As Gennady Golovkin locks himself away in the hours preceding his fight with Marco Antonio Rubio many outside of the ropes will prepare themselves to write about the Kazakh’s latest conquest. Few believe Rubio to offer much of a threat to ‘GGG’, who has risen to 30-0 (27 KO’s) with consummate ease. His last victim, Daniel Geale, was arguably his most challenging test, but he was laid waste to within three rounds with a devastating body shot. The ease with which Golovkin has put away his opposition has led a consensus view that he is the most talented middleweight going today, and some of his characteristics mirror those of middleweight greats in recent decades. Here we discuss three of those traits.
Patience and ring intelligence
Golovkin fights like an aggressive chess player. Every move seems to have intelligent thought behind it. Golovkin feints, paws and punches with method, maneuvering his opponent around the ring to his own content. He bides his time in finding the right punches to throw, and rarely wastes energy.
These traits are similar to those utilised by boxing’s grand master; Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins dominated the 168 lb division with steadfast confidence brought about through ring knowledge and technical, effective boxing. He broke men down at his own pace, and Golovkin does too.
Aggression and endurance
For all his patience and intelligent punching, Golovkin is no defensive master. He has been hit often in his career. He had to ship notable shots in grinding down both Kassim Ouma and Curtis Stevens. The difference is that fights that would be torrid for most are not for Golovkin. He clearly has a solid set of whiskers and seems unerred by the idea of receiving a shot to give one in return.
His attacking intent is perhaps at a slower pace, but not entirely dissimilar, to that of 1980’s legend Marvin Hagler. Hagler’s bald dome was a fearsome sight for those opposite him in the ring, as he relentlessly harried and hounded them to defeat. He was able to take a shot and come back roaring, and fight hard over long distances. So far Golovkin too has been untroubled by both the punches of various fighters and fights of long length, though he does lack that shiny cranium.
Sophistication and savagery
Golovkin possesses an inherently aggressive style, but his fighting is perhaps more methodical than explosive. He makes use of a strong jab, which he gets plenty of leverage on with long arms, and is unlikely to waste a punch for the sake of looking active. He would rather prefer to grind an opponent down gradually.
It’s a similar style to that employed by Carlos Monzon, both in it’s cold-hearted ruthlessness and consistent efficiency. Monzon was a well-oiled machine that threw the same punches well and often, but didn’t suffer for lack of variation. The shots he threw connected with thudding power wrought by accuracy and timing and, combined with repetition, led to the downfall of many top middleweights throughout the 1970’s. Golovkin does the same thing nowadays.
It is premature to put Golovkin into an all-time middleweight list and compare him to the three men mentioned above in terms of resume, but there are undoubtedly shades of greatness in his fighting style. Golovkin seems unstoppable at this juncture, and it’s hard to imagine Rubio doing anything about that. After tonight, the modern middleweight division could be Golovkin’s oyster, and a place alongside the likes of Hopkins, Hagler and Monzon may be there for the taking.
