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OBSERVE AND FIGHT: ARE THERE STILL DOUBTERS OF GENNADY GOLOVKIN?

By David Kassel | July 28, 2014
OBSERVE AND FIGHT: ARE THERE STILL DOUBTERS OF GENNADY GOLOVKIN?

It's Monday. Welcome back for another edition of Observe and Fight, The Boxing Observer's compilation of observations and random thoughts from the week that was in boxing. Get caught up on some of the most recent events you may have missed out on, including a recap of Gennady Golovkin's return, more Tyson Fury drama, a preview of this weekend's fights, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from the Boxing Observer, David Kassel.

Are there anymore doubters of Gennady Golovkin? If anyone still believes GGG is a hype job, you are out of your mind. Golovkin's 3rd-round TKO of former titleholder, and top-5 middleweight, Daniel Geale, is one of the most impressive wins of 2014. Geale is as tough as they come and GGG made him quit in the 3rd round. For those of you who say that Golovkin has no defense, think again. Yes, Geale was able to hit Golovkin flush, however, GGG didn't respect Geale's power after taking his best shots, so he wasn't worried about getting hit. I wrote last week that the thing separating Golovkin from other fighters with huge power is his chin. Obviously, his amateur background is outstanding (he won an Olympic silver medal), but Golovkin doesn't mind mixing it up because he trusts his power, skills, and chin. GGG is going to be around for a long time, so enjoy the show.

In my opinion, the only fighter in the world from 168 lbs. and under who can compete with Golovkin is Andre Ward. Yes, I'm absolutely including Floyd Mayweather in that statement. For those looking for Mayweather to face Golovkin, it's never going to happen. For those who think Miguel Cotto will step up to the challenge issued by Golovkin, think again. There is absolutely no way Cotto is going to fight GGG before he fights Canelo. Cotto will most likely take on mandatory challenger, Marco Antonio Rubio later this year before an eventual showdown with Canelo in 2015 (if both fighters continue to win). Then, and only then, if Cotto continues to win, will he even consider the possibility of facing Golovkin. Folks, don't be mad at Golovkin for his over-matched opposition. People don't want to fight Golovkin. Ward may be the only guy who can outbox Golovkin while handling the pressure he brings. It wouldn't be easy, but Ward may be able to get inside and smother GGG's attack. It would be an ugly fight, and it would have to be for Ward to win. Expect Golovkin's next fight to be against fellow titleholder Sam Soliman.

Bryant Jennings is a quick study, but he's still not ready for a title shot against Wladimir Klitschko. Jennings is in great shape, but still had his lapses in defense against Mike Perez. Jennings can be a very one-dimensional fighter and doesn't have the craftiness to make a solid fight against Klitschko. Jennings still needs a few more fights against top level heavyweights before I'm going to be convinced. I would like Jennings to face someone like Vyacheslav Glazkov or Tomasz Adamek in his next fight. Then, a step up against former champion Alexander Povetkin would be okay with me. Jennings is a great story, and has the potential to be great, but he isn't slick enough to take down Klitschko yet. When Perez boxed well, he schooled Jennings and that's all there is to it. Jennings' face after the decision was announced, when he looked into the camera, said it all. He knew he left Madison Square Garden very lucky to still be undefeated and untied.

Tyson Fury was absolutely correct in withdrawing from Saturday's fight. Nobody would have blamed Fury for not accepting the Ustinov bout after Dereck Chisora pulled out just one week before the fight. Fury did accept the challenge and admitted he had no game plan going in to the Ustinov bout. However, when news broke early Saturday that Tyson's trainer, and uncle, Hughie, was taken to the hospital seriously ill, Tyson decided not to go through with the bout. I'm sure a lot of fans were disappointed, but when a fighter has that type of distraction, it is never a good idea to continue fighting. If ever a trainer were to play an instrumental role, it would have been Saturday. Tyson Fury would have needed his trainer as an extra set of eyes more than ever, and, without him there, it could have been disastrous. I'm not even mentioning that Fury's mind would probably not be into the fight anyway. This was the correct decision by Team Fury.

Congratulations to ShoBox for its 200th episode! It's hard to believe that the series has produced 54 world champions and has been on the air for 13 years. In the 13 years of the show, it may never have conducted a better interview than the one Steve Farhood did with main eventer Antoine Douglas' mother, Annette Douglas. She was so full of life and was hilarious. She even asked Farhood if he "had a ring" and requested a hug from the ShoBox original. Classic!

Frankie Gomez proved he is more than a knockout artist Friday night. Gomez carried Vernon Paris throughout the entire fight and could have ended it anytime he wanted to. Gomez is mean and nasty, but is much quicker than people give him credit for. He needs to work on his stamina and needs to stay active during rounds, but his punching power is going to demand respect from anyone he steps in the ring with. I hope he can stay on the straight and narrow because talent like his shouldn't go to waste.

Roberto Garcia passed a tough test Friday, but I don't know if it's enough to prove he belongs among the elite. Garcia doesn't mind action, but I thought there were many instances he could have taken out Breidis Prescott, yet could not. Garcia is going to have major trouble handling fighters who move well and stay busy. His handlers are going to have to match him very carefully. Luckily, just before the fight, Garcia signed with Al Haymon. Whoosh, that was a close one.

Jose Benavidez needs to step up the competition. Benavidez is a promising prospect, but not yet a contender. He hasn't fought anyone of merit to be considered a contender. His 1st-round knockout victory of Henry Auraad was extraordinarily easy considering that Auraad has now been knocked out in 8 of his 9 losses. Though Benavidez is only 22 years old, he needs to step up and fight a top 50 welterweight. Benavidez is big (5'11") and strong with boxing skills to boot.

Fernando Montiel certainly had an easy night's work Saturday. Montiel landed a less than devastating left hook to the body of Jesus Rios in the 1st round of their bout. Rios could have gotten up, but chose not to. Montiel didn't break a sweat, so don't be surprised to see him back in the ring very soon as he continues his quest at a featherweight title belt.

Roy Jones Jr. successfully returned Saturday, in Latvia, with a 5th-round TKO. Hopefully, it will be his last return to the ring at all.

This weekend in boxing has some very intriguing match-ups! Friday night, light heavyweight prospect Thomas Williams Jr. gets the stiffest test of his career as he faces former world titlist Gabriel Campillo. Also on the card is former Super Six participant Andre "The Matrix" Dirrell. HBO has a fantastic split-site tripleheader. Light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev returns against undefeated Blake Caparello from Atlantic City. From Las Vegas, junior welterweight titlist Jessie Vargas defends against undefeated Russian Anton Novikov. In the main event, a Fight of the Year candidate is almost certain to take place as Brandon Rios and Diego Chaves go to war. That is one fight you most certainly don't want to miss.

Each week, I feature an email from a fan on Observe and Fight. This week's email comes to us from Jackson Mitchel regarding Deontay Wilder's chances of fighting Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight titles...

"Dave, why hasn't Deontay Wilder gotten a shot at Wladmir Klitschko? I feel like Wlad fights bums all the time but won't fight a guy who has knocked out all of his opponents. Is Klitschko scared to give Wilder a shot because he is afraid of getting knocked out?"

Okay, first of all, let's get one thing straight. Wladimir Klitschko has given every heavyweight in the world an opportunity to fight for his titles and has never backed down from any opponents. To say Klitschko is "scared" to give anyone a chance is the most asinine thing I have ever read. Clearly, you are not a follower of the sport because you would know that while Deontay Wilder is 31-0 with 31 KO's, his level of competition has not been all that great. Also, Wilder has been in training camps with Klitschko with very limited success against the champ. Three of Klitschko's last four opponents have been undefeated and he is scheduled to fight the #1 contender in the world, Kubrat Pulev, who is also undefeated, September 6th. The heavyweight division is lacking talent, especially in America, but there are guys, such as Wilder, who are making a name for themselves. However, Wilder has a fight coming up with WBC champion Bermane Stiverne before year's end, and if he should get past that test, then a fight with Klitschko would be understandable. I don't believe Wilder deserves a shot yet because his biggest win came against Malik Scott. I'm a huge Wilder fan. I'm not saying Wilder can't beat Klitschko, because I think he has the power to knock anyone out, but he needs a huge win, such as Stiverne, because there are fighters currently more deserving of a title shot than Deontay Wilder.

That's all I've got for this week. Email any questions or comments to dkassel@fighthype.com and I will answer them throughout the week. Your email may be featured in the next "Observe and Fight." Follow me on Twitter @BoxingObserver, and be sure to "Like" The Boxing Observer on Facebook.



[ Follow David Kassel on Twitter @BoxingObserver ]

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