By Jamie Eskdale: With it seemingly being easy to avoid threats in boxing I decided to have a look through the divisions and see who is being avoided. While looking 3 names quickly popped up. Sergey Kovalev seems to be avoided like the plague. It would seem no one in the light heavyweight division wants anything to do with the Russian. Kudos must go to Nathan Cleverly for making a voluntary WBO title defense against the heavy handed Kovalev though it turned out to be a mistake as Cleverly was decimated in a 4 round destruction.
Kovalev made it clear he was ready and willing to fight anyone in the division and unification fights against the other champions were his priority.
After his win in Quebec this past weekend on the same bill as WBC and the ring champion Adonis Stevenson he made his intentions known that he was seeking a fight against Stevenson. When pressed Stevenson didn’t appear too keen.
Which brings us to Stevenson. Stevenson worked his way to being the IBF mandatory challenger for Carl Froch’s super middleweight title. Froch slipped in 2 mandatory defences rather than giving Stevenson his rightful shot. Some claimed Froch was simply avoiding Stevenson. So tired of waiting Stevenson Would step up to the light heavyweight division though only after avenging his only defeat against the enigma that is Darnell Boone.
Since stepping up he took out Chad Dawson in a 1st round blowout with a stunning left hook.
He then stopped Tavoris Cloud when Cloud couldn’t make the 8th round.
Just this past weekend he stopped Englishman Tony Bellew in 6. After the fight he was pressed on who he wanted next and mentioned Hopkins and Froch. When asked about the earlier mentioned Kovalev he didn’t appear as keen though he did say he would fight him.
That brings us to Gennady Golovkin. Golovkin seems to have fallen into the trap of being high risk low reward with it seeming like everyone in the division is running scared of him.
Felix Sturm apparently paid the WBA to elevate him to Super Champion status to avoid the then interim Champion Golovkin who was himself promoted to regular champion as a result.
Daniel Geale who had relieved Sturm of his WBA super title was stripped after choosing to rematch Mundine rather than face Golovkin.
Golovkin seems to really be suffering badly because of boxing politics.
WBO champion Peter Quillin uses the tired old excuse of Golovkin being contracted to HBO and Quillin being tied to GBP and Showtime.
A couple of attempts have been made to put a fight together with Britain’s Martin Murray to no avail. The first excuse of Murray not being allowed into the States because of previous misdemeanors was plausible. Then a 2nd fight in Monaco fell through with no excuse given.
WBC Sergio Martinez has been out injured and he also shows no desire to fight Golovkin with the general consensus being he only wants big money fights at the tail end of his career. Though this again is seen by many as a cop out.
Though at the same time he must be given a pass at this moment because he is injured.
The only really decent names of the division who have been willing to fight him have been British fighter Matt Macklin, and Americans Gabriel Rosado and Curtis Stevens. Golovkin stopped all 3.
So to me it would seem that Gennady Golovkin would have to be the most feared/avoided man in the world of boxing at this moment in time. His devastating power matched with his ring generalship and the way he stalks his opponent and close the ring down make no one want any piece of the man from Kazakhstan.
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