Fighting in front of a sold-out crowd of over 19,000 at The O2 in London, England, Boxing Superstar and Unified Middleweight World Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, (36-0, 33 KO’s) stopped Undefeated British Boxing Star and Welterweight World Champion “The Special One” Kell Brook, (36-1, 25KO’s) in the fifth round of an action packed clash from the opening bell.
The stoppage was Golokvin’s 23rd straight knockout and his 17th consecutive world title defense.
Battering Brook in the first round, Golovkin started very strong against the valiant Brook. The second and third rounds saw excellent two-way action which had the partisan crowd on their feet for the native of Sheffield, England.
Fighting with a badly damaged right eye from Golovkin’s range finding jabs, Brook absorbed a wealth of punishment in the fourth round.
Starting fast in the fifth round, Golovkin battered Brook around the ring, displaying his full arsenal with power shots to the head and body. On very shaky legs, Brook’s head trainer Dominic Ingle jumped on the ring apron to throw in the towel and stop the carnage.
“I wanted a ‘Big Drama Show’, this was more like street fight, I knew I was stronger than him.” said Golokvin. “He couldn’t handle my power; I knew I was hurting him.”
“I want to fight Billy Jo Saunders next, he has the WBO belt and I want a unification fight to get all the middleweight titles.”
Stated a dejected Brook, “My trainer was looking out for me, he’s known me a very long time. I think the eye injury may be bad, but if I lose I want to lose by getting knocked out.”
“I’m not sure what I will do next, what weight I’ll fight at. I need a little time to make a decision.”
Golovkin vs. Brook was presented by Matchroom Boxing and K2 Promotions. The replay will air this evening on HBO World Championship Boxing (10pm ET/PT) immediately following the World Super Flyweight Championship between Consensus #1 Pound-For-Pound Fighter in the World, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KO’s) and Undefeated Champion Carlos “El Principe” Cuadras, (35-0-1, 27KO’s) from The Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, California.
Golovkin is known as “The Most Exciting, Hardest-Hitting, Most Feared Fighter in the World.” From recently selling out arenas in New York City (Madison Square Garden), Los Angeles (The Fabulous Forum), Carson, California (StubHub Center) and now The O2 (London) to his sponsorships with the JORDAN Brand, Apple, Samsung, and Bijan, Tsesnabank, BI Group and EXPO 2017, Golovkin is one of the most marketable athletes in the world.
Golovkin’s record includes 23 straight knockouts in addition to 17 consecutive world title defenses. His 91.6% knockout ratio is the highest in boxing’s middleweight division history. Britain’s pound-for-pound number one fighter, Kell Brook, is out to shock the world when he steps up two weight divisions to take on the fearsome Gennady Golovkin.
The unbeaten Sheffield star achieved his childhood dream in August 2014 when he travelled to California to rip the IBF World Welterweight title from Ohio’s highly-rated and then-unbeaten Shawn Porter. He has since defended the title on three occasions, defeating Jo Jo Dan, Frankie Gavin and Kevin Bizier, all by stoppage.
Photo credit: Lawrence Lustig / Matchroom Boxing
