The Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin inquiries III

By Boxing News - 06/23/2016 - Comments

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By Gerardo Granados: Back in April 2013, I wrote an article titled “The Gennady Golovkin inquiry”, back then a friend of mine asked me many question related to a new hungry lion, but sadly 4 years later, this fighter hasn’t solved most of the questions, and now, I have more than just one more question to answer.

Standing 5´10” half height, 70” reach, a natural middleweight, solid chin and impressive punching power in both hands, his boxing skills are over all great, even if he chooses to please the crowd he has a good defense and a solid jab to control aggressive pressure fighters as we all could see against former middleweight IBF David Lemieux.

Golovkin has a great amateur background, won silver at the 2004 Olympics; at the amateurs beat future champions Andre Dirrel, Daniel Geale, Andy Lee and Lucien Bute. As prize fighter debuted back in May 2006, GGG has beat many top ten contenders, but the so called big names have stayed away from him. Currently Golovkin owns the WBC – WBA – IBF – IBO middleweight titles and is recognized as the Middleweight World Champion.

Former WBC middle champion Sergio Martinez passed on him, Miguel Cotto (who demolished Martinez to win the WBC belt) paid a step aside agreement to avoid GGG, and then Canelo Alvarez asked for an interim fight to get ready, and finally simply vacated the WBC belt to avoid him. Not only that, but also Carl Froch bragged to be too big too strong for GGG but then retired instead of backing his rant.

By the time GGG arrived to the middle division and won one version of the WBA strap, WBA – IBF Felix Sturm moved up just as others who had previously moved up, which might have been only a coincidence, but that circumstance left Golovkin without many big names for him to fight at 160.

Will Golovkin ever become a huge draw? If by now he hasn’t, I doubt he will ever be, but I might and hope to be wrong.

Who is responsible for his lack of worldwide stardom? Is there only one reason or are there many factors?

Is belonging to a nation with a small fan base the main reason? I followed Azumah Nelson and also followed other fighters due his fighting style so it shouldn’t be the reason.

Has his outside the ring personality forbid Golovkin to achieve stardom? It is really useful for a boxer to know how to promote himself and it seems for me, that the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the mix of Gennady Golovkin gentile mannered personality outside the ring and GGG brutal merciless prize fighter inside the ring aren’t working so well.

Why if having an unblemished unbeaten record of 35 wins 32 by the way of knockout, no loses and no draws, holding an impressive 22 consecutive KO streak, also a record streak of 16 consecutive title defenses by the way of knockout, until today he has not yet achieved the stardom Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, Bernard Hopkins or James Toney had. Gennady might not even have a bigger following than Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Anthony Joshua or Leo Santa Cruz whom are skills level inferior to him.

Why even after have approached the influential Mexican fan base, Golovkin still has not been able to succeed to get the fights he deserves?

Is Golovkin going to cash out at 35 and half years old against Canelo on next fall 2017? Is Kronos going to get to GGG before Canelo fights him?

Is K2 Promotions – Tom Loeffler responsible for not being able to turn GGG into the biggest star in prize fighting?

Can another promoter such as Golden Boy Promotions or Top Rank Promotions turn Gennady GGG Golovkin into a cash cow?

Why is it that after an impressive run in the last 4 years, GGG still has not become the biggest star in boxing?

If GGG was American or Mexican, would he had become a worldwide star by now? If he was, I bet he would be the A side against foes like Cotto or Canelo.

Looks like that only one question made by my friend soon could be answered, because GGG is close to unify the division, if first he is able to sign a fight against WBO Billy Joe Saunders and then beat him.

Is it possible that a new hungry lion could rise at the middleweight division, who would steal stardom from Golovkin? Just as the pleasant upset achieved by the Irish Bomber Joe Smith Jr when he defeated top light heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara, an unknown promising star could as well appear in the 160 division.

As the clock runs out on GGG, are his chances to become the righteous A side vanishing?
All I have is questions but, do the readers have the answers?