(Photo credit: Dibella Entertainment) By Scott Gilfoid: Matthew Macklin (29-5, 20 KO’s) was literally smothering IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24 KO’s) with compliments after being stopped in the 3rd round from a left-hand body shot from Golovkin at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, USA.
After the fight, Macklin gushed “Without a shadow of a doubt he’s [Golovkin] the best I’ve fought. He’s better than Sergio Martinez.”
Golovkin systematically took Macklin apart tonight in pounding him for three rounds with hurtful shots, sending him in full flight from the 1st round until the bitter end in the 3rd when Golovkin caught up to him and send him into oblivion with a left hand to midsection. Macklin went straight down on the canvas, holding his midsection both hands, turning red and looking in sheer pain.
I still don’t know why the referee Eddie Cotton wasted time counting because there was no way that Macklin was going to get up from that shot. Macklin was on his back rolling one way and then the other in pain and there was going to be no getting up from that knockdown.
Andre Ward wasn’t ready to crown Golovkin as the top middleweight in the division, saying “Martinez is the top spot, but Golovkin is right behind him.”
I can understand why Ward would want to still keep Martinez at #1 considering that he’s not been beaten to lose his spot. However, the injuries that Martinez has suffered in his last two bouts against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Martin Murray, in addition to how vulnerable Martinez looked against Murray, tells me that Golovkin is the top guy.
It would be easy to settle who’s the best fighter at 160 of Sergio Martinez would fight Golovkin so that boxing fans could know. Unfortunately, Martinez doesn’t seem eager to make that fight happen, and I don’t see that changing after tonight. With the choice of Golovkin and Martin Murray for his last fight, Martinez chose Murray. So what does that tell you?
Comments are closed.