At the Forum, Inglewood, California, Golovkin vs Monroe Jr was not quite the billed mismatch it seemed to be on paper. GGG took care of business in the 6th round – via his usual method – and scored two 2nd round knockdowns. But it wasn’t all one-way traffic. In fact, what unfolded was a mini-war.
Following the win, 33-year-old Golovkin picks up his twentieth consecutive knockout, his record reading 33 wins, no losses, 30 knockouts. The IBO and WBA (Super) Middleweight belts will be returning home to Kazakhstan tonight. 28-year-old Monroe drops to 19 wins, 2 losses, 6 knockouts.
Here’s a summary of the night’s action and how BoxingBase.com had the fight:
Golovkin vs Monroe Jr: The Fight
The 1st round may have been the first signal that Monroe was going to be an active, slippery target for GGG to throw at. The Kazakhstan powerhouse still managed to find his man, of course, and landed a handful of singular thudding blows. But he was slightly overworked thanks to Monroe’s jab.
In the 2nd round, things became hellish for the New Yorker. Monroe was dropped from a well-timed left hook, and then a leaping right-hand not long after. Surprisingly, Monroe’s response was to trade with his unloading opponent. And it paid off, too, with a nice counter-uppercut finding the chin of Golovkin. A 10-7 GGG round.
Monroe seemed to be blessed with magnificent recovery powers when he began trading with Golovkin center-ring in the 3rd. It seemed like a sure-fire to get knocked back on his butt – or worse – but surprisingly it won him the round. Monroe landed the cleaner shots, and utilized a great jab, tasty one-twos, and scoring shots to the body.
Monroe edged the 4th – again, surprisingly – landing some nice one-twos and body shots. Golovkin had no problem walking through the shots, but it was clear he was becoming irritated by taking more shots than he is used to.
Golovkin came out firing in the 5th, trying to catch his man cold. And it worked. Monroe’s legs buckled after taking a full-blooded uppercut, but once more came back to fire some nice straight combinations and jabs. The frustration on Golovkin’s face telegraphed just how he was feeling. Despite the early leg-rocking, we had Monroe winning this round.
Just as in the 5th, GGG tried to catch his man early. And that he did. From that point on, Monroe was blasted by ferocious shots until he dropped to the deck. He rose very late at the count of nine, and was then saved from the fight after stating: “I’m done”.
Referee Jack Reiss of course made the right choice here. Monroe was clearly hurt, and had no problems returning to his corner to recover on the stool.
Golovkin vs Monroe Jr: Aftermath
So that was that. Golovkin vs Monroe Jr over.
This unpredictable mini-war shouldn’t have damaged Monroe’s career. Yes, he lost (that was expected) and did quit, but he has arguably given GGG the hardest fight of his career. He may have not reached or surpassed Martin Murray’s recent 11-round milestone, but he accomplished a heck of a lot more than the Brit in those precious five and a bit rounds. The New Yorker can expect to receive big offers at 160, for sure.
GGG is set for even bigger events in boxing. Who his next opponent will be is not yet known, but if it’s at 160, we can expect to see his unbeaten record further inflate. His inevitable climb to Super Middleweight will be what most serious boxing fans are looking forward to most.
BoxingBase.com congratulates both fighters on a hard-fought battle. Our Golovkin vs Monroe Jr Prediction may have been proved true, but we were truly surprised by the balls and skill-set of Monroe. Respect to both fighters.
What did you think of Golovkin vs Monroe Jr? Is Monroe one of the most underrated boxers on the Middleweight scene? And what of Golovkin’s susceptibility to the jab and speedy hands in this fight? Looking more human? Finally, what’s next for both fighters?
Remember to also check out our Gonzalez vs Sosa undercard report and catch the Golovkin vs Monroe Jr Highlights.
The BoxingBase.com writing staff provide worldwide boxing news, coverage and analysis – they can be contacted via email and social media.
