How would you honestly rate Golovkin?

[boliodogs]

I think he is great. He is 36 so he is well past prime but he is still the best middleweight fighting today and will beat the excellent Canelo in my opinion. His KO record is unmatched by any middleweight and his left jab is also as good or better than any middleweight past or present. He is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Wait and see. As for resume he was very avoided and fought the best middleweights who would fight him and knocked almost all of them out. He has no losses and 1 draw that most viewers think should have been a win for him.

[Hewito]

7/10. Very good, but not an atg. He messed up his legacy by not taking more chances. If he had gone up to 168 and beaten Ward then he'd be a hall of famer no question.

He is already a first ballot, what are you talking about?

[Hewito]

A stellar amateur fighter, and a fighter who was on the way to maybe being something special as a pro, before getting with Abel Sanchez and having his whole style ******ed in a way to become stereotypically "TV friendly".

He's a B/B+ fighter who had the chance to maybe develop into an A- fighter had he not have gone with Abel Sanchez.

B+ fighter.. wow.

[Scipio2009]

You only count defences of the 'super' title? Well, you're an outlier, but that's up to you I guess. In that case Sturm only has 5 defences, and isn't there a whole load of guys (Linares for instance, or Maidana) who never had a title at all by your reckoning?

Sure.

Makes more sense to count things that went to try and claim a lineage drawing from an interim belt when the actual champion is still around and fighting.

Linares won the vacant WBC 126lb belt (champ retired), won the vacant WBA 130lb belt (Valero moved up in weight), won the vacant WBC 135lb belt (sus situation, tbh; Broner lost the belt on the scales, only for Omar Figueroa Jr to be elevated from interim champ and have the belt go vacant again to his inactivity), and won the interim WBA135lb belt (Richard Abril would seem to be the rightful full champion at this point).

Marcos Maidana won the interim WBA 140lb title, lost to Amir Khan when challenging for the full WBA 140lb title, won the interim 140lb title again, and then won the WBA 147lb title (title went vacant after Mosley, Senchenko was the new champion, who got beat by Malignaggi, who got beat by Broner, who got beat by Mail).

Linares is arguably a three-division world champion, and Maidana was a full champion at 147lb.

The truth doesn't diminish either guy, so let's stay with the truth.

[JohnCastellanos]

That fight was never on the table since someone didn’t want to agree to a catch weight that someone said he had no problem making

[pillowfists98]

He is already a first ballot, what are you talking about?

Probably, but only because the hall of fame has very low standards. Even Arturo Gatti is in the hall of fame despite beating nobody of significance.

[Ray Corso]

In this era he has been the best Middleweight for some time now.
I rate him an A for the era and a B- in history.
Good boxer good power and comes to his fights in shape and is willing to win. A top fifty Middleweight.

Ray

[Scipio2009]

Just stating facts

B+ fighter.. wow.

You put anyone in front of him with some boxing craft and toughness, and Golovkin ends up becoming an ordinary fighter. Has happened in too many fights to really be argued otherwise.

Geale not really being able to punch did him in, but Rosado, Geale, Brook, Jacobs, and Canelo all provided windows into what Golovkin reverts when put in with someone who can actually fight; eat punches with his face, march forward, and try to get busy with a jab while he hopes that you set your feet for him to fire.

There are too many things that Golovkin doesn't do to earnestly rate him much higher than a B.

[Citizen Koba]

Sure.

Makes more sense to count things that went to try and claim a lineage drawing from an interim belt when the actual champion is still around and fighting.

Linares won the vacant WBC 126lb belt (champ retired), won the vacant WBA 130lb belt (Valero moved up in weight), won the vacant WBC 135lb belt (sus situation, tbh; Broner lost the belt on the scales, only for Omar Figueroa Jr to be elevated from interim champ and have the belt go vacant again to his inactivity), and won the interim WBA135lb belt (Richard Abril would seem to be the rightful full champion at this point).

Marcos Maidana won the interim WBA 140lb title, lost to Amir Khan when challenging for the full WBA 140lb title, won the interim 140lb title again, and then won the WBA 147lb title (title went vacant after Mosley, Senchenko was the new champion, who got beat by Malignaggi, who got beat by Broner, who got beat by Mail).

Linares is arguably a three-division world champion, and Maidana was a full champion at 147lb.

The truth doesn't diminish either guy, so let's stay with the truth.

I only make the case that Golovkin should be recognised for the defenses of the regular title when their was no incumbent super titlist (ie. he should be credited with 15 or so). I believe the poster I was replying to argues that none of Golovkins defenses of the World title should be counted irrespective of whether there was a 'Super' titlist or not.

If you take this stance it necessitates that you apply the same ruling to any other regular 'world' champ since 2001 if you are to be consistent. At least - that's the way I see it. Any and all WBA 'regular' World titles would have to be derecognised unless you're going to apply some mental contortions to explain why Golovkins shouldn't count but other fighters' should.

Besides - the WBAs own rules state that Super Champion status is bestowed merely for the accomplishment of making 5 defenses of the world title - which curiously also brings Golovkin's title defenses to the same number (15 or so), as you get if you count only those defense he made whilst there either was no super champion or whilst Golovkin himself held that title.

Of course - I have both Maidana and LInares and all the other WBA champs as legitimate as long as there was no super champion at the time - I was merely illustrating the absurdity of the position Dream Fighter was taking.

[Diego Rodriguez]

Keep telling yourself that lie, lol.

Andre Ward fought Paul Smith, was 172lbs with 3 weeks to that fight, and then went on national TV, called Golovkin out of his name/moniker, and told the world that he wanted that smoke.

Golovkin, after talking all that **** about "anyone 154-168", tried to hide behind "let's fight at 164lbs instead", and has seen the world spit on his name from that moment on. Lol

I think Daggum has it mostly right but I am not getting into it that much.

When you say Golovkin talking all that . . . you should reference the time frames between his comment and when Ward "accepted" the challenge. Quite a lot had changed for Golovkin and Ward as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKGbttrMLag

BTW I am not slamming nor have I ever slammed Ward about Golovkin. I have said that fight might have been possible at one point. But it was it was only a slight possibility, like 5% chance.