By Nick Bellafatto
To those familiar with him, it’s no surprise how undefeated Kazakhstani power punching Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (24-0, 21 KO’s) pounded out in dominating fashion the formerly once beaten two-time European Union middleweight champion Grzegorz Proksa (28-2, 21 KO’s) of Poland. Never before tasting the canvass whether pro or amateur, the game Proksa would get decked thrice, with the final plunge landing the challenger face first in the fifth round courtesy of a short looping left. The end was timed out at 1:11 of round 5, as referee Charlie Fitch, looking into the eyes of the game challenger, had determined enough was enough.
A former amateur world champion and Silver Medalist in Athens, Greece in 2004, Golovkin in the amateur ranks had soundly defeated the likes of Andre Dirrell, Andy Lee, Lucian Bute, and Yordanis Despaigne, men who surely want nothing to do with Gennady anytime soon. And if his first appearance fighting on American soil at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York this past Saturday night wasn’t enough to catch your attention, maybe the fact that he seemingly called out everyone from Andre Ward on down afterwards would cause you to take notice. So while getting familiar with the newest sensation to hit the middleweight division and beyond, make no mistake, Gennady Golovkin says what he means and means what he says.
To be sure, if Gennady was an impatient fighter, he would have laid waste to his Polish opponent shortly after the opening bell. But at it stood, the man who trains up in Big Bear, California under the watchful eye of coach Abel Sanchez, Golovkin would bide his time to demonstrate not only a supreme power in either fist, but the subtle offensive and defensive skills that will land him amongst the ranks of the best fighters on the planet in no time flat. So therefore the prospect exists that pound-for-pound pugilist Sergio Martinez will have to move over, a man universally recognized as the true middleweight champion who is set to face off with that of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. come September 15th. This the same Chavez Jr. who was unceremoniously gifted Martinez’ WBC belt sometime ago, a trinket Martinez is determinedly out to reclaim.
With that bout two weeks away, what appears to be next for the monstrously talented Gennady Golovkin is a date with IBF champion Daniel “The Real Deal” Geale of Australia, a result of Geale’ unification victory earlier today over longtime German born and now former WBA title holder Felix Sturm. That’s right, Geale is now a WBA title holder as well. There are in fact two distinct versions of the WBA middleweight title so that in the mixed up world of prizefighting, the aforementioned sanctioning organization has apparently saw fit to sort out this discrepancy by way of having Golovkin face off with Geale by December 31st, 2012 to determine a solitary WBA champ. Good luck to Geale, as it appears he’ll need it.
And whether the “Real Deal” from down under decides to keep it real only time will tell, as it’s not inconceivable that the Aussie vacate his WBA title and step aside to take on somebody less threatening. If that be the case, then this will open the door for a Sergio Martinez, a Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., or in venturing up North, an Andre Ward, a Chad Dawson, or anyone else willing to face Golovkin, a man who is ecstatic about performing before the American public, and a man who’s out to prove he’s the real deal.
Co-main event
In a battle which will no doubt prove to be somewhat of a precursor, weight wise that is, of what many expect will take place between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, highly experienced Ukranian born Serhiy Dzinziruk (37-1-1, 24 KO’s) would enter the ring as a middleweight, a step up from the 154 pound division where he’s usually accustomed to fighting at, only to face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Gonzalez (15-0-1, 13 KO’s), who would come in over the contracted limit at a whopping 172 pounds, nearly a light heavyweight .
As a result of agreeing to get it on with on Gonzalez, the once defeated Dzinziruk would take a chance against a heavier opponent who’s punches would take their toll, as well as be the visibly more appealing shots over the course of action. However, even though Gonzalez landed the harder blows, they were apparently too few and far in between after twelve complete rounds for at least two judges, one who saw it 114-114, and the other 115-113 for Serhiy, in effect rendering the decision a draw, as the remaining judge would score it 117-111 for Gonzalez.
If only the Puerto Rican, who forfeited to the tune of $60 G’s for coming in overweight, had stepped it up a bit more in one or another stanza, his opponent Dzinzurik, who garnered an extra $100,000 for taking the fight, would more than likely have suffered the second loss of his career. As it stood, the Ukranian southpaw, although the recipient of the harder shots and more of them, Serhiy kept busy enough to cause the judges to think twice about awarding Gonzalez many a close round in a bout that could have very well been seen as a draw, especially considering neither man stepped it up consistently.
Perhaps the very reason Gonzalez didn’t press the action on a more repeated basis is because he was quite possibly unable to, as evidenced by his somewhat pudgy appearance which indicated he wasn’t in the best of condition. In the end it worked out for both fighters. For Dzinzurik, he received a rather large payday without adding a loss, while Gonzalez would maintain his undefeated record while putting in a bit of quality work against a fighter much more experienced than himself.
