Playmaker88
G Money is Cash
Murota would be a fun fight
Despite a detour, Gennady Golovkin is still aiming to tie Bernard Hopkins record
Largely lost in the big drama show of it all is that Golovkin is aiming for a significant piece of boxing history. He is boxing's longest-reigning current world titleholder, having defended a middleweight title in 19 consecutive fights. One more successful defense would tie him with the great Bernard Hopkins for the division record.
Initially, Golovkin didn't want to make a big deal out of his opportunity to tie a record that has stood for 13 years. "It will mean a lot, but compared to Bernard Hopkins, my record is much bigger. Stronger and bigger," he said earlier in the week. "This is a good situation for me and for my fans, and that's it. It is numbers. Only numbers."
Asked again on Thursday about the record, Golovkin changed his tune a bit. "It's very impressive. I know that 19 is a big accomplishment, and I have a 20th title defense ahead of me," he said.
Golovkin said it wasn't until recently that he even knew about the record. "Of course, it's Bernard Hopkins. He's a great fighter," Golovkin said of the former two-division world champion, who retired in 2016 at age 51. "I appreciate what he did. There were a lot of good fighters in middleweights. I didn't realize he had so many defenses, because so many times he was fighting the same opponent. I was going step by step and improving my record, and so now I have a very impressive result."
Hopkins reigned from 1995, when he knocked out Segundo Mercado to win a vacant 160-pound title, until 2005, when he lost a close decision and the undisputed title to Jermain Taylor. In between those two fights, Hopkins made 20 consecutive title defenses, including notable wins against Glen Johnson, Antwun Echols, Keith Holmes (to unify two belts), Felix Trinidad (to become undisputed champion), William Joppy and Oscar De La Hoya. No. 20 came against Howard Eastman at Staples Center in Los Angeles, not far from where GGG will attempt to tie his record.
Hopkins said he views his list of defenses as more impressive than Golovkin's, but also said GGG is a fighter worthy of sharing his mark.
"Half of his opponents couldn't probably tie Trinidad's shoes," Hopkins told ESPN. "But I think records were made to be broken. I've said that over and over. I think when it's all said and done, everybody's record will be broken. It's not like GGG can't fight or he's not deserving to be among the best middleweights. He can fight. And he had to fight the guys to get this to this point. I would say in his era he's the best middleweight, but I don't think he would have been as successful in my era."
Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs), 36, a Kazakhstan native fighting out of Santa Monica, held an interim belt before he was elevated to a full titleholder in 2010. He was designated as a secondary titlist at a time when Felix Sturm, the WBA's so-called super titleholder, refused to face Golovkin, his mandatory opponent, time and again but was not stripped.
Some believe that GGG's defenses of the secondary title should not count toward the record. Similarly, some think Hopkins' no-contest in his first fight against Robert Allen in 1998 should not count toward his record.
Regardless, GGG has made 19 defenses -- winning 17 by knockout -- and unified three major titles along the way against opponents such as Matthew Macklin, Curtis Stevens, former titlist Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio, Martin Murray, David Lemieux (to unify two belts), Kell Brook, Daniel Jacobs and Alvarez.
I don’t have HBO so I can’t watch the fight,Let’s see what’s cracking with this woman’s match.
At first I was like nah on woman but I’m interested
Uh he was going to fight the second best again.. what the fuck man. and all them cats getting washed if they get in the ring. including Canelo and he whipping all they asses too. but for entertainment sake id love to see him fight a few of them cats too..Hope he finally start fighting the people we wanna see.