GENNADY GOLOVKIN
It’s not against Canelo Alvarez, but “GGG” still has a fight this weekend
RIGHT about now, boxing fans should have been dribbling with excitement about the prospect of Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez going to war for a second time. We should have been high-fiving, clinking glasses and getting ready to show everyone exactly why boxing is the greatest sport in the world. And it would be, it really would, if it wasn’t for all the cheating and dishonesty.
Consequently, we’re left with the hangover from the party that never came. Canelo twice tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol – “I didn’t do it, my beef supper was full of the damn stuff,” he mumbled in self-defence – which led to a six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the collapse of what should have been the flagship rivalry of a buoyant era and Golovkin scratching around for another opponent. Of course, subsequent reports of Canelo’s hair samples coming back clean have added a little bit of credence to his contaminated meat claims but, considering the mixed reports about the reliability of such tests, and a complete failure to identify the source of the dodgy meat, his innocence remains questionable at best.
Whatever happened, it threw Team Golovkin’s plans into chaos. Given the timeframe involved, and the unwillingness of suitable replacements to race to get ready for a fight they would almost certainly lose, Las Vegas became too pricey a venue as broadcasters HBO realised they could not charge pay-per-view rates for a vastly inferior product. Carson’s Stubhub Center stepped in to play host, while the willing and well-supported but surely overmatched Vanes Martirosyan emerged as Golovkin’s new foe. Talk about an anti-climax. However, we should have some sympathy for Golovkin and his promoters given the mess they were left to clear up. Some admiration, too, when one considers how eager the middleweight leader was to just get in the ring and fight rather than spend too much time grumbling about what a dishonourable-slash-
careless fellow Canelo had turned out to be. So sympathy and admiration for the champion, but only to an extent, because questions about a fighter like Martirosyan stepping in are perfectly valid, even at this late stage.
Like, how can the WBA and WBC sanction this as a middleweight world title fight? Martirosyan, inactive for two years and without a win for three, does not (and should not) appear in either body’s 160lb rankings. Add his inactivity and indifferent form before his break to the fact he’s spent his entire career at 154lbs, where the WBC mysteriously rate him at No. 1, and it’s easy to see why the IBF declined to sanction what so many are calling a mismatch.
Of course, we have to be careful about labelling mismatches ‘mismatches’, just in case this is one of those rare mismatches that morphs into one of the biggest upsets in history. And out of respect for Martirosyan, undoubtedly world class not so long ago and far from the worst middleweight title challenger in history, it’s only fair to look at his chances before writing them off.
Based in Glendale, Calfornia, the Armenian hasn’t fought since losing a 12-round decision to then WBA superwelterweight boss, Erislandy Lara, in May 2016 and his last victory – a 10-round majority verdict over Ishe Smith – came eight months prior to that. It’s worth noting that the 32-year-old has never been stopped, he gave a solid account of himself in all three of his losses ( Jermall Charlo in 2015 and Demetrius Andrade in 2013 took competitive decisions) and while a tidy and quick boxer, he’s also brave and gung-ho when the situation calls for it. Problem is, when the situation calls for it against Golovkin, the fight is already lost. The underdog’s right hand was solid at 154lbs but against “GGG”, as durable as he is powerful, it’s impossible to imagine him having the kind of success required for the upset. Golovkin’s toughest encounter arguably came against the slick Daniel Jacobs last March, and Martirosyan, even though fleet of foot, does not have similar smarts in his locker. In fact, given Martirosyan’s inactivity and rise in weight, it’s likely he’ll feel the force of Golovkin, a master of cutting off the ring behind his underrated jab, sooner rather than later.
It’s true that Gennady is slowing down at 36. A blowout is unlikely, Martirosyan is too cute for that, but there will come a point when he will attempt to exchange after being hounded by the predatory king. And that moment the Armenian starts to take heavy shots, particularly to the body, will be the moment his mission goes from courageous to impossible. Vanes is plucky, no question, and he may be buoyed by the occasion in the early going, but Golovkin should end things around the fifth.
On the undercard, expect Kali Reis, 13-6-1 (4), to also be out of her depth when she challenges the supreme skillset of welterweight queen, Cecilia
Braekhus, 32-0 (9). Rhode Island’s Reis is tough and can likely extend the Norwegian before losing a lopsided decision over 10.
THE VERDICT Martirosyan would be a rank outsider even if he’d been active, had a full camp, and some form at middleweight.
MARTIROSYAN IS TIDY AND QUICK, BUT ALSO BRAVE AND GUNG-HO