the fight twice and I've never understood when people say Duran almost won. I don't think he even came close, Hagler just outsized the smaller guy. Credit for Duran for taking the fight and at times forcing the action, he seemed as quick as he had in years at that stage, which is another nice surprise. But Hagler was still the boss for maybe 9 rounds.

I would never ask a MW to fight a LHW. That's why. If I was demanding GGG to fight Kovalev you would have a point.

But, throughout boxing history, before the early 90s when Eubank and Benn legitimised the smw division, it was middleweight v lhw...why didn't Hagler do that? Considering your criteria for greatness is a guy moving up in weight.

Leonard and Hearn moved up almost a stone in weight, Duran moved up 2 stones. Why couldn't Hagler go up a stone and face Spinks?

I'm just throwing your question back at you lol

I do partially agree, GGG should be facing Ward if guys at mw are turning him down but I see no problem with a 164lb cw...unless Ward no longer considers himself a smw and is too big for the division, he should move up to lhw and there. He can't have the best of both worlds. Ward can't float around at 172lb and then say he is still the leading 168 pounder on the planet and then not agree to meet the leading mw (in most people's eyes) at a very reasonable catchweight.

[-PBP-]

I've seen the fight twice and I've never understood when people say Duran almost won. I don't think he even came close, Hagler just outsized the smaller guy. Credit for Duran for taking the fight and at times forcing the action, he seemed as quick as he had in years at that stage, which is another nice surprise. But Hagler was still the boss for maybe 9 rounds.



But, throughout boxing history, before the early 90s when Eubank and Benn legitimised the smw division, it was middleweight v lhw...why didn't Hagler do that? Considering your criteria for greatness is a guy moving up in weight.

Leonard and Hearn moved up almost a stone in weight, Duran moved up 2 stones. Why couldn't Hagler go up a stone and face Spinks?

I'm just throwing your question back at you lol

I do partially agree, GGG should be facing Ward if guys at mw are turning him down but I see no problem with a 164lb cw...unless Ward no longer considers himself a smw and is too big for the division, he should move up to lhw and there. He can't have the best of both worlds. Ward can't float around at 172lb and then say he is still the leading 168 pounder on the planet and then not agree to meet the leading mw (in most people's eyes) at a very reasonable catchweight.

Arguments can be made for not going up and not going up, who should go up and who should go down, etc.

But at the end of the day, I want to see GGG vs. Ward with both fighters being at their best because they are two of the best 5 fighters that this sport has to offer. I don't know why that is so blasphemous in today's world of boxing. Why does it need to take 3-4 years for the best to fight the best?

And when these matchups are tossed around in conversation, why do people get so damn sensitive and defensive?

[2shameless]

Arguments can be made for not going up and not going up, who should go up and who should go down, etc.

But at the end of the day, I want to see GGG vs. Ward with both fighters being at their best because they are two of the best 5 fighters that this sport has to offer. I don't know why that is so blasphemous in today's world of boxing. Why does it need to take 3-4 years for the best to fight the best?

And when these matchups are tossed around in conversation, why do people get so damn sensitive and defensive?

How on earth is GGG at his best at 168, a division in which he's never fought?

[_original_]

I have no problem with GGG still doing work at MW, which he really needs to before we start calling him a proven fighter. Canelo, Lemieux, Cotto, Quillin, Andy Lee, ect. There's still a lot of work to be done there. However, I have a problem with them saying they can beat everybody from 154-168 and then refuse to fight Lara and Ward when they call your bluff, that's a bitch move and I put the blame more on Sanchez than GGG. Just say you want to rule 160, which in all honesty is the more prestigious division out of the three. Also, keep Ward's name out your mouth who you clearly have no intentions of fighting and stop posturing you really do.

[Ray*]

It's pretty simple, the risk of him losing is quite high. Don't let us kid ourselves, we are adults and we have been around boxing now for years. We know how it works and it's all about him knowing moving up to 168 and fighting Ward is a guaranteed loss, moving up and fighting Froch or Chavez is NOT a risk that isn't worth taking.

[ИATAS]

There is interest down the road a little but you gotta understand Golovkin is one fight away from fighting Canelo in a big PPV fight. If what they're saying happens, that the WBC puts it in writing GGG gets winner of Canelo/Cotto, that means Golovkin can take a unification fight in lemieux next while he waits, and fight the guy they think is going to win (Canelo) in around May. This would be for the belt Golovkin has been waiting for YEARS to fight for. After that, a Ward fight is still there.

They have consistently said over and over and over that Golovkin's priority is unifying 160. They've made that perfectly clear. Not sure how you miss it.

Nothing is perfectly clear when it comes to that camp. One week there is a press release about Froch, the next week there are 3 press releases about Ward ducked him, the next week they say he never said that, the next week, they talk about Cotto/Canelo, then Froch said GGG tried to drain him, then they come back and said he didn't, then one week Lara didn't respond then this week, they were never interested to begin with, one week its everybody from 154 to 168 then its only leaving 160 for PPV fights. They are all over the place.

Not really. They've said all year they are focused on 160. They've always maintained they want unification fights (priority) and Cotto/Canelo winner. They've talked about the possibility of fighting Froch in the meantime, and more or less said "not right now" for a Ward fight that doesn't mean the goal has changed.

[-PBP-]

How on earth is GGG at his best at 168, a division in which he's never fought?

Because I believe he has it in him. Unfortunately you don't believe he does.

[cupocity303]

So you as a GGG fan don't think he's ready for Ward right now, and admit he's not willing to take on all comers? Have I got this right?
.

I'm not really a GGG fan. I just don't see a credible argument as to why GGG has to do anything but stay at 160.

I have already stated from a pure observational standpoint, that GGG's path to greatness just might be to become a All-time great Middleweight, which means investing even more time at 160 after unifying all the belts, and defending said belts.

Hopping around weight classes isn't for everyone.

[soul_survivor]

Arguments can be made for not going up and not going up, who should go up and who should go down, etc.

But at the end of the day, I want to see GGG vs. Ward with both fighters being at their best because they are two of the best 5 fighters that this sport has to offer. I don't know why that is so blasphemous in today's world of boxing. Why does it need to take 3-4 years for the best to fight the best?

And when these matchups are tossed around in conversation, why do people get so damn sensitive and defensive?

I'm not getting sensitive, I want the fight to get made and for there not to be another Pac/May fiasco or Stevenson/Kovalev bs.

You simply didn't do a good job covering all your bases as you put it when you mentioned Hagler.

But that's besides the point, I want GGG v Ward too and it happens next year, pencil it in. I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with a cw of 164lb either but I bet you Ward will try and long out negotiations on that front and GGG will eventually cave as Cotto and Canelo, his two biggest meal tickets, just ignore him.

[V.WEBB]

Oh boy. The responses in this thread.