The best-kept secret in boxing is no longer a secret. Gennady Golovkin (24-0; 21KOs), the WBA "regular" and IBO middleweight champion, made his HBO debut and did it in impressive fashion. Golovkin scored three knockdowns enroute to a fifth-round TKO over the tough Grzegorz Proksa who was 28-1 with 21 KOs coming into the fight.
Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez, in a recent interview with Bleacher Report made the following bold statement about his fighter:
He has the Mike Tyson effect where you don't want to go to the refrigerator because the other guy is going to get knocked out. He's not as reckless, let's just say as Mike Tyson was, but he definitely hits hard with both hands, and we have modified his style to be an aggressive fighter and to come forward and make it a fight.
I would say I have to agree. Golovkin lived up to all the hype that has surrounded his HBO and U.S. debut.
The question now is where does Golovkin go from here?
I think the fight that makes the most sense would be to target the winner of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Sergio Martinez matchup on September 15. The winner of this fight will be the WBC and lineal middleweight champion. It would be the biggest fight that Golovkin could make. After this performance, though, I doubt that either Martinez or Chavez will be eager to get in there with a killer like Golovkin.
Golovkin who has made it clear he wants to continue fighting in the U.S. could target Australia’s Daniel Geale who is the IBF and WBA “Super” champion in the middleweight division. Geale defeated long-time champion Felix Sturm recently by split decision. Geale may be willing to travel to the U.S., considering he won his title and unified it by going on the road to Germany in the past.
There is also Russia’s Dmitry Pirog, the WBO champion in the middleweight division, who actually was the originally scheduled opponent for Golovkin’s HBO debut. Pirog, who suffered a back injury in training, may have dodged a bullet by pulling out of the fight. I doubt that Pirog will be rushing to reschedule the bout after Golvkin’s recent performance.
Besides his in-ring performance Golovkin also showed that he is trying to make himself a fan favorite here in the U.S. by learning English and speaking it in his post-fight interview. Golovkin seems to have the same humbleness and infectious smile that Manny Pacquiao has along with his killer instinct in the ring.
There is a new superstar in boxing, and his name is Gennady Golovkin.
Michael Walters is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
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