Before July 26th, 2014, Gennady Golovkin was the most feared puncher in the Middleweight ranks. And after that night’s fight, not a damn thing changed.
Such is the way Golovkin deals with his opponents, words like ‘stone-fisted’ and ‘banger’ have become feeble attempts at describing his firepower. In fact, to a guy who carries a knockout ratio which exceeds 85% and has stopped his last 17 opponents, it’s probably a darn right insult to the Kazakhstan-born fighter.
‘Bona fide wrecking machine’ might just about hit it, especially after Golovkin crushed a highly capable Daniel Geale in the 3rd round at Madison Square Garden, New York. The TKO came at 2:47 of the round, which allowed Golovkin’s 30 fight record to remain unblemished, and his WBA and IBO titles safely intact.
Golovkin vs Geale: Brutal & Abrupt
Since Golovkin detests putting in overtime to such a degree, one of the only questions surrounding this dynamite-fisted phenomenon is not if the knockout will come, but when? And as he improves with every fight, his opponents seem to be dropping quicker.
To Geale’s credit, he fought his heart out in those 3 rounds. He was quick of foot, elusive – at times – and landed some clean shots of his own. The only problem is that Golovkin also has a solid chin to go with his off-the-charts power. (man, the boxing Gods were kind to this guy…)
Golovkin displayed not only his power – which we know can arrive via a single jab – but his ability to cut the ring off alarmingly fast. Good news for him, seriously bad news for Australia’s Geale, who found himself backed on the ropes more and more frequently. Following a knockdown in round 2, it seemed an early end waited for Geale just around the corner.
And it was true. After Geale decided he’d had enough of dancing in the 3rd, he began to trade shots – this was when a Golovkin counter right-hand connected with the Australian’s skull. Geale went down and remarkably beat the count, but his eyes indicated he was in no condition to continue. The referee then rightly waved off the contest.
Where Golovkin goes from here is anyone’s guess. There are other champions at Middleweight, sure – but are they just more fighters waiting to become another victim on Golovkin’s knockout reel? (Golovkin vs Geale Highlights)
Golovkin vs Geale: Aftermath
And so comes the question of whether this powerhouse needs to move north to the Super Middleweight to find a real challenge. Perhaps he’ll hang around a little while at 160 and clean up, maybe unify the titles? If he did, that would be mightily impressive – after all, how often is it these days that a fighter emerges as a ‘true world champion’ by unifying all the major titles?
Whatever happens, Golovkin’s brutal handling of his opponents will continue to appeal to both casual and serious fight fans alike – and that’s superb for the sport of boxing. If a rumored Golovkin vs Rubio fight does take place next, you can guarantee the crowd’s seats won’t have time to warm up.
As for Geale, who now stands at 30 wins, 3 losses, it’s unlikely his time is up in the fight game. He’s not getting any younger, but following a long rest he shouldn’t have too much difficulty competing with fellow fighters at Middleweight not named Golovkin. The evening’s bout was at least a quick knockout, and not a long, drawn-out career damaging fight.
What did you think of Golovkin vs Geale? Does anyone at Middleweight have what it takes to topple or trouble Gennady Golovkin? How about the Super Middleweight ranks? Can anyone at 168 pounds give ‘GGG’ a challenge?
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