Golovkin’s Style, Power Means He’s Capable of Klitschko-ish Domination

Published

11 years ago

October 21, 2014

Roberto Duran is on the list, Joe Frazier* is on the list and so is Mike Tyson. The list in this particular instance is of the fighters who immediately come to mind when thinking of boxers who have to be categorized as swarmers/attackers who could really punch with both hands. And that’s a rarity among that breed of fighter. If you’re a swarmer, your odds really go up when it comes to the regularity that you can land your finishing punches on your opponents. That said, there have not been many middleweight attackers who could really punch, especially with both hands. At least not until Gennady Golovkin 31-0 (28) showed up.

Since 1950, there have been three legitimate swarmers who held the middleweight title, starting with Jake LaMotta 83-19-4 (30) / 1949-51, who was known to play possum sometimes and then explode. Nonetheless, Jake was a pressure fighter who looked to force the fight. Gene Fullmer 55-6-3 (24) /1957 & 1959 and Dick Tiger 60-16-3 (27) 1962-63 & 1965-66 also excelled on the inside while carrying the action. All three are in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Fighters who force the fight and look to wage their battles on the inside are considered attackers or swarmers. Force any swarmer whose name isn’t Roberto Duran to fight in retreat and you’ll find a fighter who most resembles a fish out of water. In other words, he becomes a totally ineffective fighter. Swarmers tend to be on the shorter side with an average reach. Their calling card is pressure and volume punching. They thrive when they have their opponents pinned against the ropes or in one of the ring corners. And as you can see from the low knockout percentages of LaMotta, Fullmer and Tiger, being a big puncher isn’t a necessity for being an effective attacker, although it sure helps.

There is a commonality among the three Hall of Famers mentioned. And that is all three were unnaturally strong with great durability and owned a cast-iron chin as their last line of defense. In addition to that, all three lost their title to a fellow Hall of Famer.

LaMotta lost it to Sugar Ray Robinson, Fullmer, won it and lost it back to Robinson, while Tiger beat Fullmer for it the first time, lost it to Joey Giardello and then won it back from Giardello. The point here is, when an outstanding attacker comes along and wins the middleweight title, he’s usually a special or great fighter and historically, at least over the last 60 plus years, it’s taken another outstanding or all-time great to dethrone them.

That doesn’t bode well if you’re a contender or a fringe title belt holder in today’s middleweight division. Gennady Golovkin is the true middleweight boxing champion. No, he’s not the lineal title holder; however he’s the best and most dangerous fighter in the division. It’ll take a lot of money to get fighters who have something to lose get in the ring with him; I’m talking about the likes of Miguel Cotto, who is the lineal champ, along with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Saul Alvarez. Oh sure, fighters like Daniel Geale and Marco Antonio Rubio, Golovkin’s last two opponents, will step up to fight him because they had nothing to lose. Neither were big money fighters, nor did they come to the ring with a noteworthy title or stellar reputation.

Golovkin being one of those rare swarmers who can really hit with both hands makes him scary. When fighters enter the ring to fight Golovkin, they know he’s not one of those punchers where if you’re on your game, he might not touch you too frequently during the bout. It’s the opposite. Golovkin is going to press you from bell-to-bell and be in your face. He’s not averse to taking a couple of yours for the tradeoff being he can get a few of his in on you. And it’s not like if you take away one hand you don’t have to worry about the other.

In his second to last fight, he stopped Geale with one counter right hand, in which he really didn’t have his feet set and was slightly off balance. This past weekend he stopped Rubio with a high left-hook that was an arm punch without his body behind it. That’s two one-punch knockouts with each hand in his last two bouts. And yes, they were one punch knockouts because once they landed, the fights were over; there was no coming back for either Geale or Rubio once they were tagged clean, nor did they want to continue.

Swarmers like Golovkin are truth detectors when it comes to finding out how tough and willing their opponents are. Because they are on you and trying to end the fight every time they cut loose, they’re dangerous as long as they’re standing. No, I’m not convinced that Golovkin can’t be beaten. He’s not that fast of hand or foot, he’s hittable and the jury is still out regarding just how physically strong he is. Punching power and physicality is not the same thing, by the way. LaMotta, Fullmer and Tiger were off the chart when it came to strength that applies in the ring and had an abundance of that over Gennady. They could control and move their opponents where they needed them to go just with their shoulders. I don’t see that type physical strength in Golovkin, but he has something they didn’t – and that’s natural two-handed power that isn’t forced and is capable of sapping his opponents will almost on call, at least from what we’ve seen up to this point.

Unfortunately, today’s middleweight division is littered with tweeners. By tweeners I mean fighters that do not own one discernible weapon that most great fighters have. This is something that Golovkin would have to address before he goes at them as if they were handcuffed. It’s sort of like the predicament that Wladimir Klitschko is as a heavyweight. Golovkin, like Klitschko, looks more like a man amongst boys than a man amongst men. The difference is, Wladimir won’t come for you like Golovkin does. If you leave him alone, he’s content with winning every round without any close calls. That’s not Golovkin! Because he’s an attacker, he’s only effective and dangerous moving forward. That, and he really wants to deliver a special performance capped off with a memorable ending. Due to their styles, it’s much easier to be a pedestrian heavyweight contender and survive Klitschko than it is being a pedestrian middleweight contender trying to take Golovkin the distance, let alone win by fighting to survive.

When surveying the middleweight landscape, is there one fighter out there with the speed and boxing ability of Roy Jones, who could also punch? Is there a James Toney with a cast iron chin who could’ve gone to the ropes and tattooed Golovkin and stood there and fired back after Gennady planted a couple on him? And there certainly isn’t a Bernard Hopkins fighting at middleweight who would’ve shown Golovkin a different look and tactic every round, along with the chin to fight Gennady back and the guile to make his power a mirage?

In much the same way and for many of the same reasons, Gennady Golovkin could very easily dominate the middleweight division the way Wladimir Klitschko has the heavyweight division. The difference is, there are some star fighters slightly below and above middleweight who can supply Golovkin the challenge we all want him to soon be confronted by.

That said, his uniqueness of being a swarmer with two handed power campaigning in a division of tweeners insures that he’ll be at the top of the middleweight food chain until further notice.

*= Although Joe was known for his left hook, he was a debilitating body puncher with his right hand

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 324: Ryan Garcia Leads Three Days in May Battles

Published

6 hours ago

May 1, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 324: Ryan Garcia Leads Three Days in May Battles

They’re fighting on the streets of New York again.

Times Square.

Ryan “King Ry” Garcia leads six of the best crack shots in boxing under 30 in New York City on Friday, May 2. It begins a three-day event that moves to Saudi Arabia on Saturday then Las Vegas on Sunday. Three targets.

A number of the best promoters in the sport of boxing are combining forces for “Ring Magazine’s Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.”

Time Square is target one.

Fresh off a one-year suspension, Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) brings his brand of speed and power against Rollie Romero (16-2, 13 KOs), who is no shrinking petunia when it comes to power. They meet in the main event.

Ever since Garcia took off the amateur head gear, he’s shown almost inhuman explosive power and speed. Though his destruction of Devin Haney last year was overturned by the New York Athletic Commission, what viewers saw cannot be erased.

“His dad likes to talk a lot,” said Garcia of Haney. “that’s what got his son beat the first time.”

Now he faces Romero, whose years ago sparring superiority caused a furor when it happened. But sparring and fighting are distinctly different. Now there will be millions watching and future earnings at stake.

“This fight was destined to happen. I called it. I knew it was gonna be at 147 pounds and be one of the biggest fights in boxing history,” said Romero, a two-division champion.

Then, you have Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) who got his loss in the ring removed by the commission but now faces former two-time champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in a welterweight showdown. It’s a compelling match.

“Styles make fights. He does a lot of good things and a lot of bad things in there. It’s my job to go in there and handicap him of the good things he does and exploit the bad things,” said Haney of Ramirez.

Ramirez recently lost his last match and has a history of problems making weight. This fight will not be at 140 pounds, but five pounds heavier.

“I owe it to myself to show up and move up into a bigger weight class. I think that’s going to do wonders for me,” Ramirez said. ““I’m preparing for the best Devin Haney. That’s the guy I want to beat. I want that challenge.”

A super lightweight battle between New York’s Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) and California’s Arnold Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs) might be a Rubik’s Cube battle or a blast of nitro. Both are highly skilled and master craftsmen in a prize ring.

“We’re going to go out there and do what I have to do. I’m going to have fun and beat the brick out of this boy,” said Lopez, one of the local fighters who now lives and trains on the West Coast.

Barboza, a Los Angeles native, has knocked off several top contenders in remaining undefeated.

“This is the toughest opponent of my career,” said Barboza, who bested England’s Jack Catterall and fellow Californian Jose Carlos Ramirez. “I’m gonna punch him in the mouth and see what happens.”

Six of the best American fighters under 30 are slugging it out on Times Square. It probably hasn’t been done since Boss Tweed.

Day Two: Riyadh

Super middleweight champions Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) and William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) meet on Saturday, May 3, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s an extension of Ring Magazine’s event on Friday and presented by Riyadh Season. DAZN will stream the event on pay-per-view.

Another world title match pits Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) versus Norair Mikaeljan (27-2 12 KOs) for the WBC cruiser world title.

Also, a return match between Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) and France’s Bruno Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) in a super middleweight fight.

Day Three: Las Vegas

Immensely talented Naoya “Monster” Inoue of Japan returns to Las Vegas to showcase his fighting skills to an American audience.

It’s been nearly four years since Inoue appeared in Las Vegas and demonstrated why many experts and fans call him the best fighter pound for pound on the planet. The best.

“I’m excited about everything,” said Inoue about the opportunity to fight in front of an American audience once again.

Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) defends the undisputed super bantamweight championship against a little-known banger from San Antonio, Texas named Ramon “Dinamita” Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs). ESPN will televise the Top Rank and Teiken Promotions fight card.

Don’t dismiss Cardenas casually. He is co-promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz who knows a thing or two about signing little known sluggers such as Manny Pacquiao, Marcos Maidana and female undisputed champ Gabriela Fundora.

Cardenas trains with brothers Joel and Antonio Diaz in Indio, California and rumor has it has been cracking on the Uzbeks who are pretty rough and tumble.

Of course, the Monster is another matter.

Inoue has fought many of the best smaller weight fighters such as Luis Nery, Stephen Fulton and the great Nonito Donaire and swept them aside with his combination of speed, power and skill.

“I’m always going for the knockout,” Inoue said.

Cardenas always goes for the knockout too.

Two bangers in Las Vegas. That’s what prizefighting is all about.

“I hope to enjoy the whole atmosphere and the fight,” said Inoue. Also, it’s my first time fighting in the T-Mobile Arena.”

Co-Feature

WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) of Mexico defends against Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Texas. This will be Espinoza’s third defense of the world title.

Espinoza could be Inoue’s next opponent if the Japanese legend decides to move up another weight division.

Also on the fight card will be Emiliano Vargas, Ra’eese Aleem and others.

Fights to Watch (all times Pacific Time)

Fri. DAZN ppv 2 p.m. Ryan Garcia (24-1) vs Rolando Romero (16-2); Devin Haney (31-1) vs Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-2); Teofimo Lopez (21-1) vs Arnold Barboza (32-0).

Sat. DAZN ppv 2:45 p.m. Saul Alvarez (62-2-2) vs William Scull (23-0); Badou Jack (28-3-3) vs Norair Mikeljan (27-2); Jaime Munguia (44-2) vs Bruno Surace (26-0-2).

Sun. ESPN 7 p.m. Naoya Inoue (29-0) vs Ramon Cardenas (26-1); Rafael Espinoza (26-0) vs Edward Vazquez (17-2); Ra’eese Aleem (21-1) vs Rudy Garcia (13-1-1).

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Jorge Garcia is the TSS Fighter of the Month for April

Published

3 days ago

April 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Jorge-Garcia-is-the-TSS-Fighter-of-the-Month-for-April

Jorge Garcia has a lot in common with Mexican countrymen Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza. In common with those two, both reigning world title-holders, Garcia is big for his weight class and bubbled out of obscurity with a triumph forged as a heavy underdog in a match contested on American soil.

Garcia had his “coming of age party” on April 19 in the first boxing event at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California (roughly 35 miles north of San Diego), a 7,500-seat facility whose primary tenant is an indoor soccer team. It was a Golden Boy Promotions event and in the opposite corner was a Golden Boy fighter, Charles Conwell.

A former U.S. Olympian, Conwell was undefeated (21-0, 16 KOs) and had won three straight inside the distance since hooking up with Golden Boy whose PR department ballyhooed him as the most avoided fighter in the super welterweight division. At prominent betting sites, Conwell was as high as a 12/1 favorite.

The lanky Garcia was 32-4 (26 KOs) heading in, but it was easy to underestimate him as he had fought extensively in Tijuana where the boxing commission is notoriously docile and in his home state of Sinaloa. This would be only his second fight in the U.S. However, it was noteworthy in hindsight that three of his four losses were by split decision.

Garcia vs. Conwell was a robust affair. He and Conwell were credited with throwing 1451 punches combined. In terms of punches landed, there was little to choose between them but the CompuBox operator saw Garcia landing more power punches in eight of the 12 rounds. At the end, the verdict was split but there was no controversy.

An interested observer was Sebastian Fundora who was there to see his sister Gabriela defend her world flyweight titles. Sebastian owns two pieces of the 154-pound world title where the #1 contender per the WBO is Xander Zayas who keeps winning, but not with the verve of his earlier triumphs.

With his upset of Charles Conwell, Jorge Garcia has been bumped into the WBO’s #2 slot. Regardless of who he fights next, Garcia will earn the biggest payday of his career.

Honorable mention: Aaron McKenna

McKenna was favored to beat veteran campaigner Liam Smith in the co-feature to the Eubank-Benn battle this past Saturday in London, but he was stepping up in class against a former world title-holder who had competed against some of the top dogs in the middleweight division and who had famously stopped Chris Eubank Jr in the first of their two encounters. Moreover, the venue, Tottenham Hotspur, the third-largest soccer stadium in England, favored the 36-year-old Liverpudlian who was accustomed to a big fight atmosphere having fought Canelo Alvarez before 50,000-plus at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

McKenna, from the small town of Monaghan, Ireland, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. With his dad Feargal in his corner and his fighting brother Stephen McKenna cheering him on from ringside, Aaron won a wide decision in his first 12-round fight, punctuating his victory by knocking Smith to his knees with a body punch in the 12^th round. In fact, if he hadn’t had a point deducted for using his elbow, the Irishman would have pitched a shutout on one of the scorecards.

“There might not be a more impressive example of a fighter moving up in class,” wrote Tris Dixon of the 25-year-old “Silencer” who improved his ledger to 20-0 (10).

Photo credits: Garcia/Conwell photo compliments of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McKenna-Smith provided by Mark Robinson/Matchroom

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Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Published

5 days ago

April 27, 2025

David A. Avila

Chris-Eubank-Jr-Outlasts-Conor-Benn-at-Tottenham-Hotsour-Stadium

Feudal bragging rights belong to Chris Eubank Jr. who out-lasted Conor Benn to
emerge victorious by unanimous decision in a non-title middleweight match held in
London on Saturday.

Fighting for their family heritage Eubank (35-3, 26 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs)
continued the battle between families started 35 years ago by their fathers at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.

More than 65,000 fans attended.

Though Eubank Jr. had a weight and height advantage and a record of smashing his
way to victory via knockout, he had problems hurting the quicker and more agile Benn.
And though Benn had the advantage of moving up two weight divisions and forcing
Eubank to fight under a catch weight, the move did not weaken him much.

Instead, British fans and boxing fans across the world saw the two family rivals pummel
each other for all 12 rounds. Neither was able to gain separation.

Eubank looked physically bigger and used a ramming left jab to connect early in the
fight. Benn immediately showed off his speed advantage and surprised many with his
ability to absorb a big blow.Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Benn scrambled around with his quickness and agility and scored often with bigcounters.

It took him a few rounds to stop overextending himself while delivering power shots.

In the third round Benn staggered Eubank with a left hook but was unable to follow up
against the dangerous middleweight who roared back with flurries of blows.

Eubank was methodic in his approach always moving forward, always using his weight
advantage via the shoulder to force Benn backward. The smaller Benn rocketed
overhand rights and was partly successful but not enough to force Eubank to retreat.
In the seventh round a right uppercut snapped Benn’s head violently but he was
undeterred from firing back. Benn’s chin stood firm despite Eubank’s vaunted power and
size advantage.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Eubank said.

Benn opened strong in the eighth round with furious blows. And though he connected
he was unable to seriously hurt Eubank. And despite being drained by the weight loss,
the middleweight fighter remained strong all 12 rounds.

There were surprises from both fighters.

Benn was effective targeting the body. Perhaps if he had worked the body earlier he
would have found a better result.

With only two rounds remaining Eubank snapped off a right uppercut again and followed
up with body shots. In the final stanza Eubank pressed forward and exchanged with the
smaller Benn until the final bell. He simply out-landed the fighter and impressed all three
judges who scored it 116-112 for Eubank.

Eubank admitted he expected a knockout win but was satisfied with the victory.
“I under-estimated him,” Eubank said.

Benn was upset by the loss but recognized the reasons.

“He worked harder toward the end,” said Benn.

McKenna Wins

In his first test in the elite level Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) showed his ability to fight
inside or out in soundly defeating former world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs)
by unanimous decision to win a regional WBA middleweight title.

Smith has made a career out of upsetting young upstarts but discovered the Irish fighter
more than capable of mixing it up with the veteran. It was a rough fight throughout the
12 rounds but McKenna showed off his abilities to fight as a southpaw or right-hander
with nary a hiccup.

McKenna had trained in Southern California early in his career and since that time he’s
accrued a variety of ways to fight. He was smooth and relentless in using his longer
arms and agility against Smith on the outside or in close.

In the 12 th round, McKenna landed a perfectly timed left hook to the ribs and down went
Smith. The former champion got up and attempted to knock out the tall
Irish fighter but could not.

All three judges scored in favor of McKenna 119-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Other Bouts
Anthony Yarde (27-3) defeated Lyndon Arthur (24-3) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. in a light heavyweight match. It was the third time they met. Yarde won the last two fights.

Chris Billam-Smith (21-2) defeated Brandon Glanton (20-3) by decision. It was his first
fight since losing the WBO cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez last November.

Viddal Riley (13-0) out-worked Cheavon Clarke (10-2) in a 12-round back-and-forth-contest to win a unanimous decision.

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