Golovkin running out of opponents

24 July 2014 - 02:14 By Clinton van der Berg
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Undefeated Gennady Golovkin, left, lands a heavy punch on Gabriel Rosado in their fight last year. Golovkin takes on Daniel Geale this weekend. File photo
Undefeated Gennady Golovkin, left, lands a heavy punch on Gabriel Rosado in their fight last year. Golovkin takes on Daniel Geale this weekend. File photo
Image: SUPPLIED

If he were American, engaged in trash talk and boasted a criminal record, Gennady Golovkin would probably be acclaimed as the world's best fighter.

Instead, the man with the heaviest hands in the sport is a quiet, family-loving boxer from Kazakhstan, whose savagery in the ring is at stark odds with his personality.

Golovkin is the WBA middleweight champion, little known beyond boxing's cognoscenti, but there is little doubt he is the most exciting fighter in the world today.

"Second to none," says former world champion Brian Mitchell. "I love his style and attitude - he's the only guy on the planet who could give Floyd Mayweather jnr problems."

Unbeaten Golovkin, 32, is a concussive hitter. He's on a run of 16 straight knockouts - he's lining up No17 against Daniel Geale at Madison Square Garden this weekend - and has an overall KO ratio of 89%, the highest in the history of the division.

A counter-puncher in his youth, his transition to the professional ranks, working with American trainer Abel Sanchez, inspired his wrecking-ball style. Despite growing up in the Soviet hardlands, his heroes are American icons Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Mike Tyson. He has fused something from each, blending the fluidity of Sugar Ray with the violence of Tyson and Hagler.

Part of Golovkin's charm is his earthiness. Unaffected by money and fame, he refuses to get sucked into the hype machine.

In November, foul-mouthed Curtis Stevens presided over a mock streetside funeral for Golovkin ahead of their fight in New York. The American then threatened to "f**k him up", to which Golovkin simply flashed his smile.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

A wide-eyed Stevens was smashed to the canvas in the second round and finally dispatched in the eighth. The joke was on him.

Golovkin's fury was forged in the Kazakh town in which he was born. The Karaganda War is a strong theme in his narrative, although he speaks little of its impact. What we do know is that his older brother, Vadim, was killed in action in 1990.

Four years later, another brother, Sergey, also died while serving.

This sort of tragedy can break a man. Instead, it hardened Golovkin. He immersed himself in boxing, winning 350 of 355 amateur fights and capturing world championship gold in 2003 and Olympic silver in 2004.

He later moved to Germany as a professional with a single aim: to fight the best. His method was simple. He used his immense power to overwhelm opponents, among them South Africans Simon Mokoena and Tshepo Mashego.

He soon hooked up with Sanchez at his famous Big Bear training base in California. Stories of Golovkin's prowess fast began to circulate in the US with reports of gym wars with big names. Even now, vaunted light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev steers clear when it comes to sparring.

Golovkin's biggest challenge may be creating the rivalries that will define his career. Unlike Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran and Hagler, who fed off one another to create a distinguished middleweight era, Golovkin is running out of viable opposition.

Sergio Martinez is damaged goods and Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto aren't big enough physically. He must hope, for now, that Mayweather casts an eye in his direction - don't hold your breath - or Andre Ward, the excellent super-middleweight, considers a superfight.

Whatever happens, don't expect boxing's most thrilling fighter to change a thing.

Boxing fans should give thanks.

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