Golovkin: Boxing's Best Puncher Since Tyson?

Is Golovkin the scariest hitter since Tyson?

Jackson, Trinidad, McClellan and Valero created an aura - a mystique - when they fought. Is Golovkin on that level? Is he the biggest hitter of them all - Tyson even?

Im a GGG fan but if I'm honest I only see a limited fighter with a huge punch.

He has the equaliser in either hand and is physically robust.

He's a no frills fighter with a will to win.

Yes he is one of the hardest punches since Tyson, but reduce his strength and power by 10% (which is, effectively, what might happen should he move up in weight) then what do you have?

His power is unreal at 160lb. It's methodical too, he gets around the ring perfectly with his footwork.

My only quelm with him, if he took on a fighter who also had power to match, he could be found wanting as some of his swings are wild.

He's not near that level yet, he trails Hamed for instance by quite some distance, it's going too far to compare to the true big hitters at the moment.

I'm nothing if not a compulsive bandwagoner. I just bought a ticket on the Golovkin hype train. Today's knockout was unreal.

kingraf wrote:I'm nothing if not a compulsive bandwagoner. I just bought a ticket on the Golovkin hype train. Today's knockout was unreal.

Good lad Raf, what is the point of being a fan if it is not to have a child like enthusiasm and excitement about something, I'll have the seat next to you mate. GGG seems to want to fight the best available and comes with the sole intention of separating someone from their senses, what's not to love?

I think we're all guilty of conjuring up an image of a mayweather or rigo when we think about a skilled fighter. It's unfair because GGG is extremely skilled at applying his attributes. I think as boxing fans we incorrectly overate the skills of mid to long range boxers and undersell the others.

Its extremely harsh of me to call him limited..... Chin- excellent, determination -excellent, power -excellent, combination- punching-excellent, footwork good, flamboyance/flair low, shot selection excellent, ring generalship excellent, defence - serviceable. Add that up and you have a great fighter. I still think he should stay at middle though.

Kellerman compared him to Joe Louis last night and I think that's a canny observation. His footwork is excellent, he cuts off the ring better than anyone since Chavez and - according to HBO - lands more jabs than anyone else in boxing.

Great stoppage last night - counter punch while being clocked and off-balance. An arm punch really. And he stops a guy who's never been stopped before.

His power is something else. He hurts fighters with pretty much anything he lands.

I've been on the GGG hype train a long time; after last night consider me the conductor of it!

3fingers hits the nail on the head when mentioning many people's ability to undersell a fighter just because they don't have the technical abilities/defensive wizardry of Mayweather, Rigondeux etc. The former is simple a once in a generation fighter....so naturally GGG need never meet anyone like him during his career and therefore we should look as his skillset and compare it to the 'normal' world standard set by everyone outside of Mayweather...is his skill set enough to beat them..yes most definitely.

I find there is a tinge of the Hatton about GGG in so much that people believe he simply walks fighters down and only uses his strength and power. That is far from the case; in Hatton's earlier days he was exceptional in his ability to apply measured pressure and cut the ring off/make his opponents actually cut the ring off themselves. I see that same skill, probably even better in GGG. They also have very similar combination punching ability (again referring to the days before Hatton believed he could just walk through everyone)...the way they switch attacks and through the right punch at the right time is exceptional. Even the slight feints of the head (not done to avoid punches but to set them up) are eerily similar.

Essentially I think GGG is an upgraded version of Hatton in his pomp; he has slightly better defensive abilities and even greater punching power. And that for me is a very scary proposition for anyone to face.

For anyone who doesn't know Golovkin , or if you are a sceptic and can't see why people are raving on, then last night's performance could be the one to convert you.


I see where the op is coming from. That same electricity. The sense of inevitability. That the knockout punch is imminent at any second.


I don't know who's better out of him and Eubanks jr but the Brighton man looks tidy.

Too good for his own good, Cotto and canelo won't touch him after that

Geale showed that GGG can be tagged and countered but he has a chin to go with his power. He just stalks forever and has a great heavy jab so it's hard for fighters to stay away.

Cotto wouldn't last 4 rounds and Canelo is too easy to hit too

Serious serious punching power in them fists but personally I think Kovalev hits harder than him as far as 1 punch power comes

Agreed regards Kovalev WHU,

However would much rather wake up in the morning after being put away by Kovalev than wake up after taking 9 minutes of consistent thudding shots from GGG!

Macklin's body is probably still hurting after their fight and I'm sure Geale's needs a fair few aspirins this morning after a few of the head shots he took!

All this praise having only beaten Geale, hardly the sort of opposition that's going to make me consider him the second coming.

Some element of truth in that Hammer; however this would be a very dull sport to follow if we only ever got excited about someone the very moment they beat a top top name...given it takes a while for that to occur why not just enjoy what someone is serving up as it stands.

Let's not pretend he was in with someone of Mayweather's ilk but at the same time let's not gloss over the win as some kind of tomato can victory because it was far from it. Geale is considered one of the ten best in the division and has beaten Felix Sturm and ran Darren Barker close. He is a tough cookie who was completely folded by GGG; something I doubt anyone else in the division could do.

I think there are a couple of people who have a single shot more powerful than Golovkin in a P4P sense, Wlad has that straight right hand, Donaire has his left hook that puts away anyone in the division if it lands flush but I don't think anyone else has such a variety of heavy shots at their disposal. Golovkin can hurt you with his heavy jab, left hook, a short right hand on the inside and his looping right from further away and varies his attack between head and body as good as anyone else around. I can't see anyone else at the weight lasting the distance with him at the moment. If Cotto and Alvarez end up fighting each other like expected he might as well move on up already as Martinez is a spent force and there is no one else that sets the pulse racing.

This threads not about me but I will say this anyway. I dont get excited about any fighter; never will. I just want to see good fights.

Geale isn't the greatest fighter to ever lace the gloves, but he is teak tough, to borrow a phrase which English commentators seem to love, and was just knocked out with an arm punch. Golovkin is the truth. I doubted him for the longest time, and I still believe a younger Martinez would make him look silly, but Golovkin is just a flat out beast at the moment.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:All this praise having only beaten Geale, hardly the sort of opposition that's going to make me consider him the second coming.

Sniffy, boring, pretentious. If Golovkin doesn't jangle your chain you might as well start watching golf.

Only the plebs like Golovkin. Real boxing fans should tune in to see a 70 year old Hopkins stink the house down against second rate light heavyweights. Technical masterclass and all that.

catchweight wrote:Only the plebs like Golovkin. Real boxing fans should tune in to see a 70 year old Hopkins stink the house down against second rate light heavyweights. Technical masterclass and all that.

I'd rather watch billiards than Hopkins.

hazharrison wrote:

Hammersmith harrier wrote:All this praise having only beaten Geale, hardly the sort of opposition that's going to make me consider him the second coming.

Sniffy, boring, pretentious. If Golovkin doesn't jangle your chain you might as well start watching golf.

How much of an idiot do you want to come across as?

I have no interest watching a guy beat up a load of chaff, when he steps I'll start to take notice. I doubt he'll be interested in fighting the 168lbers somehow.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:

hazharrison wrote:

Hammersmith harrier wrote:All this praise having only beaten Geale, hardly the sort of opposition that's going to make me consider him the second coming.

Sniffy, boring, pretentious. If Golovkin doesn't jangle your chain you might as well start watching golf.

How much of an idiot do you want to come across as?

I have no interest watching a guy beat up a load of chaff, when he steps I'll start to take notice. I doubt he'll be interested in fighting the 168lbers somehow.

Sniffy. Watching a guy terrorise a division is fun. Try it sometime.

Don't worry. They all secretly love watching him. But its not cool to admit that publically when you are a boxing aristocrat.

I enjoyed watching Hamed do it because he was beating some very good fighters and was damn exciting doing it. Golovkin beating the Geales of the world does nothing for me.

Do you realise how ridiculous it is to tell someone what they must enjoy?

Hammersmith harrier wrote:I enjoyed watching Hamed do it because he was beating some very good fighters and was damn exciting doing it. Golovkin beating the Geales of the world does nothing for me.

Who did Hamed beat that was light years ahead of Geale? Johnson, Vasquez and Kelley were faded. Soto? Robinson? Sanchez? Medina maybe. Bungu?

Quick! To BoxRec!

So what if they were faded, still levels above Geale but do persist with belittling anyone who doesn't share the opinion that GGG is god. Hell id even take Ingle over Geale.

catchweight wrote:Don't worry. They all secretly love watching him. But its not cool to admit that publically when you are a boxing aristocrat.

It's the Floydettes - seeing someone fun, exciting and willing to take on all-comers must mess with their juju.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:So what if they were faded, still levels above Geale but do persist with belittling anyone who doesn't share the opinion that GGG is god. Hell id even take Ingle over Geale.

They were indeed levels above him once but were they at the time they fought Naz?

In fairness, Hammersmith, you do seem a bit quick to pour cold water over anything Golovkin-related at times, mate, even when people aren't proclaiming him an all-time great or the hardest hitter pound for pound in the sport.

Not a dig here, but when the Macklin fight was signed I'm pretty sure you said you expected Macklin to push him all the way as you still weren't sold. He completely trounced Macklin but it didn't really seem to revise your opinion of him even a little bit. Alright, if that's how you felt then fair enough, but around the time of the Adama fight back in February I remember a few of us talking about Golovkin being frozen out by Martinez and you said there were a couple of fighters you felt he needed to beat to be really deserving of the fight, one of which was Geale. Now he's dominated Geale but again, you don't seem to want to give him any credit.

I don't think anyone really is bothered by the fact that you or anyone else don't see Golovkin as one of the elite, but more by the fact that you just don't seem to want to give him any credit at all, full stop.

It might well be unreasonable to proclaim him the best thing since sliced bread considering the really top fights have eluded him so far, but that doesn't mean it's alright to go too far in the opposite direction and write off guys like Macklin, Rosado and Geale as complete chaff or journeymen either, or say that those wins (or more importantly, the way Golovkin has achieved them in light of how those guys have got on against other good fighters) carry no weight at all.

Yes they were, this is a Geale who lost to Barker for christ sake, too easy to dismiss boxers as faded just to suit your opinion.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:Yes they were, this is a Geale who lost to Barker for christ sake, too easy to dismiss boxers as faded just to suit your opinion.

I was a Naz fan from the start - followed every fight since Belcastro. Johnson and Kelley had both seen better days - it's well documented - and while they weren't shot by any means, they'd both lost a step.

Golovkin deserves the Cotto fight no doubt about that now but to compare him to men like Jackson and more ludicrously Tyson is taking things too far. Not entirely his fault but the middleweight division is pitiful at the moment, christ Soliman holds a belt now.

He's happy calling out smaller men but shows no inclination in stepping up to fight the world class 168lbers.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:Golovkin deserves the Cotto fight no doubt about that now but to compare him to men like Jackson and more ludicrously Tyson is taking things too far. Not entirely his fault but the middleweight division is pitiful at the moment, christ Soliman holds a belt now.

He's happy calling out smaller men but shows no inclination in stepping up to fight the world class 168lbers.

How is it ludicrous? He's the hardest puncher of his era as they once were.

I'd take Donaire as the hardest hitter to be honest and Kovalev as well not to forget Wlad who despite being ultra cautious hits like a train. I'd have GGG 4th or 5th, toss up between him and Stevenson.

Calling out smaller men?!

I believe he has only called out Mayweather; someone everyone from Light Welter to Middleweight is happy to do and why wouldn't they be;

Except for that he has called out Cotto, again quite rightly given the fact he is now masquerading as a 154 lb fighter;

He has also called out everyone in his division; Sturm when he held a bet, Quillin repeatedly, Martinez when he held one. But then the talk was that he simply wasn't a big enough draw...well now he is banging down doors and making sure he is heard. He put everyone on notice last night and called out all those belt holders...lets see if any of them step up to the plate..

As for stepping up to 168; why should when he has a division to clear out; I'd guarantee if he stepped up and beat someone like Froch or Chavez you would say one was on the slide and the other was a patsy beaten up already by Martinez. Your the type to moan that no one clears out a division anymore....yet when they step up a division to get a big fight, moan that they never even cleared out their division!

Shame on Golovkin calling out the champions in his own division.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:I'd take Donaire as the hardest hitter to be honest and Kovalev as well not to forget Wlad who despite being ultra cautious hits like a train. I'd have GGG 4th or 5th, toss up between him and Stevenson.

Statistically. You don't know who hits harder POUND FOR POUND and will never know unless you line them up and give them a free swing. That alone would be PPV.

Golovkin - like it or not - is widely regarded as the hardest puncher in boxing and so the initial post is valid.

I don't care about cleaning up divisions Owen if the opposition isn't great and if he steps up and fights Froch ill eat my hat.

Apart from all the smaller men he's called out you're right he hasn't called any out but he'll happily fight Mayweather but Ward no chance.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:I don't care about cleaning up divisions Owen if the opposition isn't great and if he steps up and fights Froch ill eat my hat.

Apart from all the smaller men he's called out you're right he hasn't called any out but he'll happily fight Mayweather but Ward no chance.

Froch has publicly stated he doesn't want to fight him.

You keep saying 'ALL' who are these all your referring too?!

That's because Mayweather would actually bring him a pay day but Ward wouldn't! Amazing that you can't see that but are happy to proclaim that Martinez fighting Cotto or now Cotto fighting Alvarez is the right fight from a business sense yet will beat GGG with a brush for not stepping up to 168 (despite him being a relatively small 160lb fighter himself) to fight a man who makes Tyson Fury vs Chisora look like a PPV bonanza!

Is Chavez a step up fight though? I must be honest, I only really want the fight because Chavez has a reinforced chin, and I'm interested to see how much punishment he can take. I know he was the champ at 160, but that was really in name only. Don't think he was that impressive, but who knows, maybe Golovkin breaks both hands on Chavez's chin. Alvarez is a better Mexican prodigy to dance off against, also because with one judge in the pocket before the bell, Golovkin has 36 minutes to get him out of there, or risk defeat, it's like the plot line of an idiotic movie.

All a load of balls. He has made himself available to anyone in his division. Froch has been tied up for over a year and wont go near him at this stage of his career. Ward doesn't travel, doesn't sell and doesn't have a promoter who can arrange a fight for him (assuming he even wants to fight these days). No wonder his phone is ringing off the hook. The 168 division isn't interested in taking on Golovkin any more than the 160.

I don't really see why Golovkin should get any serious backlash for not setting his sights on the 168 pounders right now, either (although he was going to fight at 168 against Chavez before that fight fell through, let's not forget). For a good eighteen months or so he's clearly been the outstanding candidate for a crack at the lineal Middleweight title so why should he be blamed for wanting the shot which he's not had so far? Seems that everyone agrees now that he should be fighting for the 'proper' title now, so what's the issue there?

If he can't get it within another twelve months then it's definitely time to move up, but Martinez being shifted out of the picture means that he might just get his chance now - perhaps not against Cotto, but if Alvarez were to dethrone him then I think it'd be hard to Canelo to go anywhere else at 160.

Froch has stated loads of times that he has no interest in going up to 175. Even when he was calling out Calzaghe (a Super-Middleweight for almost his whole career) in 2008 / 2009, he said that it would have to be at a catchweight as moving all the way up to 175 would be giving Calzaghe a "silly" advantage. Golovkin has unfinished business at Middleweight and is well within his rights to expect a big-money fight for the lineal title a.s.a.p.

I'm hopeful that Alvarez can dethrone Cotto and then take on Golovkin. His career so far gives us a decent indication that Alvarez won't shirk a tough challenge. We know he's willing to risk it against slippery guys who can make you look awkward and bad.....Hopefully he's willing to take risks against concussive hitters, too.

Canelo will chase the biggest money super fights just like his mentor Oscar did.

Froch, to address the point made in the post above, is not considered the best fighter at 168 and never has been so fighting outside his weight class is not that realistic an option for him. Golovkin has made waves with his performances @ 160 and has called out fighters from 154 to 168 so this is a point on which he differs from Froch who has stated he will only fight at 168. Froch knows his limitations and that shows wisdom.  GGG is willing to fight at 168.

Golovkin's team call out fighters who they know GGG will never be fighting such as Quinnlin, Mayweather, Martinez and Cotto.  His team create a lot of spin based on fights that will never happen for reasons such as money, politics or size(Floyd) issues.

GGG would steam roll Cotto and Canelo doesn't look to have the movement or defence to keep Golovkin off him. Canelo in saying that  is still a massive step up in class to what Golovkin has fought and if Trip G has weaknesses they may be exposed.

My issue with Golovkin is his team created a myth that he couldn't get a fight. I don't see why he didn't take on another 168 fighter as he had no problem with a Chavez fight.

He looks good, I like the Hatton comparison above.

If the big names swerve him at MW, then I dont see why he doesnt just jump up to SMW. Its just 8lbs, and Im sure he wont struggle to find names there. I agree that in a perfect world he shouldnt have to weight jump to get a big fight, but if thats the reality he is faced with then he should just get on with it. Hes something like 33 already?

Its possible that he doesnt want to go up because his power might not carry up the weights and he might end up like Arthur Abraham version 2 (I think hes better than AA, and we will know for sure when he gets in with a big name).

No myth about Golovkin struggling to get the big fights. Its not difficult to work out. Golovkin would be happy enough to fight any of the top names 154-168. His management, go figure, have identified the most lucrative financial names as the fights they want. The guys that can do big numbers. Martinez or Mayweather previously, now the likes of Cotto, Alvarez, Chavez or Froch. Fancy that, wanting the most lucrative fights. Now some people are trying to make out that either Golovkin doesn't want these fights (his management are masterminding a way to make no money out of him by having the best middleweight in the world avoid the biggest financial fights!) or that targeting these fights is "cheating" because these fighters aren't going to fight him anyway and that Golovkin therefore shouldn't be calling them out. We even have pie in the sky fights like Stevenson and Groves being thrown out there as proof of Golovkins supposed lack of ambition. What a con man, calling out the biggest middleweight names but making no effort to try and get the light heavyweight champion (signed on a different TV network) to come to super middleweight. Or not going after George Groves who is apparently up for fighting despite being knocked out in front of 80,000 people in his last fight, signing with a new promoter and being signed for a different fight.

Golovkin could jump to 168 but there is no point doing it if he finds himself in the same situation he is middleweight. Avoided and having to take on the less financially lucrative names in the division.

Strongback wrote:Canelo will chase the biggest money super fights just like his mentor Oscar did.

Froch, to address the point made in the post above, is not considered the best fighter at 168 and never has been so fighting outside his weight class is not that realistic an option for him. Golovkin has made waves with his performances @ 160 and has called out fighters from 154 to 168 so this is a point on which he differs from Froch who has stated he will only fight at 168. Froch knows his limitations and that shows wisdom.  GGG is willing to fight at 168.

Golovkin's team call out fighters who they know GGG will never be fighting such as Quinnlin, Mayweather, Martinez and Cotto.  His team create a lot of spin based on fights that will never happen for reasons such as  money, politics or size(Floyd) issues.

GGG would steam roll Cotto and Canelo doesn't look to have the movement or defence to keep Golovkin off him. Canelo in saying that  is still a massive step up in class to what Golovkin has fought and if Trip G has weaknesses they may be exposed.

My issue with Golovkin is his team created a myth that he couldn't get a fight. I don't see why he didn't take on another 168 fighter as he had no problem with a Chavez fight.

Who else would you suggest at 168lbs? Ward's a no go, Froch is a no go, he has no title in the weight, not really a myth that he's struggling to get a major name... He did have a problem with a Chavez fight as that fell through, who would you suggest? Facing off against Yusuf Mack?! He moves up and seems to have the same problem he had at 160... Can't get the best names in the division to fight...

Why is Ward a no go?

Why is Froch a no go?


GGG's management wants a big PPV fight without taking any risks?