Hall of Fame trainer Teddy Atlas believes time has caught up to 37-year-old Gennadiy Golovkin.
Is Gennadiy Golovkin shot?
Teddy Atlas, the Hall of Fame trainer, thinks so. He believes that it’s too late for a third fight between Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez for lack of interest and because the 37-year-old Triple-G isn’t the fighter he used to be.
Golovkin and Alvarez agreed before the coronavirus pandemic took hold to fight one another in the fall, which presumably is what DAZN executives were hoping for when they signed the rivals.
“If you heard a giant sigh of relief somewhere it was coming from [DAZN Chairman] John Skipper and the other executives when finally … that third fight is done,” Atlas said on his show “The Fight.”
“Maybe it’s going to save a few people’s jobs over there [if] … it actually does happen. So that’s the good news. Here’s the bad news. The bad news is it’s too late … Time has passed, people have moved on. … I don’t know that interest is there anymore for that fight.”
And Atlas believes Golovkin’s long amateur career, 42 pro fights, two taxing bouts with Alvarez and a war with unheralded Sergey Derevyanchenko in October have taken a lot out of him.
“[Golovkin] showed the heart of the warrior that he is,” said Atlas, referring to the Derevyanchenko fight. “He wasn’t right. Was it because he was sick, was it a fluke, was it an anomaly, was it that or was it what [Golovkin] is now? An older fighter … that has left parts of himself in the ring and parts of himself from the first two Canelo fights.
“I thought those fights [against Canelo] took a lot out of [Golovkin], and I think 400 amateur fights take a lot out of you. And I think when you’re at the age he’s at … what is he now? 38? He’s getting up there toward that number 40. I always say you don’t judge a fighter’s age in this tough business chronologically. You judge them by the tough fights they’ve been in.”
Atlas added a blunt commentary.
“In the Derevyanchenko fight, [Golovkin] looked like a shot fighter,” he said. “Yeah, I said it. I said it, you people that want to get your knives out now and your bow and arrows ready. ‘How dare you say that about my guy.’
“It’s called Father Time, it’s called nature, it’s called aging, and it comes to all of us, but we all don’t have to fight for a living. … When the truth comes to you in the ring, the truth can hit you, bang, hard and fast.”
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create …
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
Triple-G is coming off a shaky performance in a close decision over unheralded Sergey Derevyanchenko last October, raising the notion that he’s slowing down as he approaches his 38th birthday, but he remains a major player at middleweight.
In this installment of Who Wins?, our staffers’ give their takes on how Golovkin would do against Canelo Alvarez in a third fight, Demetrius Andrade, Derevyanchenko in a rematch, Jermall Charlo and Jaime Munguia. We then tally Golovkin’s record in those fights and present our standings.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 7 Errol Spence Jr.
So here goes: Inoue vs. his five potential opponents.
GOLOVKIN (40-1-1, 35 KOs) VS. ALVAREZ (53-1-2, 36 KOs)
Is Canelo Alvarez (right) too good for Gennadiy Golovkin at this stage of their careers? Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Rosenthal: Golovkin isn’t as far gone as some seem to believe. He looked so-so in his last fight, a harder-than-expected unanimous-decision victory over Sergey Derevyanchenko that suggested he might be slipping. The guess here is that he lacked inspiration, which he would have in abundance for third fight with Alvarez. Part III would look like Parts I and II – give and take from beginning to end – but Alvarez, who is peaking now, is better at this stage of the game. He wins a clear decision this time.
Frauenheim: The second encore will be more of what we saw in the first encore. Golovkin is a couple fights past his prime. His durability is not the same. Lack of body punching in the first two is a sign GGG won’t step inside. Canelo, unanimous decision.
Nam: The win and draw Alvarez has against Golovkin will forever have asterisks attached to them. But if these two ever fight again – there is talk that it could happen this fall – Alvarez will be the decided favorite and it has all to do with the fact that he’s in his prime and Golovkin is not. Since their last meeting, Alvarez has outclassed Daniel Jacobs and stopped light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev. Golovkin, meanwhile, went life and death against Sergey Derevyanchenko in a fight he barely edged on the scorecards. Alvarez by convincing unanimous decision.
***
GOLOVKIN VS. ANDRADE (29-0, 18 KOs)
Demetrius Andrade (right, landing against Luke Keeler) has skills that could present problems for Golovkin. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing USA
Rosenthal: Make no mistake: Triple-G would be competitive with any middleweight in the world. This might not be a good matchup for him, though. Andrade’s stick-and-move style would drive this somewhat slower version of Golovkin nuts. The fight wouldn’t necessarily look pretty – unless you like pure boxing – but Andrade would be in control from for most of the fight. Andrade by clear decision.
Frauenheim: Andrade falls into a dreaded category: Most Avoided. His slick defense makes him hard to hit. Hard to beat. Worse, he can make better fighters look bad. GGG has the precision and power to hurt him, especially when he throws wild combos. Fight won’t happen, but if it did: GGG, late-round KO.
Nam: It’s not so much that Andrade is “avoided” by the top fighters in the middleweight division but that he is treated more like an afterthought. And he has only himself to blame. Though Andrade was born and bred in the United States, it’s as if he received his education from the Cuban School of Boxing, an outpost that specializes in the art of playing spoilsport in the ring. Andrade will make this a dreary bout, no doubt, and his physical advantages will make Golovkin look like a plodder. Still, Golovkin should be able to to win rounds by landing the more significant punches in what nonetheless figures to be a low, low output affair. Golovkin by ugly close decision.
***
GOLOVKINS VS. DEREVYANCHENKO (13-2, 10 KOs)
How much did the war between Golovkin (left) and Derevyanchenko take out of Triple-G? Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing USA
Rosenthal: Golovkin will be reticent to exchange punches so freely with this bruiser the second time around. He still has a strong skill set and he’ll use it against Derevyanchenko, who will have more difficulty finding the target in this rematch. Golovkin will pick his shots, land some telling blows and be satisfied to win a more-definitive decision this time around.
Frauenheim: Giving Derevyanchenko another chance might be the last mistake in GGG’s career. GGG won a unanimous decision in October. But it wasn’t decisive. A one-point margin on one card and three points on each of the other two mean it was close. Derevyanchenko makes the adjustments, wins split decision.
Nam: There were immediate calls for a rematch after their first bout, but Golvokin, and his braintrust wanted no part of it. Who can blame them? Derevyanchenko rallied from a cut and early knockdown to dominate nearly three quarters of the fight. Golovkin never looked more vulnerable or slower. For every punch Golovkin landed, Derevyanchenko would respond with a three, four punch sally. Expect the same, just worse in the rematch. Derevyanchenko by decision.
***
GOLOVKIN VS. CHARLO (30-0, 22 KOs)
Jermall Charlo has never faced anyone at the level of Golovkin. Stephanie Trapp / Showtime
Rosenthal: Love this matchup. Charlo is a fiery boxer-puncher who will attack Golovkin with measured aggression, picking his spots but not leaving himself open to Golovkin’s big shots too often. Golovkin will take a similar approach in what will become an entertaining, give-and-take battle that will be taxing for both fighters. Triple-G will have his hand raised afterward, the winner of a close decision.
Frauenheim: Charlo has dangerous power. He’s quicker than GGG, too. But his style, dictated by his aggressive instincts, will put him squarely in the middle’s of GGG’s wheelhouse. GGG will catch him coming in, especially in the later rounds. GGG, late-round TKO.
Nam: A competent boxer-puncher with above-average power, Charlo would appear to have the skill set and explosiveness to trouble Golovkin at this stage of the Kazakhstani‘s career. But it’s hard to honestly assess Charlo at middleweight as he has only fought subpar opposition thus far. It’s a close, tactical matchup with intermittent offensive spurts. Golovkin wins on points.
***
GOLOVKIN VS. MUNGUIA (35-0, 28 KOs)
Jaime Munguia (right, unloading on Gary O’Sullivan) has youth on his side but little else against Golovkin. Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos / Golden Boy Promotions
Rosenthal: Munguia, 23, has youth on his side, which gives him hope, but he has too many obstacles to overcome to win this fight. The Mexican is still growing into the 160-pound division and he has the tendency to be reckless, which will play into Triple-G’s hands. He simply can’t slug with Golovkin but knows no other way. This matchup will produce fireworks as long as it lasts but it won’t last long. Golovkin by early KO.
Frauenheim: An interesting fight a couple of years from now. But GGG will be 40 in a couple of years. He’ll be thinking more about retirement than a tough fight against a 25-year-old contender. For now, Mungia has only one fight at middleweight. He’s fun to watch, but his fearlessness will get him knocked out. GGG wins KO.
Nam: There are some signs that Munguia, a former 154-pound titleholder, is improving under new trainer Erik Morales, but the Mexican still remains a rough-hewn project – especially on defense. His inability to keep his hands up, chin tucked and general sloppiness on offense are big red flags against Golovkin, who will dictate the bout with his ramrod jab. Golovkin will find it easier to land his right hand against a relatively slower-moving target in Munguia. Golovkin by late stoppage.
