By Gerardo Granados: Since the night that the feared, undefeated middleweight Champion of the World WBC-WBA-IBF-IBO Gennady Golovkin did an easy job out of a brave welterweight belt holder Kell Brook, I have read and heard many comments about how Golovkin was “exposed” or how “vulnerable” he is. I think it is all nonsense.
Last Saturday night it surprised me to see how Golovkin was defensively irresponsible, even if Brook is a welter with a respectable punching power at that weight. Just as GGG stated he was there to break Brook and not to box. Which I did like but I expected him to use his jab and control the first rounds just as he did against David Lemieux. Instead, Golovkin chose not to try to outbox Brook and simply focus on ripping him apart. He hurt him during the first round, broke his eye orbital bone at the second, dropped him on the third (it as a knockdown) and finally on the fifth round Brook´s corner desperately threw the towel to stop the pounding.
By the way, there is no debate Brook showed the stones that many of the so called big names lack, but still this was a mismatch as it was demonstrated.
Days after the bout took place some believe Golovkin was exposed and looked vulnerable, the WBO belt holder Billy Joe Saunders and contender Chris Eubank Jr started once again their rant challenging the middleweight Champion of the World. But how can we the fight fans take them seriously after seen them overprice themselves to simply avoid so sign a contract?
In my personal opinion the only vulnerability Golovkin has is his calm polite outside the ring personality, because inside of it, he is simply a magnificent lion king that enjoys destroying his opponents. I want to ask the reader, if GGG is vulnerable, then why did the so called big names have avoided him? Some have paid to stay away from him and the rest retired, ran out of the division or overprice asking ludicrous sums of money to avoid him. As a friend said, “to ask for a huge amount of money equals to say I know he can beat me so I want to get paid”.
Maybe there are fight fans suffering from the Floyd Mayweather abstinence syndrome. Perhaps there are boxing analysts that have totally forgotten that no matter who the boxer is the boxer will get hit more than once during a round. Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson are regarded as the all time pound for pound best by most fight fans, but they did get hit a lot, didn’t they?
Part of the greatness of a boxer is his ability to absorb punishment and to recuperate, his solid chin, stamina, and determination to take the risks to destroy his opponent too. How can the reader say Golovkin is vulnerable based only on the argument that he gets hit? Did Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon or James Toney never got hit?
Golovkin is hittable and that is no secret. Since I started to watch him fight at the amateurs, he was not that hard to hit. But, I have never seen GGG hurt and even less seen anyone who can withstand his devastating punching power.
To be vulnerable means to clearly show to have a weakness. Is he chinny or has ever shown stamina issues? Golovkin is able to be highly effective fighting on the long-mid-close range. When he decides to, he can be defensively responsible. His footwork and his balance are great. He is an athlete and stays close to his fighting weight; I have never seen him out of shape. His punching technique and power in both hands, his ring IQ and also his ring smarts are elite level. He seems to be a very professional boxer, smart inside and outside the ring. So, how can he be vulnerable?
As to have been exposed, well, Golovkin just increased his impressive knockout streak to 23, also increased his title fight knockout streak to 16. When Mantequilla Napoles fought against Carlos Monzon, did Carlos was exposed? Please be honest and tell if what we saw was Golovkin simply choosing to brawl to knock out his opponent? It is not as if he was not able to box, he chose not to.
I think that Golovkin isn’t even mentally vulnerable to get frustrated due the avoidance of the so called big names and even less that he started to slow down. But how about the reader, is Golovkin vulnerable to you?