The Next Chapter For Gennadiy Golovkin
Gennadiy Golovkin likely won’t go down in history as the man to unify the middleweight division as he so wanted, however he will go down in history as one of the most influential fighters of his era.
In 2012, HBO caught lightning in a bottle. An unknown Eastern European fighter who had been whispered about as a murderous puncher other middleweight titleholders were pretending didn’t exist got a chance to fight on an unassuming Boxing After Dark card on HBO.
Golovkin’s arrival wasn’t unique. Plenty of Eastern Europeans had gotten chances to showcase their skills on HBO. At the time Dmitry Pirog was considered one of the 2 best middleweights in the world.
But Golovkin came loaded with something none of these guys had. Charm. You couldn’t help but like the guy and Golovkin went viral. His broken English and endearing smile transformed him overnight into a fan favorite. HBO didn’t realize it at the time, but as they fawned over Golovkin and immediately sought to replicate the success they’d found, their grip on boxing was slipping away.
Golovkin continued on. Knocking out whoever they put in his path and growing his legend while HBO abandoned the tried and tested strategy they’d utilized for years to keep their hands around Showtime’s neck as the #1 boxing network in the country. They stopped looking for the next Floyd and Oscar and instead sought to replicate Golovkin.
This was all before HBO had figured out if Golovkin was going to deliver when it came time to put his name first on pay-per-view billing. When HBO found out with that first Golovkin pay-per-view, it was already too late. The wheels were wobbling and Showtime was ascending.
Is this any of Gennadiy’s fault? Absolutely not. Golovkin’s success was natural and any time something is natural it tends to look easy. The ease in which he disposed of opponents and gathered new fans looked formulaic to the point HBO felt they could easily duplicate it.
But it’s now 2019. HBO isn’t here anymore. Neither is Abel Sanchez who deserves a large portion of the credit for growing the Golovkin brand. It was Sanchez who served as a worthy mouthpiece that could match Golovkin’s charm with adroit boasts and claims. Also out is Tom Loeffler… kind of.
Golovkin has participated in 2 underperforming pay-per-view’s as the A-side and 2 highly successful pay-per-view’s as the B-side. Golovkin now has one of the most lucrative deals in all of boxing having been courted for months by every side of the street.
With a draw and a loss to his biggest rival and no hope of running it back to right what he feels has been 2 wrongs, where does Golovkin go from here?
Golovkin’s stated goal from the moment he graced our TV’s was to collect each belt at 160. The path to unifying the middleweight division at this point and time seems just as difficult as ever before, but this is the path Golovkin must take if he’s to rebuild his brand and legacy.
The reality of Golovkin’s legacy at this point is that he’s had 3 legitimate fights against world level opponents. (You can make a case for 4 if you add Kell Brook if you feel generous.) In his 3 legitimate fights, he went 1–1–1. A loss to Canelo, a draw with Canelo, and a close win over Danny Jacobs.
Golovkin has fought his entire career at 160. We’ve heard the talk about him being capable of fighting anyone from 154 to 168, but when fighters came knocking there was no answer. He holds some record of middleweight title defenses, but close inspection reveals it was a WBA regular title for several which may or may not be counted. That’s up for debate.
With one signature win in his career and a moral victory from the first Canelo fight due to Adalaide Byrd’s scorecard, what has Golovkin really accomplished thus far? (He’s secured one of the best contracts in all of boxing, but you’ll hear on Twitter pretty frequently that money doesn’t matter, so let’s ignore that.)
Then there’s the looming Canelo trilogy match which Golovkin’s team is considering taking legal action over since DAZN allegedly promised him the fight, but can’t actually deliver it. Would finally defeating Canelo correct the wrongs in the previous 2 fights and fulfill the destiny of Golovkin?
Possibly, but how likely is it that Canelo ever shares a ring with Golovkin again? It’s not.
So what is the plan for Golovkin? If he is to go down as a bonafide talent of this era and not as a guy who feasted on the best Boxing After Dark had to offer, he’ll need to add more.
And let’s consider something. Golovkin is 37 years old. When we first met Golovkin on HBO, Golovkin was used as the guy to justify the fear and ducking and dodging and avoiding from aging or smaller middleweights like Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto. At his age, now Golovkin is the Sergio Martinez of the division. He is the old man with these young guys looking to him for their first chance at big money.
If Golovkin can navigate these waters and get past Sergiy Derevyanchenko before putting someone like Jermall Charlo or Demetrius Andrade on his resume, then maybe Golovkin’s story doesn’t need Canelo. The scoring will always be disputed, but the more telling aspect of this tale is how thin the rest Golovkin’s resume is.
Manny Pacquiao has added numerous chapters to his career even after he’s been counted out. That speaks to his greatness. Same could be said about Bernard Hopkins. Golovkin could join their ranks if we see him make another run in a division that should be passing him by.
