Wanting again on the legacy of former WBA, WBC, and IBF World Middleweight champion Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin, who got here out of the 2004 Olympics with a Silver Medal, he turned professional in Germany in Could 2006, profitable his first ten fights by stoppage. He later defeated Ian ‘The Cobra’ Gardner, 20-3.
Three fights later, GGG began a twenty-three-knockout profitable streak, ending with a detailed win over Danny ‘Miracle Man’ Jacobs, 32-1, at Madison Sq. Backyard in his seventeenth title protection.
GGG gained the WBA Middleweight title, stopping Nilson ‘Blade’ Tapia, 14-2-1, in December 2010. A few of GGG’s title defenses had been over former IBF mild center champ Kassim ‘The Dream’ Ouma, 27-7-1, IBF USBA champ Lajuan Simon, 23-3-2, including the vacant IBO title, and Grzegorz Proksa, 28-1.
In January 2013, he was coaching for Philly’s Gabe ‘King’ Rosado, 21-5. He used sparring companions Philly’s Dhafir ‘No Worry’ Smith and Farah Ennis. Smith instructed me, ‘GGG hits like a heavyweight.’ Smith had been in camp twice with tremendous center champ Andre ‘S.O.G. Ward’ and stated it will be a detailed battle between them.
I coated the battle on the Madison Sq. Backyard Theater, giving Rosado one of many first six rounds earlier than being stopped within the seventh spherical.
Then GGG traveled to Japan to knock out Nobuhiro Ishida, 24-8-2. He then knocked out Matthew Macklin, 29-4. Two fights later, going through Curtis ‘Cerebral Murderer’ Stevens, 25-3, who claimed he would knock out GGG, Stevens discovered himself on the canvas within the second spherical and stopped within the eighth.
GGG stopped former IBF and WBA champ Daniel ‘Actual Deal’ Geale, 30-2, then added the WBC interim title, knocking out champion Marco Antonio Rubio, 59-6-1. He defeated Martin Murray, 29-1-1, Willie Monroe, Jr., 19-1, and added the IBF title, stopping champ David Lemieux, 34-2, in 2015. Then stopped Dominic Wade, 18-0, and Kell Brook, 36-0, earlier than defeating Jacobs.
In September of 2017, he was held to a extremely disputed break up draw by former mild center champ Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, 49-1-1, whom he chased for the final seven rounds. Then he knocked out Vanes ‘Nightmare’ Martirosyan, 36-3-1, earlier than giving ‘Canelo’ a rematch a 12 months since their first assembly.
For some motive GGG used a boxer-puncher type within the rematch as an alternative of the puncher one he used of their earlier battle and misplaced for the primary time to ‘Canelo’, by majority determination. As an alternative ‘Canelo’s promoter delay the rematch for 4 years.
GGG gained 4 fights whereas ready for the rematch, with the ultimate one in Japan stopping Ryota Murata, 16-2, in April of 2022. His third assembly with Canelo got here in September, and he misplaced a quite shut determination. Each appeared like they had been going by means of the motions in a battle delay for 4 years. It could be GGG’s last battle, ending with a 42-2-1 document with 37 stoppages.
GGG from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, is ready for his induction into the IBF Corridor of Fame. The best way he has carried out himself out and in of the ring makes him a credit score.
