EDITOR’S LETTER
Could Golovkin be on the brink of a Gonzalez-style collapse or does a career-defining triumph await?
Could Golovkin ‘do a Gonzalez’?
ONE minute you’re unbeatable and the next you’re waking up on the canvas trying to remember why your legs don’t work. That transition from conqueror to conquered can occur in the blink of an eye in boxing and, more so than in any other sport, the process is often irreversible. For the Hall of Famebound Roman Gonzalez at the weekend, he appeared to find that out the hard way.
It’s harsh to dismiss someone as talented and accomplished as Gonzalez after his first truly convincing defeat, but coming back successfully from such a punishing knockout – after a long weight-jumping career like the Nicaraguan’s – will be exceptionally difficult. Granted, some stars who were much older than “Chocolatito’s” 30 years have bucked the trend. Lennox Lewis recovered after being knocked silly by Hasim Rahman to ace the sequel, but it’s highly unlikely that Gonzalez underestimated Srisaket Sor Rungvisai the way Lewis did “The Rock”. Manny Pacquiao managed to re-invent himself after being flattened by Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, but anyone who thought the older and wiser Pacquiao was also new and improved were mistaken.
I’m not suggesting Gonzalez is now ‘shot’, but all it takes is reactions to fade by a millisecond, durability to dip by a dent, and the fighter of yesterday is gone forever. Once that descent begins there is nothing that can be done. Just ask Roy Jones Jnr, who since being iced by Antonio Tarver in 2004 has only summoned up the occasional flash of the human lightning bolt he used to be.
Look closely and there are clues to what lies ahead – though such indications are only obvious after the crash. For Jones Jnr, the gruelling 12-rounder he encountered with Tarver before being flattened by the same man six months later highlighted all was not well. Likewise, Gonzalez’s opponents at 115lbs served up far more resistance than what came before, and March’s almighty struggle with the underrated Sor Rungvisai proved to be a warning rather than the presumed aberration.
And many are already suggesting that the Nicaraguan’s 35-year-old promotional stablemate, Gennady Golovkin, will be forced to bow to Father Time when he takes on Canelo Alvarez this weekend. And it’s easy to see why so many are coming to that conclusion – the signs of a fall from grace are there.
As far back as May 2015 against Willie Monroe Jnr, Golovkin developed a habit of caring little for getting hit. More recently than that, the undersized Kell Brook showcased Golovkin’s liking for walking through punches before Daniel Jacobs came exceptionally close to beating him. Should Alvarez win convincingly on Saturday night, plenty will declare it the culmination of an alltoo familiar journey.
But those firmly in Canelo’s camp should also consider this: What if Canelo’s last two fights had come against “GGG’S” rivals, Brook and Jacobs, while Golovkin took on the Mexican’s fodder, the rusty Liam Smith and an absolutely appalling Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr? Had that been the scenario it’s exceptionally likely that Golovkin would be an overwhelming favourite heading into this contest, because one can imagine the middleweight leader making shorter work of Smith and halting Chavez long before the final bell. Furthermore, it’s easy to picture Brook and Jacobs causing Canelo the problems that “GGG” endured.
It’s true that Canelo has, at times, looked destined for greatness, but one should also remember how long Golovkin has been starved of a contest of this magnitude. Like an ageing Bernard Hopkins before he thrashed Felix Trinidad in 2001, like Marvin Hagler before he bullied Thomas Hearns in 1985, Golovkin is eager to show his worth to the world. And unlike Gonzalez and Jones Jnr before their falls, he’s not yet had that chance. It’s true that time waits for no man, but the desire that burns within “GGG” doesn’t look ready to be extinguished just yet.