Comments Thread For: The Mess in The Middleweight Division

[bojangles1987]

Yeah you rather have GGG not fight at all right? You are some boxing fan. LOL. The fight is in 8 weeks, it was either Brook or no fight at all since Eubank pulled out at the last minute. Do you even have the slightest idea that HBO had a set date for Sept 10th?

Brook as a stay busy fight is MUCH better than Brand, pretty sure you support Ward because he agreed to fight Kovalev.

GGG agreed to fight Canelo, Jacobs, Saunders and Eubank.

He wants to fight again in December so what?

You guys had Khan winning against Canelo until he got chinned.

In which of his 35+ fights did Brook ever show a bad chin? Not even Porter could hurt him.

I have heavily, heavily criticized Ward the past few years, and been called a "GGG fanboy" for doing so.

I did not have Khan winning when he got knocked out.

And yes, I would rather Golovkin fight on a different date than fight an unproven welterweight.

Don't bother responding to me again, because I'm never going to respond to you. You can live in your completely made up world where you think Sugar Ray Leonard fought Marvin Hagler after winning his fight welterweight title. I'm not wasting anymore time on pointing out how wrong you are about so many things.

[TachoSJ]

GGG wants to fight 3x a year. Jacobs could have enforced his mandatory status but instead chose to fight Sergio Mora (!?!?!) and neither Canelo or BJS wanted to fight him, and Eubank Jr lost his pen. Brook jumped at the chance to fight GGG with all the same terms offered Eubank and the fight was in 1 day. Props to him for taking the fight. He's fought several times above 150, at 155, 154, and 151.

[aboutfkntime]

But he's a small middleweight. Sure Brook is moving up two full weight divisions but he's a huge welterweight though. Poor GGG, leave him alone man. GGG mentally KO'd everyone in and around his weight division, it's about time these welterweights felt the wrath of GODlovkin as well.

Those " wins " don't appear in boxrec, and he didn't get paid a cent.

It just seems pointless.

I have always been of the opinion that fighting in 1 division your whole career is fine..... but middleweight is dead and has been for some time now, and by selecting Brook and then using the "best we could get" excuse..... it is pointless staying at 160.

[monkeyboy]

Those " wins " don't appear in boxrec, and he didn't get paid a cent.

It just seems pointless.

I have always been of the opinion that fighting in 1 division your whole career is fine..... but middleweight is dead and has been for some time now, and by selecting Brook and then using the "best we could get" excuse..... it is pointless staying at 160.

Yeah, I think this article has it pretty correct.

Jacobs, Canelo, BJS and Eubank Jr are avoiding a likely KO loss. They won't fight GGG without either huge money or very favorable terms. I understand this but it has indeed gutted the division and makes it quite clear that business is first and sport and challenge is second.

GGG can't get a good fight. Kell Brook is at least a good money fight.

I blame Jacobs, Canelo et al primarily but GGG has shown that he will also take a fight purely for the money and has lowered himself to their level by fighting Kell Brook.

I understand this but it has definitely lowered GGG in my opinion too.

I am now firmly in the 'GGG needs to move up' camp. Middleweight has proven to be hollow, the fighters should be considered unworthy. Screw unification. Screw Hearn as I now think he has been playing his own game too. Screw GGG until he moves on.

[aboutfkntime]

Yeah, I think this article has it pretty correct.

Jacobs, Canelo, BJS and Eubank Jr are avoiding a likely KO loss. They won't fight GGG without either huge money or very favorable terms. I understand this but it has indeed gutted the division and makes it quite clear that business is first and sport and challenge is second.

GGG can't get a good fight. Kell Brook is at least a good money fight.

I blame Jacobs, Canelo et al primarily but GGG has shown that he will also take a fight purely for the money and has lowered himself to their level by fighting Kell Brook.

I understand this but it has definitely lowered GGG in my opinion too.

I am now firmly in the 'GGG needs to move up' camp. Middleweight has proven to be hollow, the fighters should be considered unworthy. Screw unification. Screw Hearn as I now think he has been playing his own game too. Screw GGG until he moves on.

I pretty much agree. But, I will go to my deathbed wondering why the Canelo fight died over weight? There is only 1 possible reason why they refused to negotiate with Canelo, especially after he dumped the belt.

[ultravividscene]

Why is it that everyone knocking GGG conveniently ignores the one thing that has remained a constant throughout his career - he wants all the belts at middleweight. If he moves up in weight it will likely be permanent and thus dash his plans. If anyone is to blame for his current stagnation it's the other players in the division.

Let's just compare with the last MW who dared to be great, Bernard Hopkins.

20 title defences over 10 years, unified in 13th fight, undisputed at 19th, lost titles at 20th. First three defences against nobodies, the first of those against a career 140lber.

Two good fights (Jackson/Johnson) then two more fights against LMW's who couldn't win a title at the lower weight class or indeed at MW. Then six more decent fights with true MWs but half of them are rematches. Then a fight against a LMW title holder.

Then the big one, a career WW titleholder, great fighter moving up but ultimately a step too far in Tito Trinidad. Then a couple more so-so fights, including another pointless rematch until we get to De La Hoya, a guy who started at SFW, beaten at both WW and LMW, gifted a title a MW for the unification meet with Hopkins.

Followed by euro level Eastman who went straight on to lose against both Abraham and Miranda. Hopkins finally losing his titles in a couple of close ones with Taylor (who again went on to fight a few LMWs and hardly set the division alight until Pavlik did everyone a favour and deposed him).

Hopkins' only real career defining fights at MW were against a couple of big name smaller fighters who had no business fighting at MW and an early loss against another eventual p4p great in Roy Jones. This a 6'1 guy who started his career at LHW/SMW and now known as one the greatest MW's of the modern era, who eventually went up and did great things at LHW too and ultimately is himself regarded as one the greatest p4p fighters of recent times.


GGG deserves a bit more respect than he is getting in not only trying to emulate an all time great, but to outdo him. He's certainly far more feared and avoided than Hopkins ever was and on course to better Hopkins MW reign in less than half the time coupled with a KO run and percentage that makes your eyes water. All while being one of the most charming and endearing boxers to ever lace up a pair of gloves.

Brook will never better Trinidad/De La Hoya by way of perceived threat to GGG or even cash cow potential for the event but at least he is stepping up willingly. Alvarez is probably the only close comparison but that fight is never going to happen, he doesn't have the stones. Their odds against GGG are much worse only because GGG is far more dangerous than Hopkins ever was at MW.

GGG will get that final WBO belt in a couple more fights then move up himself. By that time hopefully the SMW/LHW divisions have crowned some new undisputed kings (this generations Jones', Tarvers, Calzaghes, Pavliks) who won't be scared be take on the challenge of a former undisputed, lineal MW champion in the hope of stamping their own greatness into the annuals of the sport. GGG certainly won't fear trying.

In the next year or two we'll finally get some of the cracking fights and huge events we have been waiting all this time for.

Until then, just keep on enjoying the ride

[monkeyboy]

I pretty much agree. But, I will go to my deathbed wondering why the Canelo fight died over weight? There is only 1 possible reason why they refused to negotiate with Canelo, especially after he dumped the belt.

The only obvious answer is that Golovkin can't actually go below 160lbs.

People make a lot of noise about the whole '154-168' thing but it's obvious that this was only to tempt PBF into a mega money fight.

I don't care about it. Weight draining is a blight on the sport along with peds and politics. I don't remember the last fight that a fighter dropped below their usual weight and didn't get beat and look crappy.

[-PBP-]

Great article. I've been waiting for a writer to buckle down and put this mockery of a weight class on blast.

The problem is all 4 fighters: GGG, Canelo, Jacobs and Hoe are:

1. Well taken care of and eating well

2. Are the most valuable piece in this division under their current promotional banner

3. Have enough fan support to be able to fight unknown B-side with little backlash.


When you factor in these issues, you have 4 fighters who don't need each other and have no incentive to take risks.

[Mr. Luthor]

It's ridiculous. I dont think any fighter has gotten as much leeway for such horrible opposition in the face of high expectations. If people want to call him the most ducked fighter in history, the greatest MW of this era, cool. But lets get on with it already. Start doing something of significance or stop shoving his supposed greatness down our throats. It'll be interesting to see his team's next move. No BJS, no Canelo, no Eubank. I suspect they'll wait around for Jacobs, but if they don't get that fight then what? Thats what i wanna see.

Exactly. You know the Triple G apologists are on duty when they claim Golovkin is a "small middleweight" even though he's been a 160 lb fighter his entire 10 year career and is 172 pounds on fight night.

[TSS]

Golovkin has made a mockery of the middleweight division and HBO have allowed him to do so. Casuals that dksab believe the hype that HBO has propagated, but hardcore boxing fans realize that he has never fought the top-tier fighters of his era and hardcore boxing fans do not believe the BS excuse that no one wants to fight him.