Golovkin Adds Rubio To Knockout Streak

The Middleweight championship fight between undefeated WBA/IBO world champion Gennady Golovkin and top contender and former two-time world title challenger Marco Antonio Rubio had what appeared on paper to have all the makings of a shootout between two knockout artists.  Golovkin, one of Boxing’s hottest rising stars, who entered the fight undefeated in thirty professional fights, scoring twenty-seven knockouts. The champion also entered having knocked out his previous seventeen opponents and successfully defended his title eleven times.  The champion faced what appeared to be his toughest test to date in Marco Antonio Rubio.

  

Rubio, the longtime Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight contender and veteran of sixty-six professional fights entered the fight having scored fifty-one knockouts in fifty-nine career wins. Rubio also held interim status in the World Boxing Council’s (WBC) Middleweight ratings.  Before the fight took place however, there was a slight controversy that emerged when Rubio failed to make the 160lb. Middleweight limit at the weigh-in on October 17th.  Rubio who weighed 161 ¾lbs. was fined $100,000 of his purse for the bout, lost his interim status in the WBC’s ratings, and was unable to win Golovkin’s unified championship if he were to emerge from the bout victorious. 

Although Rubio was unable to make weight, the championships as well as Rubio’s previous interim status remained on the line for the champion Golovkin. All the anticipation of what some expected to be a head-on collision between two power punchers culminated when Golovkin and Rubio squared off on October 18th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.  No matter how a fight may look on paper however, sometimes it does not always appear to live up to the anticipation that often precedes a fight when the fight actually takes place.

Although the first round of this fight was competitive the clear difference was not only the champion’s ability to out land the challenger, but also the systematic approach in which Golovkin set up his offense. Even though what has endeared Golovkin to Boxing fans is his seek and destroy style along with devastating punching power, what should not be overlooked is Golovkin’s approach that sets up his offense.

Golovkin has shown an ability to be aggressive, but at the same time be very accurate with his offense and has also shown patience in waiting for opportunities to present itself without looking recklessly for a knockout. Golovkin’s ability to cut off the ring and be very accurate with his offense is one facet along with his punching power that makes him such a devastating force.

Rubio was able to land some punches in the first round, but he could not dictate how the fight was to be fought and Golovkin was able to take Rubio’s offense and keep pressing forward. This would set the stage for the second round. Golovkin continued to apply pressure on Rubio in the second round behind his consistent jab, which set up opportunities to land his right hand. Rubio did land a couple of solid body shots in close, but he could not land anything significant enough to halt the champion’s pressure. A right hand followed by a left uppercut from Golovkin sent Rubio back on the ropes. Golovkin would knock Rubio down with a left hook to the head moments later. Rubio was counted out by Referee Jack Reiss at 1:19 of round two. With the win Golovkin scored his eighteenth consecutive knockout and his twelfth successful title defense of his unified WBA/IBO Middleweight world championship.

Prior to this fight I stated that it would be interesting to see how Golovkin would respond to Rubio’s punching power. It was clear in this fight that the edge in punching power was in Golovkin’s favor. I also stated prior to this fight that it would be of equal interest to see how Rubio would respond to Golovkin’s power. Even though this fight did not last long, Rubio did take some punishment before absorbing the left hook that ended the fight.

Although this ultimately did not prove to be the test that some expected for Golovkin, it was another demonstration of his devastating punching power on full display. Whether or not Marco Antonio Rubio was affected in any way by the difficulty he had in trying to make the Middleweight limit of 160lbs. is a subject for debate. This observer believes that it was more a case of Golovkin being simply the harder puncher of the two more than the potential issue of weight that led to Rubio’s downfall in this fight. As for Rubio’s weight issues, some may criticize a fighter for not making weight. Sometimes, despite all the effort a fighter might make in training, the fighter’s body simply cannot make a weight limit.

I suggested prior to the fight that Rubio may have been looking at this fight as his last chance to win a world championship. If this is not the end for Rubio and if he can no longer make the Middleweight limit, it will be interesting to see what potential options may be available to him in the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division.

As for the champion Gennady Golovkin the outlook for him remains the same as it was following his title defense over Daniel Geale earlier this year. As Golovkin continues to score knockouts Boxing fans and experts alike will continue to question who may be able to give Golovkin a significant test. Off of this latest victory, it will be interesting to see if fighters who are considered by most to be stars of the sport in or around the Middleweight division will be interested in challenging the undefeated champion for his title.

What will be interesting coming out of this fight is if a potential fight between Golovkin and WBC champion Miguel Cotto is on the table in 2015. In addition to retaining his title against Rubio, Golovkin also earned interim status in the WBC’s ratings. Although this is likely the first time a world champion has earned status that would put him in line to challenge for another title in the same weight division, I believe that is a moot point given that a fight between Golovkin and Cotto would be a unification bout if it can be made. For his part following the fight against Rubio, Golovkin called out Cotto, Saul Alvarez, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for potential fights.

This observer believes it’s more likely that a fight between either Golovkin and Cotto or Alvarez seems more logical at this point, due to Chavez Jr. fighting in the Super-Middleweight division and it is doubtful that he could move back down in weight to 160lbs. given his own difficulties making that weight when he was campaigning as a Middleweight.  Another scenario if a fight with Cotto, Alvarez, or Chavez Jr. is not what is next for Golovkin is for Golovkin to potentially face Danny Jacobs or Dmitry Chudinov who each hold regular/interim status in the WBA’s ratings. With the situation concerning what might become of the IBF Middleweight championship remaining uncertain for the time being, it will be interesting to see who Golovkin will fight next out of the potential five opponents.

With now twelve successful title defenses a storyline that might become increasingly interesting with each title defense Gennady Golovkin attempts will be the potential march towards the Middleweight championship record for successful title defenses in the division which was set by current unified WBA/IBF Light-Heavyweight world champion Bernard Hopkins, who reigned atop the Middleweight division from 1995-2005 defending his title an incredible twenty times. We will see what the next chapter in the career of Gennady Golovkin has to offer.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

 

A Look At Golovkin-Rubio

A story that has continued to garner significant interest in the sport of Boxing in recent years has been the emergence of undefeated unified WBA/IBO Middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin. A fighter who has simply carved out a path of destruction in the Middleweight division since becoming world champion in 2010.

Golovkin, a native of Kazakhstan has scored seventeen consecutive knockouts and successfully defended his world title eleven times. What has made Gennady Golovkin such a devastating force has been his seek and destroy pressure style that few opponents have been able to withstand. In thirty professional fights Golovkin has scored twenty-seven knockouts registering a career knockout percentage of 90%. Most recently, a title defense this past July, Golovkin scored a third round knockout of former two-time Middleweight world champion Daniel Geale at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

In that fight not only was Golovkin’s power on full display, but he also showed the ability to take a punch. The champion would end the fight by dropping Geale with a right hand that sent the “Game” former champion down to the canvas. What stood out about this fight’s conclusion was not only the devastating manner in which it ended, but also the fact that it came in an exchange of right hands between the two fighters. Golovkin was not only able to knock out Geale, a fighter who had never been stopped previously in his career, but he did so as he absorbed a flush right hand from the challenger. Despite being struck by Geale’s right hand, Golovkin still maintained enough power in his own punch to end the fight.

In my post-fight coverage of Golovkin’s seventeenth consecutive knockout and eleventh successful title defense, I stated that I believe the time has come for Golovkin to face fighters who are considered top stars. Although my opinion remains the same, Golovkin will have one more test to pass before fights against fighters who are considered marquee attractions can be discussed. The test that awaits the champion could possibly be the most dangerous to date. The challenger? Marco Antonio Rubio.

Rubio, a veteran of sixty-six professional fights has been a long time contender in both the Jr. Middleweight and Middleweight divisions and has twice fought for a world title. Much like Golovkin, Rubio is a pressure fighter who is known for his punching power. Much like the champion, the challenger has in his own right shown an ability to compile knockout streaks and has himself registered an impressive career knockout percentage of nearly 78% having scored fifty-one knockouts in fifty-nine career wins.

Although Rubio has come up short in his previous two shots at a world title against Kelly Pavlik and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., he is definitely not someone to overlook and should be viewed as extremely dangerous. The question that I have as this fight approaches is what kind of fight could this look like? Conventional wisdom suggests based on not only each fighter’s style, but more importantly each fighter’s punching power that both fighters will be looking to trade punches right from the opening bell. Even though this fight has all the makings of a tailor-made shootout between two power punchers, it will be interesting to see if either fighter changes his approach and begins this fight at a tactical pace perhaps in thinking that the other is expecting his opponent to go toe to toe from the outset. 

It will be interesting to see how the champion will respond should he get hit flush by Rubio as he did in his last fight against Daniel Geale. Although no one can take anything away from the valiant effort Geale put forth against Golovkin, an argument can be made that Rubio hits harder than Geale, who is a highly skilled boxer, but is not known for his punching power.

It will however, be of equal interest to see how Rubio will respond to Golovkin’s power, particularly if Rubio were to get caught in exchanges with the champion. Rubio has been caught before while in an exchange and that ultimately led to his downfall.

Some may remember Rubio’s encounter with Kofi Jantuah in September 2004 on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins vs. Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas. A fight where Rubio entered having knocked out his previous fifteen opponents, this fight would end almost as suddenly as it began. In an exchange of left hooks between Rubio and Jantuah, it would be Jantuah’s that would land flush on Rubio’s chin knocking him down and out in just thirty-three seconds of the first round.

Although some may be tempted to view Rubio’s loss to Jantuah as a possible scenario of how this fight could play out, it is important to remember that the fight between Rubio and Jantuah occurred ten years ago and it was a scenario where two fighters each threw power punches, and Jantuah’s punch simply got to Rubio before Rubio’s punch could land. It was a case of a punch that landed right on the button, but a scenario that could have easily gone the other way. To his credit, Rubio did bounce back from what was a devastating knockout loss to challenge for a world title twice in his career after that fight and has remained a top contender in the years since.

Nevertheless it will be interesting to see if Rubio keeps in mind how Golovkin’s last fight ended in that although he was hit flush in an exchange, he was still able to land the knockout blow after absorbing that punch. Although there may be some who believe that this fight is destined to end in a knockout, it would not surprise me if a tactical fight takes place.

An interesting question that will emerge coming out of this fight will be what could be in store for the winner. With WBC Middleweight world champion Miguel Cotto not expected to fight until sometime in 2015, the newly crowned IBF world champion Jermain Taylor’s legal problems at least temporarily delaying what could be a fight between Taylor and IBF number one contender and former world champion Hassan N’Dam, and the recently vacated WBO world championship being vacated by the undefeated Peter Quillin, it will be interesting to see how the winner of this fight will factor into the equation.

The main storyline of this fight however, is an undefeated unified world champion’s ongoing path of destruction against a fighter who could well be looking at this fight as his last chance to win a world championship. No matter what happens when Golovkin and Rubio meet at the StubHub Center in Carson, California on Saturday night, whomever should emerge victorious, this observer believes that the ingredients are there for what just may be a great fight.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

Jermain Taylor Once Again A World Champion

On September 29th of 2007 undefeated world champion Jermain Taylor entered the ring at the historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey to defend his unified Middleweight world championship against hard-hitting undefeated contender Kelly Pavlik in a fight that many considered the fight of the year. A brutal back and forth war of wills that saw both men suffer knockdowns where Pavlik ultimately emerged victorious stopping Taylor in the seventh round.

Some might say that it was this loss, the first of Taylor’s career that began a gradual decline in a fighter once considered one of the best pound for pound in the world. Taylor would go on to lose a twelve round unanimous decision to Pavlik in their rematch in February 2008 in a bout that was fought above the 160lb. Middleweight limit. Taylor, who would leave the Middleweight division after his first fight with Pavlik would suffer further setbacks.

Many remember his exciting battle against then WBC Super-Middleweight champion Carl Froch in April 2009. Much like the first encounter with Kelly Pavlik, the fight between Froch and Taylor was an exciting back and forth battle where both fighters suffered knockdowns. After being knocked down in the third round of the fight and trailing on two of the official scorecards, Froch would score a come from behind knockout of Taylor in the twelfth and final round to retain his title. 

Some would say however, that the most brutal of the setbacks suffered by Taylor came at the hands of Arthur Abraham when a straight right hand from Abraham knocked Taylor out cold when the two met in the opening stage of the Super-Six World Boxing Classic Super-Middleweight tournament in October 2009. It was after this knockout loss in which Taylor suffered a severe concussion and bleeding on the brain and Taylor’s third knockout loss in five fights that many, including this observer believed that he should consider retirement.

It is important to remember that the knockouts Taylor suffered at the hands of Pavlik, Froch, and Abraham were devastating and were the kinds of knockouts that could take a toll on a fighter in the long-term. Although Taylor would not retire, it would be two years before Taylor would return to the ring. Taylor returned to the ring and the Middleweight division in December 2011 after being medically cleared to resume his career scoring an eighth round stoppage of Jessie Nicklow. 

Since his victory over Nicklow, Taylor would add three more wins to his resume over Caleb Truax, Raul Munoz, and former top contender J.C. Candelo.  With four wins since beginning his comeback, Taylor secured a world championship fight against IBF Middleweight world champion Sam Soliman. The fight would take place on Wednesday night at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Soliman, a longtime contender in the Middleweight division was making the first defense of his world title, which he won in May of this year in his second fight against longtime Middleweight champion Felix Sturm. What interested me about this fight when it was announced was how Taylor would respond in his first real test since his return against a volume puncher like Soliman. Although Soliman is not known as a power puncher, he is known for his ability to be very active and throw punches at a high volume throughout the entire course of a fight. It interested me to see how Taylor, who has been known in the past to fight fatigue and fade during the course of a fight would look as this fight progressed.

The fight was fought at a tactical pace in the early rounds where there was a lot of clinching. This was due in large part to Soliman’s awkwardness and lateral movement in his ability to throw punches and approach his opponents at awkward angles. What is particularly frustrating about facing a fighter with a style such as Soliman is that it is very difficult to establish a consistent offensive output due to the difficulty that can occur in attempting to time that fighter’s offensive spurts. Taylor who has been known for having a great jab throughout his career had trouble establishing the jab in the early rounds. Although Soliman appeared to have a slight edge during this stage of the fight, neither fighter was really able to stand out from the other. When it comes to fights that are fought like this it can be extremely difficult to score. Even though I feel that Soliman was a little more effective in being able to execute his offense on the inside, I can easily see an argument being made for Taylor having won more rounds in the early part of the fight.

The close fight would begin to turn in Taylor’s favor in round six as he was able to land a little more frequently with his jab and mixed in some solid right hands. Taylor would score a knockdown of Soliman in round seven with a jab. It was clear after rounds six and seven that the momentum was in Taylor’s favor.  Soliman however, would suffer an injury to his left knee in round seven when he was knocked down and that seemed to compromise some of his movement as the fight progressed. Taylor would continue to build on his momentum as he scored a second knockdown of Soliman in round eight. 

Taylor would go on to score two more knockdowns of Soliman in rounds nine and eleven and would go on to earn a convincing twelve round unanimous decision to win his second world title.  A victory for Taylor that some would consider an upset based on Taylor’s knockout losses in years past.  

It was also based on those knockout losses as well as Taylor not facing opponents that most would consider contenders since his return in 2011 that there was some criticism of Taylor being given a shot at a world title by the International Boxing Federation (IBF). Although some may be of the opinion that Jermain Taylor was able to get an opportunity at a world championship based on his name recognition clout, he simply did what he had to do in this fight and earned the victory and his second world title.

There was also however, a different kind of criticism by some who did not believe that Taylor should have been allowed to fight for the world title. The basis of that criticism stems from Taylor’s arrest on charges of domestic battery and aggravated assault back in August in connection with the alleged shooting of Taylor’s cousin Tyrone Hinton at Taylor’s home in Little Rock, Arkansas. Taylor, who was later released on $25,000 bail requested and was granted permission to travel out of state and compete in the fight against Soliman. 

It is unclear at this time as to what Taylor’s legal problems might mean for the IBF Middleweight world championship. On October 1st an elimination bout was held to determine a mandatory challenger for the winner of the Soliman-Taylor championship fight. Former WBO Middleweight world champion Hassan N’Dam scored a twelve round unanimous decision over former world title challenger Curtis Stevens to earn the IBF’s number one ranking in the Middleweight division. Obviously before any talk of a potential fight between Taylor and N’Dam can take place there will likely be a waiting period to see how Taylor’s legal situation will play out.  As of this writing there is no word on what the IBF’s plan might be if Taylor will be unable to defend his title for a period of time.

Despite the criticism of Taylor and the circumstances that surrounded this fight it was a performance for Taylor that has reestablished him as a player in the Middleweight division. It will be interesting should Taylor be able to continue his career and assuming that Hassan N’Dam will be his next opponent if that is the case how Taylor begins his second reign as world champion in a talent deep Middleweight division.

As impressive as Taylor’s performance was in being able to regain a world championship after dealing with so much adversity throughout his career, so too was the “Game” performance of the former champion Sam Soliman. Soliman certainly showed his mettle in this fight by fighting through what likely was excruciating pain to go the distance. Even though Soliman will return to his native Melbourne, Australia without his world title, he deserves credit for fighting through an injury and going the distance.

Although some might choose to focus on the criticism of how and why this fight took place, this observer will not be one of them. Instead, I will remember this fight not for the criticism and circumstances of which it took place, but rather for one fighter’s reemergence at the top of the Middleweight division, one fighter’s courage in defending his title through injury, and ultimately both fighters ability to persevere.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

What’s Next For Rances Barthelemy?

On January 3rd undefeated top Jr. Lightweight contender Rances Barthelemy challenging IBF world Jr. Lightweight champion Argenis Mendez for the championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Originally Barthelemy was declared the winner via second round knockout over Mendez. This result however, would be changed to a no decision as it was ruled that the combination landed by Barthelemy that resulted in the end of the fight landed after the bell rung to end the second round.

With the results of that fight changed and with the IBF title returned to Mendez per the bout being ruled a no decision, a rematch between the two would take place. In the rematch, which took place on July 10th in Miami, Florida, Barthelemy would score a convincing twelve round unanimous decision over Mendez to win the title.

Nearly three months to the day of his winning a world title, Barthelemy would make the first defense of his IBF crown against the International Boxing Federation’s (IBF) number three rated contender Fernando Saucedo on October 4th at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. For twelve rounds Barthelemy simply dominated the fight. Barthelemy’s well-balanced offense to the body and head, accuracy, and precision timing were the story of this fight. The “Game” challenger never stopped trying to turn the fight in his favor, but he was simply outclassed by the champion.

What impressed me about Barthelemy’s performance in this fight was how he paced himself throughout the contest. Barthelemy was clearly the more active and more accurate of the two fighters, but it was a fight where his elusiveness in being able to avoid much of Saucedo’s offense by using his lateral movement was as much a part of the story as his ability to be crisp and accurate with his offense.

Saucedo was aggressive throughout much of this fight, but he could not find a way to avoid Barthelemy’s hand speed and ability to counter punch. Although this fight did not provide much drama and excitement, it was still an impressive performance by a world champion in his first title defense. 

With his first title defense now in his rearview mirror, the question is what may be in store for Rances Barthelemy as 2015 approaches? Assuming that Barthelemy will not fight another opponent before the end of 2014, I believe that a logical opponent for him in the new year would be the winner of the upcoming IBF Jr. Lightweight elimination bout between current number two contender Michael Farenas and number six rated contender Jose Pedraza, which will take place on November 14th in Puerto Rico.

If a mandatory defense is not what is next for Barthelemy fighters such as former world champions Orlando Salido, Billy Dib, and top contenders Romain Jacob, Francisco Vargas, and Diego Magdaleno might all be considered as potential options. There is of course the possibility of potential unification fights that might interest Barthelemy with the other champions of the division like WBC champion Takashi Mira, WBO champion Mikey Garcia, and WBA champion Takashi Uchiyama.

For now this observer believes that it might be more likely that Barthelemy will take on a top contender before a potential unification bout could be discussed. It is clear however, with three impressive performances in world championship fights in 2014, Rances Barthelemy has established himself as a central figure in the 130lb. Jr. Lightweight division. It will be interesting to see where Barthelemy goes from here.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison