Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
On different continents, Gonzalez, Golovkin roll on
‘Chocolatito’ picks up title at fourth weight; ‘GGG’ handles Brook
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez yearned for his own HBO main event, and when he finally got it, the “Little Drama Show” delivered.
On Saturday, Gonzalez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin fought again on the same day, but this time the top two pound-for-pound fighters were on different continents, and the Nicaraguan was in the closer’s role.
Gonzalez emptied the tank to defeat Mexico’s Carlos Cuadras by unanimous decision (117-111, 116112, 115-113) before an announced crowd of 6,714 at The Forum. Gonzalez took Cuadras’ WBC belt in his first super flyweight match and became the first Nicaraguan to win titles in four weight classes.
Gonzalez dedicated the victory to his mentor, Alexis Arguello, the Nicaraguan legend who failed on two attempts to win a fourth divisional crown. Arguello died in 2009.
“I’m very honored to win this fourth divisional title in honor of Alexis Arguello,” Gonzalez said. “I thought I won, he was very good, but I was better tonight.”
In London, Golovkin had an off night, but the power was still there, and that’s all the middleweight champion needed to defeat a pesky Kell Brook before 19,000 at the O2 Arena.
Golovkin recorded his 23rd consecutive knockout after Brook’s corner threw in the white towel in the fifth round to end the bout.
Brook (36-1, 25 knockouts) took a barrage of power punches from Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) in the fifth round, but the Englishman was still standing and maybe could have made it to the sixth. Brook’s corner decided to play it safe against the knockout artist from Kazakhstan.
“I’m a warrior,” Brook said. “I want to carry on. I was ready to fight on. Anyone who trains with me knows that.”
Turned out Brook’s corner did the right move. Brook announced after the fight he broke his right eye socket.
“I expected him to be a bigger puncher,” Brook said. “In the second round, he broke my eye socket, but I was tricking him, I was frustrating him. I was starting to settle into it, but when you see three, four, five of them, it’s difficult.”
Brook, the heavy underdog, connected on multiple combinations against a sluggish Golovkin and appeared capable of pulling off the upset. Golovkin said he wasn’t worried and called the bout a sparring session versus a smaller opponent.
“I respect him. He’s good, but not so strong,” Golovkin said. “I don’t feel his power. So many punches and I don’t feel.”
Golovkin’s first choice wasn’t to fight Brook, the IBF welterweight champion. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr. passed on facing the middleweight terror, but Brook stepped up to the challenge.
Golovkin, the IBF/WBA/WBC titlist, called out Saunders after the Brook victory. Saunders holds the WBO belt, the only title Golovkin needs to unify the division.
“I’m open for everybody,” Golovkin said.
Brook, who suffered his first defeat, said he’s leaving the welterweight division and plans on dominating the 154-pound division.
“I hurt him,” Brook said of Golovkin. “When you’re in the fight you can see, his legs buckled a little. … I would fight him again, with a good eye.”
It’s rare when a major network gives the lower weight classes a main event. But Gonzalez-Cuadras turned out to be a Fight of the Year contender with a raucous crowd at The Forum.
“Thanks very much to all of my Nicaraguan fans for their support,” Gonzalez said. “I could hear them chanting during the fight.”
The relentless speed of Cuadras (35-1-1, 27 KOs) gave Gonzalez (46-0, 38 KOs) a swollen eye, and Brook’s quickness made Golovkin look human in a couple of rounds. But “The Big Drama Show” and “The Little Drama Show” were too much to handle Saturday.