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IS GENNADY GOLOVKIN REALLY WORTHY OF THE HYPE?

By Kuda Love | August 01, 2014
IS GENNADY GOLOVKIN REALLY WORTHY OF THE HYPE?

With his knockout victory over Daniel Geale this past Saturday night, Golovkin has boosted his profile to a new level. GGG hype is in full effect. Golovkin is building on a successful last few years, which has seen him score 17 consecutive knockout victories and voted Ring Magazine Fighter Of The Year fans choice for 2013. As his star continues to rise, it seems a good time to ask whether he deserves all the hype he is currently receiving.

Golovkin has received high praise from some of the most credible figures in the boxing media. Their public admiration of the Kazakhstani fighter is what ignited the GGG hype among hardcore boxing fans, but maybe that admiration should be taken with a pinch of salt. To understand why Max Kellerman dares to liken Golovkin to Joe Louis, why Jim Lampley named Golovkin his Fighter of the Year for 2013, or why Abel Sanchez publicly claims that Golovkin 'is the 2nd or 3rd greatest middleweight of all time', we must consider the business context in which they are all acting. Boxing, as a sport, is looking for new stars as the dominant names of the last decade wind down their careers. With an even more pressing need for the emergence of boxing's next big star is HBO, the TV network GGG has an exclusive contract with. HBO has gone from being the dominant boxing broadcaster in the US to seeing its biggest stars depart for its arch-rival Showtime. Consider this fact: In 2012, HBO gave us excitement and intrigue in the form of fights like Pacquiao vs Bradley I, Martinez vs Chavez Jr, Ward vs Dawson, Mayweather vs Cotto, Khan vs Garcia, Pacquaio vs Marquez 4, Guerrero vs Berto, Rios vs Abril, and more.

In 2014, not only has there been a dip in the quantity of good fights on offer by HBO, but the quality of match-ups has been below par. Of the fights carried by the network this year, only Pacquiao vs Bradley II and Cotto vs Martinez are comparable in stature to the above selection of 2012 fights. It hasn't helped that almost all of the match-ups HBO have offered (with the exception of Provodnikov vs Algieri) have ended in routine wins for the favorite. To add further to HBO's woes, the marketable fighters that they do have regularly fighting on their network have struggled to string enough good wins together to be worthy of lauding as a superstar. Pacquiao (2), Cotto (2), Bradley (1), Provodnikov (2) and Donaire (1) have each suffered at least one defeat in their last 5 fights. I state that to establish this point; HBO needs a superstar to re-establish themselves as the dominant force in boxing broadcasting. With their influence in the media and marketing power, they are going to create one and Golovkin looks best positioned to be that star.

As powerful as HBO's push is, it alone cannot create a star without the complementary presence of spectacular showings in the ring. To his credit, Gennady Golovkin has given the network and the public what they want; action-packed fights with explosive knockout conclusions. Unfortunately, those victories come with a caveat. The quality of the opponents Golovkin has fought thus far has been sub-par at best. The fact that 1 one (Daniel Geale) of Golovkin's 12 world title fight opponents has ever been a middleweight champion should embarrass Golovkin and anyone that dares to compare him to the great middleweights of bygone eras. At age 32, with 30 professional fights under his belt, Golovkin is past the stage where reasonable fans can allow him to continue fighting over-matched opposition without criticism. Remember the hype surrounding Jeff Lacy once upon a time, or more recently Kelly Pavlik, Lucien Bute, or Lucas Matthysse? Look how quickly their hype died down after they stepped up their level of competition. It is only fair that Golovkin's credentials are questioned.

It is also only right to, in the spirit of fairness, point out that Golovkin boasts an outstanding amateur record (395-5) and has looked near enough invincible in the professional ranks. There is no question that he is talented. It is 'how' talented he is that his critics question. There is every chance that GGG will justify the hype by beating the big names when those fights present themselves, but right now, there is little quality evidence to convince objective followers of the sport that he is 'who they say he is.' Long time fans of the sport can see through claims of being 'feared' or 'avoided.' Big fights aren't presented on a plate to boxers who have only beat two former (and no current) champions in a professional career spanning 30 fights. If and when a victory over Golovkin is worth enough in financial or legacy terms, then the biggest names will be lining up to fight him.

It is also worth mentioning that one of Golovkin's recent opponents, Gabriel Rosado, has gone public with his concerns about the padding (or lack of it) in Golovkin's gloves. He explained in an interview that he observed that Golovkin's gloves did not have adequate padding prior to their June 2013 fight, but had his concerns dismissed when he raised complaint. I am not close enough to the situation to substantiate those allegations, but if it were established that Golovkin's gloves/wraps were/are questionable, then it would call into question his accomplishments as a professional boxer, not least his incredible streak of 17 straight knockout victories. With these question marks hovering over Golovkin and the dire quality of opposition he has faced, fair minded fans can only conclude that GGG is, at this stage, a lot more hype than substance. He has the potential to live up to the hype, but based on what he has shown us so far, in a sport where living legends like Mayweather, Hopkins, Cotto, Pacquiao, etc. are criticized daily, Golovkin has not done anywhere near enough to justify the near-unanimous praise he receives.

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