If I mentioned the name "Beibut Shumenov" (13-1, 8), fans may be forgiven for asking who is he. The Kazakhstan Light Heavyweight who has held the WBA title for just shy of 4 years has been a fighter who we could very easily describe as "MIA". His almost 4 year reign as champion has seem him spending the last 18 months out of the ring and out of action as the division has swiftly warmed up.
Despite once being the hottest property in the division Shumenov's career disappearance has left many dropping him outside of their divisional top 10 and in fact it's hard to argue with them. I, personally, tend to like the idea of "inactive, unranked" which should be the case if fighter simply doesn't fight.
This weekend sees Shumenov returning to action as he takes on the little known Tamas Kovacs (23-0, 14). Who? Exactly.
Kovacs may have a very pretty looking record on paper but he's one of those fighters whose actual record tells us more than the numbers themselves suggest. For example Kovacs has faced one name of interest, Hamza Wandera. Wandera, the younger brother of Kassim Ouma, twice dropped Kovacs on route to a narrow and highly questionable split decision. When you consider that Wandera was stopped in 3 by Ismayl Sillakh this should tell plenty about the credentials of Kovacs.
Aged 36 and hailing from Slovakia we can't help but think that Kovacs is simply a lamb to the slaughter here for Shumenov who should have the power, skills and speed to destroy Kovacs dream any time he wishes.
Prediction-Shumenov TKO6 (after he shakes some ring rust off)
Showing posts with label Kazakhstan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kazakhstan. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Friday, 1 November 2013
Gennady Golovkin v Curtis Stevens
Just a week after Peter Quillin defended his WBO Middleweight title against Gabriel Rosado we again see title action in the 160lb division. This week however we have a fight that has "shoot out" written all over it as the hard hitting Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24), the WBA champion, takes on challenger Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18).
I'll admit, I expected the Quillin/Rosado fight to be somewhat fun to watch. Rosado always gives his all and Quillin is a big time puncher. That fight however lacked sustained action and a fitting ending. In fact that fight was hugely anti-climatic with only a few moments of any real excitement.
Thankfully this weeks is almost certainly going to be all about the excitement.
Golovkin, the defending champion, is a smart, calculating fighter. He doesn't make many mistakes as he measures his opponents with perfect judgement of distance, applies constant stalking pressure with tremendously deliberate footwork and then unleashes with dynamite power to the head or body. He really does look like the complete fighter with power, skills, timing, control and toughness. He doesn't have the greatest work-rate but he doesn't need to as he breaks down his opponents with clean effective shots.
Whilst Golovkin is measured and deliberate it's fair to say that Stevens doesn't share those traits. The American challenger is a hard hitter with out doubt with explosive power, though he's also a more reckless and wild fighter. He's a man who starts fast with the intention of getting in and getting out in as little time as possible. This has left him with a some highlight reel KO's and a growing fan base though also many questioning his credentials. Has Stevens got the bout due to his style and fan friendly nature, or has he earned it?
The Way Golovkin has been mowing his way through B/C grade opponents, such as Grzegorz Proksa, Nobuhiro Ishida and Matthew Macklin has been nothing short of impressive. Sure they aren't the "A list" of challengers but they are all capable fighters. Stevens, like the three men I've just mentioned, is a capable fighter, nothing great but very much a capable fighter. Unfortunately it's going to take a lot more than just a capable fighter to test Golovkin.
I imagine Stevens will come out cautious. It'd be stupid to take a risk early. Though I think by the end of the first round he will look like a beaten man and be stopped soon afterwards, maybe managing to see the start of round 4 if he's lucky.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO2
I'll admit, I expected the Quillin/Rosado fight to be somewhat fun to watch. Rosado always gives his all and Quillin is a big time puncher. That fight however lacked sustained action and a fitting ending. In fact that fight was hugely anti-climatic with only a few moments of any real excitement.
Thankfully this weeks is almost certainly going to be all about the excitement.
Golovkin, the defending champion, is a smart, calculating fighter. He doesn't make many mistakes as he measures his opponents with perfect judgement of distance, applies constant stalking pressure with tremendously deliberate footwork and then unleashes with dynamite power to the head or body. He really does look like the complete fighter with power, skills, timing, control and toughness. He doesn't have the greatest work-rate but he doesn't need to as he breaks down his opponents with clean effective shots.
Whilst Golovkin is measured and deliberate it's fair to say that Stevens doesn't share those traits. The American challenger is a hard hitter with out doubt with explosive power, though he's also a more reckless and wild fighter. He's a man who starts fast with the intention of getting in and getting out in as little time as possible. This has left him with a some highlight reel KO's and a growing fan base though also many questioning his credentials. Has Stevens got the bout due to his style and fan friendly nature, or has he earned it?
The Way Golovkin has been mowing his way through B/C grade opponents, such as Grzegorz Proksa, Nobuhiro Ishida and Matthew Macklin has been nothing short of impressive. Sure they aren't the "A list" of challengers but they are all capable fighters. Stevens, like the three men I've just mentioned, is a capable fighter, nothing great but very much a capable fighter. Unfortunately it's going to take a lot more than just a capable fighter to test Golovkin.
I imagine Stevens will come out cautious. It'd be stupid to take a risk early. Though I think by the end of the first round he will look like a beaten man and be stopped soon afterwards, maybe managing to see the start of round 4 if he's lucky.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO2
Friday, 28 June 2013
Gennady Golovkin v Matthew Macklin
The most important fight in boxing this coming weekend seems to be an obvious contest as WBA Middleweight champion-the rising star Gennady Golovkin (26-0, 23) takes on former 2-time title challenger Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20). The bout, on HBO, is not only a major title bout but will also help define the very exciting Middleweight division, a division going through a lot of changes.
The hard hitting and thoroughly fun to watch Golovkin has been a hidden favourite of hardcore boxing since pretty much fighting as an amateur though it wasn't until much more recently that he's managed to really make an impact with the casuals. The impact he's made has coincided with a deal with American broadcaster HBO who have shown 2 of his last 3 bouts and helped give him the exposure he's deserved.
Golovkin combines explosive-"KTFO" power with skills, a deep understanding of the ring and very good basics. He's not the quickest or the most defensively but he's tough and more than capable of taking a shot or two as he cuts off the ring and tries to smash you in half with his venomous shots to both head and body. It's his power that has helped him become one of the sports most talked about fighters but the ability to deliver it is second to none in the sport right now.
With a long amateur background it's fair to say that Golovkin is technically well schooled. So far he's not had to show his technical boxing too much, but it's certainly there, just for our enjoyment we should feel relieved that he likes to seek and destroy rather than box and moved. When he does box however his jab is a dominant factor and has the power of a a top fights straight.
In the challenger Matthew Macklin we have a very credibly and versatile fighter who can either brawl at a relentless pace, as he did against Felix Sturm in a bout that he was controversially defeated in in or can box at a very credible standard as he did in a losing effort with Sergio Gabriel Martinez. He has hurtful power that kept Sturm in his shell, dropped Martinez and stopped both Joachim Alcine and Amin Asikainen inside a round.
Macklin, at his most exciting is a power and hard hitting brawler. Sometimes he's made to pay for this, as he was against Jamie Moore, but it's certainly something he can do to keep fans interested win-lose-or draw.
Problem for Macklin here is that's "only" a credible fighter in whatever he does. He hits hard-but doesn't have monster power, he boxes well but not amazingly he can brawl at a high level but not the truly elite level. And whilst sometimes being very good is good enough against Golovkin it probably isn't quite good enough and whatever style Macklin decides to bring to the fight likely be issue to Golovkin who will adapt if and when needed whilst breaking down Macklin.
I expect Macklin to try and box early on but figure that Golovkin can do the same. After a few rounds of getting tagged with jabs and counters I expect he'll throw caution to the win and make a fight of things. If he does this he'll speed up his demise but certainly put one something memorable for the fans.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO6
The hard hitting and thoroughly fun to watch Golovkin has been a hidden favourite of hardcore boxing since pretty much fighting as an amateur though it wasn't until much more recently that he's managed to really make an impact with the casuals. The impact he's made has coincided with a deal with American broadcaster HBO who have shown 2 of his last 3 bouts and helped give him the exposure he's deserved.
Golovkin combines explosive-"KTFO" power with skills, a deep understanding of the ring and very good basics. He's not the quickest or the most defensively but he's tough and more than capable of taking a shot or two as he cuts off the ring and tries to smash you in half with his venomous shots to both head and body. It's his power that has helped him become one of the sports most talked about fighters but the ability to deliver it is second to none in the sport right now.
With a long amateur background it's fair to say that Golovkin is technically well schooled. So far he's not had to show his technical boxing too much, but it's certainly there, just for our enjoyment we should feel relieved that he likes to seek and destroy rather than box and moved. When he does box however his jab is a dominant factor and has the power of a a top fights straight.
In the challenger Matthew Macklin we have a very credibly and versatile fighter who can either brawl at a relentless pace, as he did against Felix Sturm in a bout that he was controversially defeated in in or can box at a very credible standard as he did in a losing effort with Sergio Gabriel Martinez. He has hurtful power that kept Sturm in his shell, dropped Martinez and stopped both Joachim Alcine and Amin Asikainen inside a round.
Macklin, at his most exciting is a power and hard hitting brawler. Sometimes he's made to pay for this, as he was against Jamie Moore, but it's certainly something he can do to keep fans interested win-lose-or draw.
Problem for Macklin here is that's "only" a credible fighter in whatever he does. He hits hard-but doesn't have monster power, he boxes well but not amazingly he can brawl at a high level but not the truly elite level. And whilst sometimes being very good is good enough against Golovkin it probably isn't quite good enough and whatever style Macklin decides to bring to the fight likely be issue to Golovkin who will adapt if and when needed whilst breaking down Macklin.
I expect Macklin to try and box early on but figure that Golovkin can do the same. After a few rounds of getting tagged with jabs and counters I expect he'll throw caution to the win and make a fight of things. If he does this he'll speed up his demise but certainly put one something memorable for the fans.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO6
Friday, 29 March 2013
Gennady Golovkin v Nobuhiro Ishida
Unbeaten Kazakh Gennady Golovkin (25-0, 22) will look for his second win this year as he puts his WBA and IBO Middleweight titles on the line against the upset minded Japanese fighter Nobuhiro Ishida (24-8-2, 9). On paper the bout looks like a complete mismatch though many said the same before Ishida shocked the then unbeaten James Kirkland a little over 2 years ago. Going in to that bout Kirkland, like Golovkin now, was season as a monster puncher who could destroy anyone if he landed cleanly.
The 37 year old Ishida goes in to this bout as the big under-dog, this is partly based on him and partly based on Golovkin, though he is a very under-rated fighter on his own merits. Ishida not only has over 12 years of professional experience under his belt with over 260 rounds but he also has experience fighting around the world. Sure he started his career in his native Japan but he has, in recent years, also fought in the USA, Mexico and Russia as he's become a bit of a road warrior.
Ishida's experience may be an advantage but his major advantage is in his size. At 6'1" and with a 72" reach some have described Ishida as "the Japanese Tommy Hearns", because like Hearns he's a bit of a physical freak in terms of height and reach (although he lacks Tommy's insane power). Although he lacks the thunderous power of Hearns he has managed to show speed, an impressive jab and maybe most notably he's shown heart.
In his 2 most recent losses (unanimous decisions to Paul Williams and Dmitry Pirog) Ishida was thoroughly beaten but in neither bout did he ever look like folding, in fact he looked like he could take the punishment pretty much none stop showing toughness and real guts, something he will need here.
At 30 years old Golovkin is a fighter who appears to have finally started getting some traction in his professional career after some seriously frustrating issues for both him and fans. In fact it's fair to say that Golovkin was, for several years part of the "who needs him club?" having proven himself to be a monster in the amateurs (where he beat a genuine who's who).
Since turning professional back in 2006 Golovkin has been a fighter that the hardcore fans have supported whilst almost begging for him to get bigger fights, something that has started to happen thanks to fan support and HBO in America (who have bankrolled his last 2 bouts). Whilst some may thank HBO for those fights it's more a case of HBO knowing that in Golovkin they have a very attractive product who is fun to watch, powerful, skilled and will pretty much fight anyone.
Sure Golovkin isn't impossible to catch (he does appear to be a very tough fighter though), but every shot he lands seems to have dynamite behind it. His jabs seem to look like straights, his hooks and uppercuts look like shot gun blasts and best of all he seems to do it whilst always perfectly balanced, a rare trait that shows some special skill that so few have.
Thanks to HBO Golovkin has been shown twice in the US destroying Grzegorz Proksa and more recently defeating Gabriel Rosado to continue a 12 fight stoppage run that he'll be hoping to extend to 13 fights here.
Whilst Ishida has notable size advantage (4" in height) oddly Golovkin has the longer reach and could neutralise the jab of Ishida. Despite this I imagine we'll see Golovkin starting as a pressure fighter taking the jabs of Ishida mostly on the guard whilst walking him down and stalking before unloading in the corner. Whilst Ishida is tough I do imagine that Golovkin's pressure and power will start to take the toll and Ishid will eventually fold after showing a remarkable amount of heart.
Prediction- Golovkin TKO8
The 37 year old Ishida goes in to this bout as the big under-dog, this is partly based on him and partly based on Golovkin, though he is a very under-rated fighter on his own merits. Ishida not only has over 12 years of professional experience under his belt with over 260 rounds but he also has experience fighting around the world. Sure he started his career in his native Japan but he has, in recent years, also fought in the USA, Mexico and Russia as he's become a bit of a road warrior.
Ishida's experience may be an advantage but his major advantage is in his size. At 6'1" and with a 72" reach some have described Ishida as "the Japanese Tommy Hearns", because like Hearns he's a bit of a physical freak in terms of height and reach (although he lacks Tommy's insane power). Although he lacks the thunderous power of Hearns he has managed to show speed, an impressive jab and maybe most notably he's shown heart.
In his 2 most recent losses (unanimous decisions to Paul Williams and Dmitry Pirog) Ishida was thoroughly beaten but in neither bout did he ever look like folding, in fact he looked like he could take the punishment pretty much none stop showing toughness and real guts, something he will need here.
At 30 years old Golovkin is a fighter who appears to have finally started getting some traction in his professional career after some seriously frustrating issues for both him and fans. In fact it's fair to say that Golovkin was, for several years part of the "who needs him club?" having proven himself to be a monster in the amateurs (where he beat a genuine who's who).
Since turning professional back in 2006 Golovkin has been a fighter that the hardcore fans have supported whilst almost begging for him to get bigger fights, something that has started to happen thanks to fan support and HBO in America (who have bankrolled his last 2 bouts). Whilst some may thank HBO for those fights it's more a case of HBO knowing that in Golovkin they have a very attractive product who is fun to watch, powerful, skilled and will pretty much fight anyone.
Sure Golovkin isn't impossible to catch (he does appear to be a very tough fighter though), but every shot he lands seems to have dynamite behind it. His jabs seem to look like straights, his hooks and uppercuts look like shot gun blasts and best of all he seems to do it whilst always perfectly balanced, a rare trait that shows some special skill that so few have.
Thanks to HBO Golovkin has been shown twice in the US destroying Grzegorz Proksa and more recently defeating Gabriel Rosado to continue a 12 fight stoppage run that he'll be hoping to extend to 13 fights here.
Whilst Ishida has notable size advantage (4" in height) oddly Golovkin has the longer reach and could neutralise the jab of Ishida. Despite this I imagine we'll see Golovkin starting as a pressure fighter taking the jabs of Ishida mostly on the guard whilst walking him down and stalking before unloading in the corner. Whilst Ishida is tough I do imagine that Golovkin's pressure and power will start to take the toll and Ishid will eventually fold after showing a remarkable amount of heart.
Prediction- Golovkin TKO8
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Gennady Golovkin v Gabriel Rosado
WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21) has been the talk of the hardcore boxing community for the past few years, though it wasn't until his US debut late last year (TKO5 Grzegorz Proksa) that the wider boxing public first became conscious of him. The Kazakh will look to build on his US debut when he returns to the ring this coming weekend to take on Philadelphia native Gabriel Rosado (21-5, 13) again in the US.
Golovkin first made his name in the amateurs where he was a genuine beast. Not only did he win numerous tournaments but he also beat notable names, including Daniel Geale (current IBF Middleweight champion), Lucien Bute (former IBF Super Middleweight champion), Andy Lee (former WBC Middleweight title contender) and Andre Dirrell (former WBC Super Middleweight title contender). A resume that would make any current professional proud.
Sadly for Golovkin his professional career was rather slow to get going and despite being a professional since 2006 his competition has been incredibly limited with the best names on his record currently being Kassim Ouma (former IBF Light Middleweight champion) and the aforementioned Proksa (former 2-time European Middleweight champion). Instead of fighting fellow top contenders he has instead been fighting the likes of Nilson Julio Tapia, Makoto Fuchigami and Lajuan Simon, with the claims that the top guys were avoiding him.
When it comes to reason to fear Golovkin there is plenty. He is not only supremely talented (and confident in his own skill), but he combines truly explosive power that hurts every time he lands, with genuine toughness, and the ability to crack to both the head and body. The key however to Golovkin is almost certainly his boxing brain which sees him able to cut the ring off with surprising ease. slow fighters down then land perfect shots in the blink of an eye.
Whilst Golovkin's opponent, Gabriel Rosado, may not be one of the big names of the Middleweight division that Golovkin would wish to fight (Peter Quillin, Sergio Martinez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr or Daniel Geale) he is still a known fighter, especially in the US where he has started to build a genuine fan base in recent years.
Despite Rosado's record featuring numerous losses he has shown that he's developed into a very solid fighter (much like Carson Jones has) in recent years and scored notable wins over the likes of Sechew Powell, Jesus Soto Karass and Charles Whittaker putting him on a 7 fight unbeaten streak. Worryingly however these victories have all come at Light Middleweight and not at Middleweight where he may find his shots don't have the same effect on opponents. In fact, interestingly, Rosado's last loss actually came last time he fought at Middleweight (losing a majority decision to Derek Ennis).
Unlike Golovkin Rosado hasn't always looked durable, in fact going back to 2009, the last time Rosado faced a genuinely monstrous puncher, he was destroyed in just 2 rounds by Alfredo Angulo. Since then however he's looked generally tougher, both mentally and physically. In fact if anything the 27 year old has taken that loss and helped to really move on with his career with 9 wins and 1 losses (the one to Ennis) since then).
Rosado at his very best is an aggressive minded fighter who hits harder than his record shows, showing that again he has developed his power and technique well in recent years (having stopped 5 of his last 7 opponents compared to just 8 of his first 19). He can go to the body and the head and often seems to just grind opponents down (with his last two stoppages coming in rounds 9 and 10). Sadly however trying to grind down Golovkin will likely be a futile task as the champion is very tough and often appears happy to take one to land one, knowing he has the edge in power.
Unless Rosado, the taller, rangier man, can use his style and boxing ability here I can't see him lasting more than 4 rounds. Golovkin will take the opening round trying to figure out the speed and power of the challenger before starting to open up in round 2 then go for the kill in rounds 3 and 4. Don't expect this to be dull, but expect it to be a little bit of a beat down come the end.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO3
Golovkin first made his name in the amateurs where he was a genuine beast. Not only did he win numerous tournaments but he also beat notable names, including Daniel Geale (current IBF Middleweight champion), Lucien Bute (former IBF Super Middleweight champion), Andy Lee (former WBC Middleweight title contender) and Andre Dirrell (former WBC Super Middleweight title contender). A resume that would make any current professional proud.
Sadly for Golovkin his professional career was rather slow to get going and despite being a professional since 2006 his competition has been incredibly limited with the best names on his record currently being Kassim Ouma (former IBF Light Middleweight champion) and the aforementioned Proksa (former 2-time European Middleweight champion). Instead of fighting fellow top contenders he has instead been fighting the likes of Nilson Julio Tapia, Makoto Fuchigami and Lajuan Simon, with the claims that the top guys were avoiding him.
When it comes to reason to fear Golovkin there is plenty. He is not only supremely talented (and confident in his own skill), but he combines truly explosive power that hurts every time he lands, with genuine toughness, and the ability to crack to both the head and body. The key however to Golovkin is almost certainly his boxing brain which sees him able to cut the ring off with surprising ease. slow fighters down then land perfect shots in the blink of an eye.
Whilst Golovkin's opponent, Gabriel Rosado, may not be one of the big names of the Middleweight division that Golovkin would wish to fight (Peter Quillin, Sergio Martinez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr or Daniel Geale) he is still a known fighter, especially in the US where he has started to build a genuine fan base in recent years.
Despite Rosado's record featuring numerous losses he has shown that he's developed into a very solid fighter (much like Carson Jones has) in recent years and scored notable wins over the likes of Sechew Powell, Jesus Soto Karass and Charles Whittaker putting him on a 7 fight unbeaten streak. Worryingly however these victories have all come at Light Middleweight and not at Middleweight where he may find his shots don't have the same effect on opponents. In fact, interestingly, Rosado's last loss actually came last time he fought at Middleweight (losing a majority decision to Derek Ennis).
Unlike Golovkin Rosado hasn't always looked durable, in fact going back to 2009, the last time Rosado faced a genuinely monstrous puncher, he was destroyed in just 2 rounds by Alfredo Angulo. Since then however he's looked generally tougher, both mentally and physically. In fact if anything the 27 year old has taken that loss and helped to really move on with his career with 9 wins and 1 losses (the one to Ennis) since then).
Rosado at his very best is an aggressive minded fighter who hits harder than his record shows, showing that again he has developed his power and technique well in recent years (having stopped 5 of his last 7 opponents compared to just 8 of his first 19). He can go to the body and the head and often seems to just grind opponents down (with his last two stoppages coming in rounds 9 and 10). Sadly however trying to grind down Golovkin will likely be a futile task as the champion is very tough and often appears happy to take one to land one, knowing he has the edge in power.
Unless Rosado, the taller, rangier man, can use his style and boxing ability here I can't see him lasting more than 4 rounds. Golovkin will take the opening round trying to figure out the speed and power of the challenger before starting to open up in round 2 then go for the kill in rounds 3 and 4. Don't expect this to be dull, but expect it to be a little bit of a beat down come the end.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO3
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Gennady Golovkin v Grzegorz Proksa
It's rare for HBO to showcase fights between two European fighters though this coming Saturday HBO do just that as they show the WBA Middleweight title fight between Kazakhstan's hard punching phenom Gennady Golovkin (23-0, 20) and Poland's exciting Grzegorz Proksa (28-1, 21).
The champion (Golovkin) will go into this bout as a clear favourite (around 1/3 with the sports books) though on paper this will be his toughest fight as a professional having had an exceptional amateur career. As an amateur Golovkin was special. He was a 1 time World Junior Championships (2000), 1 time Asian Games Champion (2002), 1 time World Amateur Champion (2003), 1 time Olympic Silver Medal winner (2004) and a 2 time medal winner in the Boxing World cup (Silver-2002, Bronze-2005). As an amateur he scored notable victories over Matvey Korobov, Andy Lee, Lucien Bute, Yordanis Despaigne and Andre Dirrell further proving his credentials prior to turning professional.
After his excellent days as an amateur Golovkin finally turned professional in 2006 and swiftly advanced his record with 7 wins inside a year (all by T/KO). His first notable victory came in his 8th bout as his T/KO streak continued and he took out the well regarded Belorussian Siarhei Khomitski in the 5th round. His stoppage streak just a fight later as Frenchman Mehdi Bouadla took him the 8 round distance. Golovkin was taken the distance again just 2 fights later, this time by the experienced Ian Gardner who again survived the 8 round schedule. Golovkin was taken the schedule for the 3rd (and final) time 2 fights later as Amar Amari again survived the 8 round distance.
Since defeating Amari in July 2008 Golovkin's power has been the key with him scoring 10 straight by T/KO to move his record to an excellent 23-0 (20) whilst also claiming the WBA Middleweight title, a title he has now defended 4 times since winning it back in August 2010. He first won the belt by swiftly disposing of Colombian Milton Nunez before defending against another Colombian in the form of Nilson Julio Tapia. Following the defense over Tapia, Golovkin has made defenses over veterans Kassim Ouma and Lujuan Simon as well as the over matched Japanese challenge Makoto Fuchigami.
Despite having an excellent amateur pedigree and fantastic skills with seriously heavy hands and technical proficiency Golovkin has had issues. The most obvious issue is that Golovkin hasn't yet fought anyone worth mentioning. His best wins so far have been over Simon-who had been out of the ring for over a year and Ouma-who was old and 2-5 in his previous 7 bouts. Whilst this has been put down to promotional difficulties Golovkin's last fight, promoted by the Klitschko's K2 East was against the awful Makoto Fuchigamai an inexcusable bout. As well as the poor quality of opposition Golovkin faced, he has also not been featured on mainstream US TV before meaning that, outside of the hardcore fan base, very few actually know about him, despite his skill set and amateur exploits.
Despite being a solid former amateur and European Golovkin's style really isn't that "European", he doesn't use a solid technical jab to control the range and pace of the fight but instead looks to use his defensive skills to land powerful counter punches. Although he can brawl (as he did against Ouma) he's at his best when he walks down an opponent behind his guard whilst looking to land his dynamite power on an over-committed opponent with a deadly counter. When he lands those counters opponents know about it.
Originally Golovkin's opponent was supposed to be the current WBO Middleweight champion Dmitry Pirog, though Pirog unfortunately suffered an injury and was replaced by British based Pole Grzegorz Proksa. Whilst Proksa, like Golovkin, is only really known by the hardcore boxing community he has had a number of fights televised in the UK, including his latest two bouts with Welshman Kerry Hope.
Proksa has been a professional since 2005 and actually debuted in the US scoring an opening round stoppage over Adam Capo before adding 3 more wins before the end of the year to move to 4-0 (3) fighting between the US and the UK. Inside a year of being professional Proksa would claim his first professional titles winning both the IBF Youth Middleweight title and the WBC Youth World Middleweight title in just his 6th bout.
Despite winning a number of titles Proksa had faced no one of note in his first 23 bouts, often taking out journeymen like Alex Spitko or Lee Noble, however a victory over Tyan Booth had seen Proksa claiming the European Union Middleweight title in February 2010. It wasn't until fight #23 that Proksa first faced a recognised opponent in the form of Spaniard Pablo Navascues. Navascues managed to survive until round 9 before laid out by a Proksa left hand up close that forced the referee to wave off the bout. Just two bouts later Proksa really put his name on the map as he dominated former world champion Sebastian Sylvester who retired at the end of the 3rd round thoroughly beaten.
Looking on the verge of a world title fight Proksa was given a chance to show his talent in front of an excited British crowd live on Sky Sports against Welshman Kerry Hope. On paper the bout was a complete mismatch in favour of the then unbeaten Proksa, though, after a bright start Proksa started to look more and more ragged and was narrowly out pointed by Hope in one of the British upsets of 2012. The two rematched a few months later and this time a determined Proksa dominated Hope before scoring an 8th round stoppage over the Welshman and gained his revenge. The rematch over Hope was the most recent bout for Proksa who whilst not looking tremendous did look better than in his previous bout with Hope.
Like Golovkin, Proksa doesn't have a "European" style, in fact Proksa's style is very loose with his hands by his waist as he relies on reflexes and speed. He's fun to watch and whilst defensively poor he's usually got the skills and natural speed to get away with his low guard. Whilst he has showed excellent movement and shot selection (notably against Sylvester) he can get ragged and wild, especially in the later rounds as he starts to show his tiredness, as he did against Hope the first time around.
On paper this appears to be a noticeable step up for both men, and with it happening on HBO it gives hardcore boxing fans a chance to see both men with the winner having a chance to move into another major fight next year (with the winner of the Sergio Martinez v Julio Cesar Chavez Jr being a possible opponent). Golovkin is rightfully the favourite, the Ouma fight aside he has looked exceptional and whilst not hugely active he is incredibly powerful and accurate. He takes advantage of opponents when they make mistakes and rather fortunately for him Proksa makes a lot of mistakes especially when he's getting tired. Whilst Proksa has the activity to win a number of the early rounds he will have to seriously think twice about having low hands against Golovkin who will take advantage of them. Unless Proksa has spent the last few months on his stamina I'd be shocked if he manages to hear the final bell.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO7
Note-This fight will on the same day as the WBA "super" and IBF middleweight titles are unified as Felix Sturm faces Australian Daniel Geale.
The champion (Golovkin) will go into this bout as a clear favourite (around 1/3 with the sports books) though on paper this will be his toughest fight as a professional having had an exceptional amateur career. As an amateur Golovkin was special. He was a 1 time World Junior Championships (2000), 1 time Asian Games Champion (2002), 1 time World Amateur Champion (2003), 1 time Olympic Silver Medal winner (2004) and a 2 time medal winner in the Boxing World cup (Silver-2002, Bronze-2005). As an amateur he scored notable victories over Matvey Korobov, Andy Lee, Lucien Bute, Yordanis Despaigne and Andre Dirrell further proving his credentials prior to turning professional.
After his excellent days as an amateur Golovkin finally turned professional in 2006 and swiftly advanced his record with 7 wins inside a year (all by T/KO). His first notable victory came in his 8th bout as his T/KO streak continued and he took out the well regarded Belorussian Siarhei Khomitski in the 5th round. His stoppage streak just a fight later as Frenchman Mehdi Bouadla took him the 8 round distance. Golovkin was taken the distance again just 2 fights later, this time by the experienced Ian Gardner who again survived the 8 round schedule. Golovkin was taken the schedule for the 3rd (and final) time 2 fights later as Amar Amari again survived the 8 round distance.
Since defeating Amari in July 2008 Golovkin's power has been the key with him scoring 10 straight by T/KO to move his record to an excellent 23-0 (20) whilst also claiming the WBA Middleweight title, a title he has now defended 4 times since winning it back in August 2010. He first won the belt by swiftly disposing of Colombian Milton Nunez before defending against another Colombian in the form of Nilson Julio Tapia. Following the defense over Tapia, Golovkin has made defenses over veterans Kassim Ouma and Lujuan Simon as well as the over matched Japanese challenge Makoto Fuchigami.
Despite having an excellent amateur pedigree and fantastic skills with seriously heavy hands and technical proficiency Golovkin has had issues. The most obvious issue is that Golovkin hasn't yet fought anyone worth mentioning. His best wins so far have been over Simon-who had been out of the ring for over a year and Ouma-who was old and 2-5 in his previous 7 bouts. Whilst this has been put down to promotional difficulties Golovkin's last fight, promoted by the Klitschko's K2 East was against the awful Makoto Fuchigamai an inexcusable bout. As well as the poor quality of opposition Golovkin faced, he has also not been featured on mainstream US TV before meaning that, outside of the hardcore fan base, very few actually know about him, despite his skill set and amateur exploits.
Despite being a solid former amateur and European Golovkin's style really isn't that "European", he doesn't use a solid technical jab to control the range and pace of the fight but instead looks to use his defensive skills to land powerful counter punches. Although he can brawl (as he did against Ouma) he's at his best when he walks down an opponent behind his guard whilst looking to land his dynamite power on an over-committed opponent with a deadly counter. When he lands those counters opponents know about it.
Originally Golovkin's opponent was supposed to be the current WBO Middleweight champion Dmitry Pirog, though Pirog unfortunately suffered an injury and was replaced by British based Pole Grzegorz Proksa. Whilst Proksa, like Golovkin, is only really known by the hardcore boxing community he has had a number of fights televised in the UK, including his latest two bouts with Welshman Kerry Hope.
Proksa has been a professional since 2005 and actually debuted in the US scoring an opening round stoppage over Adam Capo before adding 3 more wins before the end of the year to move to 4-0 (3) fighting between the US and the UK. Inside a year of being professional Proksa would claim his first professional titles winning both the IBF Youth Middleweight title and the WBC Youth World Middleweight title in just his 6th bout.
Despite winning a number of titles Proksa had faced no one of note in his first 23 bouts, often taking out journeymen like Alex Spitko or Lee Noble, however a victory over Tyan Booth had seen Proksa claiming the European Union Middleweight title in February 2010. It wasn't until fight #23 that Proksa first faced a recognised opponent in the form of Spaniard Pablo Navascues. Navascues managed to survive until round 9 before laid out by a Proksa left hand up close that forced the referee to wave off the bout. Just two bouts later Proksa really put his name on the map as he dominated former world champion Sebastian Sylvester who retired at the end of the 3rd round thoroughly beaten.
Looking on the verge of a world title fight Proksa was given a chance to show his talent in front of an excited British crowd live on Sky Sports against Welshman Kerry Hope. On paper the bout was a complete mismatch in favour of the then unbeaten Proksa, though, after a bright start Proksa started to look more and more ragged and was narrowly out pointed by Hope in one of the British upsets of 2012. The two rematched a few months later and this time a determined Proksa dominated Hope before scoring an 8th round stoppage over the Welshman and gained his revenge. The rematch over Hope was the most recent bout for Proksa who whilst not looking tremendous did look better than in his previous bout with Hope.
Like Golovkin, Proksa doesn't have a "European" style, in fact Proksa's style is very loose with his hands by his waist as he relies on reflexes and speed. He's fun to watch and whilst defensively poor he's usually got the skills and natural speed to get away with his low guard. Whilst he has showed excellent movement and shot selection (notably against Sylvester) he can get ragged and wild, especially in the later rounds as he starts to show his tiredness, as he did against Hope the first time around.
On paper this appears to be a noticeable step up for both men, and with it happening on HBO it gives hardcore boxing fans a chance to see both men with the winner having a chance to move into another major fight next year (with the winner of the Sergio Martinez v Julio Cesar Chavez Jr being a possible opponent). Golovkin is rightfully the favourite, the Ouma fight aside he has looked exceptional and whilst not hugely active he is incredibly powerful and accurate. He takes advantage of opponents when they make mistakes and rather fortunately for him Proksa makes a lot of mistakes especially when he's getting tired. Whilst Proksa has the activity to win a number of the early rounds he will have to seriously think twice about having low hands against Golovkin who will take advantage of them. Unless Proksa has spent the last few months on his stamina I'd be shocked if he manages to hear the final bell.
Prediction-Golovkin TKO7
Note-This fight will on the same day as the WBA "super" and IBF middleweight titles are unified as Felix Sturm faces Australian Daniel Geale.
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