Instead of remembering Gennady Golovkin, 40, who fought Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on Saturday, here are 10 fights that show him at his best at middleweight…
1 Saul Alvarez 1
While it may seem strange that Golovkin’s “best” performance ended in a draw, few would argue that this 2017 fight against Alvarez should have gone in the Kazakh’s favor. It would also have been a career-defining win for him, given all the Mexican has accomplished since then.
2 David Lemeux
Despite the threat of Lemieux’s punching power in 2015, Golovkin strategically tore him apart, using his jab like never before, ultimately knocking him out in the eighth round. It was the fight that revealed that there is more to GGG than just power.
3 Daniel Geale
Violent as they may sound, Golovkin’s firing of Geale in 2014 saw him land some of the hardest, most hurtful shots of his career, and Geale did well only to make it to the third round.
4 Matthew Macklin
Not unlike the Geale fight, Macklin did all he could against Golovkin in 2013, but eventually fell out of his grasp, getting hammered and finished with a body shot in the third round.
5 Marco Antonio Rubio
So dominant was Golovkin against Rubio in 2014, that he even found time to invent a new shot that finished off his Mexican opponent in the second round. The punch in question was a grappling hook to the forehead, thrown from above, that left Rubio unable to get up.
6 Nobuhiro Ishida
Golovkin fought Ishida in 2013 in Monte Carlo and finished the Japanese fighter with a right hand, sending him through the ropes. There was no need to count.
7 Kell Creek
After offering Brook, a natural welterweight, some confidence early in the first round, Golovkin took advantage of it just as quickly, pummeling Brook, smashing his face and stopping him in the fifth round. The Sheffield fighter, in truth, never really recovered.
8 Martin Murray
One of the most valiant efforts an opponent ever put up against Golovkin, Murray lasted until the 11th with the 2015 middleweight champion, though he was unable to win a single one of those rounds and was also unable to do anything to prevent Golovkin from securing the stoppage.
9Curtis Stevens
In a 2013 fight with big knockdowns, Stevens, a cocky American who vowed not to be intimidated by Golovkin, found himself heavily pinned in the second round but reacted well until he was put out of his misery in the eighth.
10 Ryōta Murata
While he may not be a classic Golovkin, a 2022 outing to Saitama, Japan is notable because it could be the last big win of his career. It was also a good ending, with him overcoming some difficult spells to finally collapse and stop Murata in the ninth.
