JONES – THE MIDDLEWEIGHT KING
AFTER Gennady Golovkin’s tough world middleweight title defence against Daniel Jacobs, I read with interest the list of the top 10 middleweights of all time in the March 23 issue. Obviously, these lists are highly subjective, but I’d question why Roy Jones Jnr wasn’t included on the list?
Jones is the greatest fighter I’ve ever seen lace up a pair of gloves, although he has tarnished his reputation somewhat by fighting on past his zenith. I also admit that Roy didn’t last long at middleweight, however, he did win his first world title there. Against anyone on the list, I feel the result would be favourable to Jones.
I’m sure I’ve made many readers’ blood boil by making such a bold statement, but then again, opinions in boxing are what make the sport so great. If Golovkin retired now, I’d put him in the top three middleweights of all time. He’s a special talent who has probably passed his peak. I look forward to seeing him potentially box Billy Joe Saunders in the near future. Mike Hills, Glenwood Springs, CO
NO MOVE UP FOR GOLOVKIN
THE Gennady Golovkin-daniel Jacobs fight did not ignite like many thought it would – not that it wasn’t a good fight. It just proved to be more of a tactical battle than most envisaged. I think Golovkin did enough to retain his world titles – the strong jab was the key. Jacobs boxed well, but just didn’t do enough, in my opinion.
The fight highlighted a couple of factors. The first was that Golovkin moving up in weight isn’t really an option. Jacobs is a big middleweight, but not a super-middleweight, yet he was physically stronger than Golovkin. The knockdown aside, Golovkin didn’t really trouble him.
Secondly, where has Golovkin the defensive master of old gone? The difference between the pro game and the amateur game is massive, but Golovkin has seemingly lost the certain defensive tricks that he used to employ. Jamie Ingleby
SHOCKED AT THE SCORECARDS
I WAS shocked at the scorecards for the Roman Gonzalez-srisaket Sor Rungvisai fight, with the latter receiving the decision. I thought Gonzalez clearly won the fight, and the punch stats are revealing. He landed 372 power shots, which is a super-flyweight record. He connected with 56.4 per cent of power punches compared to Srisaket’s 36.3 per cent. He also landed 19.5 per cent of jabs compared to Srisaket’s 4 per cent. Additionally, Gonzalez seemed to be frequently headbutted, and I thought he blocked a lot of shots on his gloves. Shaun Elvey