Golovkin Overwhelms With Both Physical and Mental Pressure

Published

8 years ago

February 20, 2015

His physicality really puts a lot of mental and physical pressure on his opponents. That, more than anything else, describes the uphill task that the top middleweights in the world are confronted with when they touch gloves with the “alpha” fighter in the division, WBA/IBO title holder Gennady Golovkin 31-0 (28).

This Saturday night, Golovkin will defend his title straps against Martin Murray 29-1-1 (12). Murray has never been down or stopped in 31 professional bouts. Murray has no discernible style, though he’s very tough minded, physically strong..but he’s not much of a puncher. He also tends to push his punches, and those are the type of shots that Golovkin usually walks through. Actually, Murray couldn’t be more wrong for Gennady stylistically.

Murray has reiterated during the past few weeks that he’s been studying Golovkin and he and his brain-trust have devised a plan which will lead to him being successful and ultimately beating Golovkin. The plan probably calls for him staying off the ropes and using the ring, while trying to clinch when Golovkin gets inside or close. All fighters need to believe in themselves if they are to have a chance to beat the best of the best. The problem is, they need the physical tools necessary to execute their strategy, and if they don’t possess them, the odds are overwhelmingly against them winning.

Everyone knows by now that Golovkin is going to carry the fight, regardless of who the opponent is in front of him. Gennady’s steady aggression and pressure force his opponents to address his strength and punching power above all else. He wants to crash them with big shots to the head and body with both hands, assuming that they’ll be hurt and a sitting duck for him to finish off with clean shots because they’re already too hurt to evade or escape.

So what are the choices if you’re facing him? Well, with him bearing down on you, which is very draining psychologically, one’s first instinct is to cut loose and let your hands go, looking to impede and disrupt him just enough so you can get to another spot where it’s a little safer – before he gets there. The problem with that is, if you’re rushing your shots just to stymie him, then you can’t really nail him that hard.

Once he senses that there really isn’t that much danger in him pushing the fight and not much of a price to pay for coming in, he’ll begin to come in harder. It’s easy when you’re an attacker like Golovkin to feed off of your opponents’ unwillingness to engage with you and grow even more confident with each passing round.

Once Golovkin has his opponent on the run and looking to survive more so than to fight him and/or hurt him, they’ve lost 90% of the battle. The goal for them switches to surviving the round, which in turn kills their chances to win any of the remaining rounds on the judges’ scorecards. Then they’ll be told in the corner, “you’ve gotta make a stand because he’s winning all the rounds.” And that’s when most fighters figure okay, I have to take some chances, maybe I can catch him with something he doesn’t see and isn’t ready for. Only Golovkin is not just a good puncher, he’s also physically strong. In 350 amateur fights and 31 pro fights, he’s never been down. So engaging with him is what he’s wanted you to do the entire fight. And the fact that he forces his opponents to do it out of desperation is huge, because he knows they’re really doing it to save face and are expecting to get knocked out or stopped.

To beat Golovkin it’ll take a fighter who either has an overload of physical strength and toughness, who can stand their ground with him and make him pay for coming after them, because he’s not afraid to get hit, and perhaps back him up. Or, it’ll take a fighter who is supremely athletic/fast and tough who is physically strong and owns a great pair of legs and a dependable chin.

Physicality is everything with Golovkin and that’s really the only thing he’s vulnerable against, but it can’t be manufactured physicality. To out-box him it’ll take a fighter who may not be a knockout artist himself, but is very strong, like a James Toney, and can put good combinations together, yet has a chin that won’t betray them during the fire because he’s going to get hit even when he picks his spots.

Golovkin usually jabs his way in while cutting off the ring. He doesn’t attack in spurts like Mike Tyson did; rather he applies steady pressure that intensifies as the fight progresses a la Joe Frazier. And when he has you on the run like Frazier used to force his opponents to do, the ending is inevitable. Golovkin has yet to face a fighter who has a weapon in their arsenal that he must address, such as great speed (Roy Jones) or off the chart physical strength with applicable power (Carlos Monzon). If his opponent cannot make him pay for trying to get inside, or out-score him and then get out of harm’s way before he can get going, how do they win?

There’s no active middleweights who can force him back and sidetrack what he wants to do, nor is there one in the top-10 who can successfully fight him on the move without running. So he either wins every round after the first, along with the decision, or he knocks you cold for standing your ground. And that’s the problem Martin Murray is going to be confronted with this coming Saturday night.

Murray is a very solid fighter. He is durable and strong, but he’s not a big enough puncher to make Golovkin think for one second on the way in, “I better be careful so I don’t walk into anything that could put me in peril.” And without having the capacity to plant that seed of slight doubt in Golovkin’s mind, he’ll really be fighting an uphill battle.

I see Murray coming out and trying to send a message that I don’t fear you and I also have two hands that I’m not afraid to let go. Only he’ll find that Gennady is pretty effective from mid-range and not so easy to hit. Before he’s awed by Golovkin’s power, he’ll first sense that Gennady is no walk-in slugger who will take three or four to give one. And he’ll find throwing big stuff at him and missing, comes with a price to pay and it’ll hurt. Then he’ll become more judicious with his punch out-put. In other words with less incoming fire, it’ll be easier and safer for Gennady to step up the pressure and start releasing his power Murray’s way. Which in turn will provide Murray two choices, stand your ground and fight, or try to buy time and find a safer place in the ring to figure something out.

My suspicion, because Murray is tough and willing, is that he’ll attempt to stand his ground first. He’ll have some success in catching Golovkin, but he’ll also find that punching to occupy him isn’t doing the trick nor slowing him down. And by trying to fight Golovkin, he’s making it too easy for Gennady, and there are no dividends being paid back for the damage it’s doing in return. Once this happens he’ll try to use his legs and box/pot-shot him, with the intent of hoping to catch Golovkin with something big on the way in and hurting him. But that won’t work. The physical and mental pressure will build and eventually overwhelm Murray and he’ll start getting hit too hard and clean. Which will result in the fight being stopped, and Golovkin will move on to who’s next sporting a 32-0 (29) record.

The bottom line is, there isn’t a middleweight, junior middleweight or welterweight in the world that has the physicality needed to execute the fight plan they believe they have to in order to beat Golovkin. And there may only be one super-middleweight who has the strength, skill-set, boxing IQ, character and toughness to fight his fight against him and be successful, and that’s Andre Ward. He was blessed at birth with the needed tools to perhaps be Golovkin’s stumbling block.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Broner UD 10 Hutchinson in Miami; Izmailov UD 10 Foster at Turning Stone

Published

9 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Broner-UD-10-Hutchinson-in-Miami-Izmailov-UD-10-Foster-at-Turning-Stone

Boxing cards in Miami and in Verona, New York, competed for eyeballs on Friday night. Neither card produced much in the way of fireworks.

The main go of the Miami event, a Don King promotion, was dismal. Perpetual under-achiever Adrien Broner delivered another clinker while pitching a near-shutout over gallant but overmatched Bill Hutchinson.

Yes, that sounds like a contradiction in terms, but Broner was matched very soft and it did not reflect well of him that Hutchinson was never off his feet and still standing at the final bell. The judges had it 100-90 and 99-91 twice.

Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) seemed content to get in 10 rounds of sparring in his return to the ring after a 27-month absence. The intrepid Hutchinson, a 34-year-old attorney from Pittsburgh who hadn’t previously fought beyond eight rounds, fell to 20-3-4 and will be able to boast that he stayed the limit against an opponent who was a title-holder in four weight classes.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round light heavyweight affair with a pair of regional belts at stake, Ahmed Elbiali won a unanimous but paper-thin decision over Laredo, Texas campaigner Rodolfo Gomez Jr. All three judges awarded Elbiali six of the 10 rounds which translated to 95-94 scores factoring in a point deduction for low blows.

A local Miami man but born in Egypt, Elbiali won his seventh straight to improve his record to 23-1 (18). However, this was a messy fight marred by excessive clinching and Elbiali, 32, did nothing to suggest that he could hold his own with the top dogs in his weight class. Gomez declined to 14-7-3 but maintained his distinction of having never been stopped.

In a bantamweight contest slated for “10,” Guillermo Rigondeaux (22-3, 15 KOs) scored his second straight knockout, knocking defensive-oriented Charlie Clemente-Andino down for the count with a straight left to the belly in the seventh round. The 42-year-old southpaw, a former two division world title-holder and one of the most decorated amateurs of his generation, had the best of every round before bringing the bout to its sudden conclusion. Puerto Rico’s Clemente-Andino came in undefeated (12-0), but had been out of the ring for seven years. He filled the breach when Argentine veteran Julian Aristule pulled out, purportedly because of visa problems.

TURNING STONE

“ShoBox: The New Generation” was at the Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona, New York, with a show held in conjunction with Induction Weekend at the nearby International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum. The lead promoter, Dmitry Salita, left a happy man when his fighter, light heavyweight Ali Izmailov, won the featured bout. Izmailov, who improved to 11-0 (7) won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Charles Foster (22-1). Foster was fighting an uphill battle after hitting the deck near the end of round five. The judges had it 95-94 and 96-93 twice.

A 30-year-old Russian who trains in Michigan and Florida, Izmailov came in ranked number 11 by the WBO. He will need some help to move up a notch, however, as his showing wasn’t particularly impressive.

The other TV bouts were also light heavyweight affairs.

Co-Feature

In a battle of southpaws in which the competitors traded knockdowns, Colombia’s Juan Carrillo advanced to 11-0 (8) with a majority decision over Washington’s Richard Vansiclen (13-1-1). Carrillo put Vansiclen on the canvas early in round three with a right hook. Vansiclen wasn’t badly hurt and he returned the favor in the next round just when it seemed that the Colombian was on the verge of scoring a TKO. It was a good back-and-forth fight from that point on. Two of the judges favored Carrillo by 95-93 scores with the other scoring it a draw (94-94).

Also

In the TV opener, Australian import Clay Waterman, making his U.S. debut, advanced to 11-0 (8) with a unanimous 8-round decision over Kenmon Evans (10-1-1). The judges had it 77-75 and 78-74 twice. Evans, a 31-year-old Floridian promoted by 2020 IBHOF inductee Christy Martin, had won eight straight heading in.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 239: Mexican Boxing Stars in SoCal’s Inland Empire

Published

23 hours ago

June 9, 2023

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-230-Mexican-Boxing-Stars-in-SoCal's-Inland-Empire

Mexican style prizefighting arrives in the Inland Empire with undefeated burgeoning middleweight star Jaime Munguia and female boxing legend Mariana “Barbie” Juarez this weekend.

Both have their legion of fans. Both are in dangerous fights.

Munguia (41-0, 33 KOs) faces a tough test in Ukraine’s Sergiy Derevyanchenko (14-4, 10 KOs) and former three-division world champion Juarez (55-12-4, 19 KOs) has an equally tough match in tiny but powerful Mayeli Flores (9-1-1). Both will be fighting at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA on Saturday, June 10. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card.

And to add local luster Pomona’s Shane Mosley Jr. (19-4) has been added. The super middleweight has been impressive in his rise to contention. He also has a rough foe in D’Mitrius Ballard (21-1-1).

It’s an interesting card mostly because the two Mexican stars are not guaranteed wins on Saturday. Munguia faces a very tough and experienced fighter who has traded blows with several of the best fighters today.

“He has a lot of experience,” says Munguia about his next foe. “Without a doubt the hardest fight of my career.”

While Derevyanchenko has fought Gennady Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs and Jermall Charlo, the Mexican fighter has only faced Gabe Rosado, Dennis Hogan and Liam Smith. All are worthy opponents but not as dangerous as the Ukrainian.

“I think he has the experience with 41 fights,” said Derevyanchenko. “We will see.”

One way or the other Munguia expects people to sit up and notice both fighters after they clash on Saturday.

“There’s going to be a lot of punches thrown and a lot of emotion,” Munguia predicts.

Hall of Fame boxer Bernard Hopkins (pictured between the two gladiators) predicts big things for the winner.

“I know from my experience these are champions brewing and these are legends coming,” Hopkins said.

Five years ago, Munguia almost fought Golovkin but it was nixed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission because of the Mexican fighter’s young age and lack of experience. Instead, Munguia was matched against Sadam Ali in New York and promptly knocked out the WBO super welterweight titlist.

Munguia has out-grown the super welterweight division and now fights at or above 160 pounds.

“Everyone wanted to see Jaime in a battle like this one,” said Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions.

Barbie

Mariana “Barbie” Juarez, 43, has been fighting since the 1990s and was largely helpful in making women’s boxing legal in Mexico.

You read that correctly.

Before the early 2000s women’s boxing was illegal in Mexico so fighters like Juarez and Ana Maria Torres fought underground and mostly against each other. Early on Mexican-style fighting was established by women like Juarez, Torres and others.

Juarez made boxing history when she fought in front of the largest recorded crowd of more than 500,000 people at the Zocalo in Mexico City in April 2017. No fighter, man or woman, has ever reached or exceeded that number.

Barbie

Unknown to many, Juarez moved to Southern California in the early 2000s and trained under South El Monte’s boxing wizard Ben Lira. For several years she learned the finer points of boxing and emerged one of the greatest female fighters of her generation.

Juarez also spearheaded the women’s boxing movement in Mexico which gained popularity and was often televised in that country when it was ignored in the USA and other countries.

Now women’s boxing has gained traction due to fighters like Juarez who willingly spoke to the media whenever asked. She advised other female fighters to never turn down media requests.

The queen has returned.

Boxing Addicts Weekend

If you love boxing, today and tomorrow will be crunched with boxing cards all over the world. Many will be televised.

Don King Productions brings Adrien Broner back to the limelight. Guillermo Rigondeaux is also competing on the same card. It begins in the late afternoon for West Coast fans. It can be seen on FITE.tv.

360 Promotions has a boxing event tonight (Friday June 9), at Commerce Casino with Callum Walsh versus Carson Jones.

PBC also has a Showtime Boxing card featuring undefeated light heavyweights Charles Foster and Ali Izmailov clashing in upstate New York.

Then on Saturday morning Matchroom Boxing has flyweights Sunny Edwards and Andres Campos vying for the IBF flyweight title and also female fighters Cherneka Johnson defending against Ellie Scotney for the IBF super bantamweight title. All on DAZN.

That is followed by the Golden Boy Promotions card at 5.p.m

In New York, a showdown between pound for pound fighters Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez takes place at Madison Square Garden. ESPN will televise. It should be very revealing.

Fights to Watch (Pacific Coast Time)

Fri. www.donking.com 3:50 p.m. Adrien Broner (34-4-1) vs Bill Hutchinson (20-2-4).

Fri. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Callum Walsh (6-0) vs Carson Jones (43-15-3).

Fri. Showtime 7 p.m. Ali Izmailov (10-0) vs Charles Foster (22-0).

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Sunny Edwards (19-0) vs Andres Campos (15-0).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Jaime Munguia (41-0) vs Sergiy Derevyanchenko (14-4); Shane Mosley Jr. (19-4) vs Demetrius Ballard (21-1-1); Mariana Juarez (55-12-4) vs Mayeli Flores (9-1-1).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Josh Taylor (19-0) vs Teofimo Lopez (18-1).

Munguia / Derevyanchenko photo credit: Al Applerose

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Adrien Broner Returns to the Ring with an Attorney in the Opposite Corner

Published

2 days ago

June 8, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Adrien-Broner-Returns-to-the-Ring-with-an-Attorney-in-the-Opposite-Corner

Adrien Broner returns to the ring tomorrow (Friday, June 9) after a 27-month absence. He meets Bill Hutchinson at Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida, in a fight slated for “10.” It’s a Don King promotion for sale at $24.99 on FITE TV and several other pay-per-view platforms.

Hutchinson – his friends call him Hutch — is a practicing attorney with offices in his native Pittsburgh and in Naples, Florida. Reading about him reminded me of Leach Cross. A very good lightweight during the early years of the twentieth-century, Cross was a dentist. His disparate occupations, as one would imagine, gave rise to many jokes. It was said of Leach that he drummed up business for his dental practice by rearranging the bridgework of his opponents. He could knock out a man’s tooth and replace it with a facsimile the next morning.

Adrien Broner, aptly nicknamed “The Problem,” is frequently in need of a good attorney. The same goes for Don King, a litigious sort who has sued and been sued many times. Even if Hutchinson never fights again, it wouldn’t be surprising if he crosses paths with Broner and/or King at some point again down the road. The principals made light of this in Tuesday’s press conference. “Dealing with lawyers is Broner’s forte,” wisecracked Don King. “After I mess you up, I’m going to hire you,” said Broner, looking sternly at Hutchinson.

On his web site, Hutchinson comes across as less of an attorney than a man who makes his living as a motivational speaker. “Currently,” it reads, “Hutch is a partner and leader in multiple businesses across divergent market categories. These businesses range from the automobile industry to event promotions, high end construction to hospitality, real estate to medical marijuana, and biologics/pharmaceuticals…Hutch has earned a reputation in each industry as an innovative problem solver who discovers new opportunities for growth.”

Okay, but can he fight?

Hutchinson’s current record (20-2-4, 9 KOs) is decent, but only nine of his 20 wins have come against opponents with winning records. None of his previous fights were slated for more than eight rounds.

There are levels to this sport as Mike Lee can ruefully attest. A finance major at Notre Dame, Lee was a successful businessman with a 21-0 record (against limited opposition) when he wangled a match with IBF super-middleweight title-holder Caleb Plant. That bout turned ugly in a hurry. Plant put him on the deck in the opening round and scored three more knockdowns before the butchery was halted at the midway point of the third round.

The guess is that Broner-Hutchinson won’t be quite as lopsided. Owing to legal problems, management issues, personal problems, and training injuries incurred by would-be opponents, Adrien Broner has been relatively inactive, missing all of 2020 and 2022. He’s 1-2-1 in his last four fights going back to July of 2017 with the lone triumph coming against unheralded Jovanie Santiago who took the fight on short notice. Broner won a 12-round unanimous decision, but was actually out-landed. His post-fight interview was more exciting than the fight, said CBS reporter Brian Campbell.

In truth, Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) hasn’t been the same fighter since his bout with Marcos Maidana in December of 2013. Broner was still standing at the final bell, but Maidana roughed him up en route to winning a lopsided decision. Entering that contest, Broner was 27-0 and had never been knocked down. After that bout, he became far less willing to initiate contact, relying more on his sublime defensive skills.

Broner vs. Maidana drew a reported 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, an impressive figure. Broner vs. Hutchinson won’t come anywhere close to matching those numbers (75,000 may be a stretch) and no matter his showing, Broner won’t repair his tattered image. A prizefighter cannot regain what he has lost against the Bill Hutchinson’s of the world.

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