By Donavan Leonard: In the folklore of many countries, there are tales of an evil creature waiting to carry off children who have misbehaved. The threat of this horror is used to scare children straight–to stop unruly behavior, a bad habit, or a deed before the monstrosity makes its dreaded one, and only, appearance. The message is clear–nobody wants to ever must face the bogeyman.
This term has seeped into boxing, with the definition morphing into a high-risk, low-reward knockout artist who wrecks opponents both physically and mentally, leaving behind a shell of the man who once wore that skin. The person who wears the title changes as Father Time makes his appearance, or as events transpire which strip away the moniker. Names such as George Foreman, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson, Felix Trinidad, and Gennady Golovkin have behind the mask. After Golovkin’s bout with Saul Canelo Alvarez last Saturday night, it appears the demon now needs a new face.
Although most observers (press row, after-bout polls) scored the bout for Golovkin, his aura of invincibility has vanished. His knockout streak of 23 in a row was broken in March when he won a decision over Daniel Jacobs, but he did at least score a knockdown. Afterward, the prevailing thought was that a taller, bigger, stronger, quicker athlete who executed and adhered to his game plan of staying on the outside could at least survive the menace known as GGG. The bout was a forgivable outlier, an aberration, as nobody else in his long middleweight reign had heard the final bell. It seemed like Golovkin’s reluctance to work the body and ramp into a higher gear had been directly related to Jacobs’ size and quickness. Enter Alvarez.
Canelo had been shredded by many Golovkin supporters as being afraid to fight GGG. When the bout was signed, it was a foregone conclusion that Alvarez would be destroyed. Alvarez’ inability to fight for a full three minutes of a round and his propensity to find his back against the ropes would surely be his undoing against the Kazakh destroyer. Canelo had faced many opponents with higher pedigree than Golovkin’s opponents, had more hand speed than most, if not all, of Golovkin’s opponents, and had displayed a stout chin, never being knocked down in a professional bout. However, in the fight game, size matters. Putting aside rehydration/Chavez Jr fight/fight night weight, the perception in this bout was one of a smaller Canelo, moving up from 154/155 pounds, moving up to face the feared Golovkin at a full 160 pounds. In a nutshell, Golovkin appeared to have all the advantages. His opponent was smaller. His opponent could not fight a full round. His opponent could not hurt him. His opponent was more than willing to lay on the ropes for stretches at a time. If Liam Smith could touch Canelo to the body, then GGG should have been able to break some bones. Yet it did not happen; neither the bodywork, nor the broken bones. The monster appeared to buy more mythical than mayhem-inducing. The smaller, less powerful Alvarez not only survived, but thrived. He could fight when he wanted and how he wanted. He took breaks on the ropes, and rather than receiving pulverizing shots to the liver, he was a recipient of feints and jabs. When the scorecards were read, which was not an action to be taken for granted, Alvarez himself was rewarded with a draw, in effect being as devilish as GGG himself.
Being a bogeyman requires fear from your opponents that defeats them before the opening bell (Dominic Wade), that prevents them from finding their pen (Chris Eubank Jr), that causes them to wait until the count of 10 to rise (Willie Monroe Jr), that forces an apprehensive corner to throw in the towel before their fighter sustains permanent damage (Kell Brook). Golovkin no longer has this ability. It does not mean that he cannot continue to win meaningful fights with good and excellent fighters in the future. It does not mean that he can no longer punch “like a mule” or have a chin of granite. What it does mean is that his opponents can now train with more confidence. There are now two bouts that can be studied that do not show an unavoidable, systematic beatdown of an opponent by Golovkin. Not every opponent will have the necessary physical and mental tools to better the performances of Jacobs and Alvarez, but the pieces to solve the puzzle are available to all to see. GGG’s days as a great fighter are not necessarily over, but his reign as the creature of lore is. The Bogeyman is dead. Long live the Bogeyman. Who is worthy to wear the mask?