Photo by Chris Farina – K2 Promotions

PRAY FOR WHOEVER FIGHTS GGG

Hi Dougie,

Felt compelled to write in after this weekend’s action. Oh, let me say that 2016 has heated up, you were right and I was wrong. I was getting impatient during the winter months with so little boxing action. Now, things are getting interesting with Anthony Joshua’s destructive win and Errol Spence Jr. making a statement at welterweight with his KO of Algeri.

I watched GGG over the weekend demolish another opponent and am asking myself if this guy is superhuman? I mean, he punched his opponent in the shoulder and dropped him! Has there ever been a middleweight this strong, with this much power? I think not. I now am scratching my head wondering is there any middleweight out there who can give GGG a fight?

I recently watched the Eubank Jr. fight which ended in near tragedy. Thank God his opponent is recovering! But I bring Eubank up because he looks so much better than he did say a year ago. He’s strong, has a good chin, a much improved jab and throws those dynamite uppercuts. His hand speed looks good too.

Is Eubank Jr. the only middleweight out there who might challenge GGG because I don’t think Daniel Jacobs stands a chance. And as far as Canelo goes, I don’t think the Mexican lineal champ will go anywhere near Golovkin. And if Canelo were to roll the dice GGG knocks him out in three imho. What say you Dougie, Eubank Jr after he wins a world title against the Kazakstani? Eubank Jr. might have the tools.

Regards. – Erik

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Erik. I agree that Eubank Jr. has a lot of tools (perhaps including his father’s iron chin), however, I don’t think he knows how to apply all of these tools at an elite level, yet. I don’t think he’s ready for Golovkin just yet. Perhaps by the end of next year. Golovkin-Eubank is a middleweight fight that I want to see.

I disagree with your dismissal of Jacobs, who I think is talented, skilled and experienced enough to be ready for Golovkin RIGHT NOW. If Canelo isn’t ready to face his WBC mandatory after May 7, that’s the fight I would love to see: GGG vs. TMM (The Miracle Man) at MSG. (I’m already in a New York state of mind just thinking about it.)

But I bring Eubank up because he looks so much better than he did say a year ago. I agree. Imagine how good he will look (and be) one year from now.

He’s strong, has a good chin, a much improved jab and throws those dynamite uppercuts. His hand speed looks good too. Like you said, the young man has a lot of tools. I consider Eubank Jr. to be a legit top-10 contender.

Oh, let me say that 2016 has heated up, you were right and I was wrong. I forgive you. LOL. Seriously, though, which upcoming top contender-vs.-top contender matchup are you looking forward to the most? Wilder-Povetkin, Vargas-Salido, Thurman-Porter, Lomachenko-Martinez, Crawford-Postol or Santa Cruz-Frampton?

Now, things are getting interesting with Anthony Joshua’s destructive win and Errol Spence Jr. making a statement at welterweight with his KO of Algeri. Two potential super stars.

Has there ever been a middleweight this strong, with this much power? I think not. Golovkin’s physical strength is special, no doubt about it, but I think there have been other middleweights as strong or stronger in my lifetime. Roy Jones Jr. is one of them. His stay at 160 was brief but he was the biggest, strongest, and most athletic middleweight I’ve ever seen. He had elite-level speed, power and reflexes, so he didn’t need to muscle guys around the ring – he usually just zapped middleweight opponents with blind power shots – but his physical strength was also off the charts. Bernard Hopkins and Marvin Hagler were also very strong middleweight champs.

I now am scratching my head wondering is there is any middleweight out there who can give GGG a fight? I think Jacobs, Canelo and Billy Joe Saunders can all compete with Golovkin right now. And given a year’s time, I think Eubank Jr. can, too.

CANELO WANTS NO PART OF GGG

It will be telling if Canelo decides to get stripped instead of fight GGG.

I mean, really, I am not a Canelo hater, and I know EXACTLY why he and DLH want no part of GGG.

I think GGG’s side was VERY SMART in becoming the #1 contender/interim champion and forcing Canelo’s hand.

With Floyd/Pac, neither guy had to get stripped, etc. They could just fight whomever around one another.

But when you only have ONE BELT and you give it up, that is telling.

I am tired of him fighting at 155, that is some bulls__t.

At least with Cotto, we all knew he was a small dude who beat Martinez and he made it be known what it was. It didn’t seem so bad with him, because we all knew Cotto had a LOT of wear and tear, was old, and looking at his exit strategy, he won the title and he didn’t need to take on a killer like GGG at that stage.

Cool, DLH can let it marinate, no problem, but don’t try to hold onto the belt, give it up, then you can fight all of the Khans and Pacs and anyone else they want to fight at 154.4, he can fight for the Cinnamon belt!

Thank you. – Jason C. Brown

The “Cinnamon” belt. LOL. That’s a good one, JC. I’m picturing a WBC title belt, but with pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal instead of all those little national flags around the WBC icon, and also some CTC clusters in place of those button pictures on the straps.

I agree that Canelo should be stripped of the WBC title if Golovkin is not his next challenger for the coveted green belt. I also agree that it will be telling if he just lets it go rather than face his formidable mandatory (ala Riddick Bowe side-stepping Lennox Lewis in 1992). (I wonder if Canelo and Oscar would have the audacity to dump it in a trash can the way the Big Daddy and Rock Newman did back in the day? One thing I know for sure, hardcore heads would rip them a hell of a lot more than Bowe and Newman were by early ’90s boxing fans.)

And I agree that it was savvy of K2 Promotion’s Tom Loeffler to have Golovkin fight for the WBC interim title (against Marco Antonio Rubio in October of 2014). At the time, it was to corner Miguel Cotto (who had just won the title from Sergio Martinez two months prior). Cotto put it off until the Canelo fight and the redheaded Mexican inherited the Puerto Rican veteran’s burden.

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

But here’s what I don’t get. If Team Canelo and Golden Boy aren’t that eager to put the 25-year-old star into the ring with GGG, why did they bother fighting for the WBC belt in the first place? When the WBC stripped Cotto of the belt (after he refused to pay a butt-load in sanctioning fees) a few days before the Canelo showdown, GBP/Team Canelo could have saved some money (and headaches) themselves by not fighting for the Gumby-colored trinket. It still would have been a lineal/RING magazine middleweight championship bout. The WBC would have simply elevated Golovkin to full-champion status, and Canelo would have the leisure of facing the killer from Kazakhstan whenever he feels damn good and ready.

However, everyone involved has played the sanctioning organization game – and this includes K2 and Golovkin, who have been content with collecting considerable step-aside fees ever since Cotto beat Martinez – and now a good portion of hardcore fans are obsessed with the thought of Canelo vs. GGG. (Which is a bit strange since 99.9% of the boxing world thinks Canelo has no shot. Has there ever been this much demand for a perceived mismatch?).

DUMP THE IBF BELTS!

Hello Dougie!

Long time no write!

Gennady Golovkin is super! but fighting the bums of the month does him no favor same with Kell Brook, dump the IBF in the dumpster.

Canelo vs Khan …smoke on the water! need I say more? Canelo takes Khan out in the 5th round or earlier.

Berto vs Ortiz…Berto gets off the floor stop Ortiz.

Have a great week ahead and keep up the great work Dougie!

ps- please tell Max Kellerman to take it easy and there is no need to overhyped Triple G when he is knocking out bottom feeders Cheers from Finland. – Thomas Jackson

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Thomas.

Gennady Golovkin is super! but fighting the bums of the month does him no favor same with Kell Brook, dump the IBF in the dumpster. That would not be a good idea. There are three fighters on the planet who are bigger than the belts (and two are semi-retired). Golovkin is trying to get the third guy in the ring. Anyone who thinks the IBF title (or any of the other sanctioning organization belts) is worthless needs to talk to Charles Martin. His IBF title was practically a lottery ticket. Without that belt, would Martin ever be paid as much as he made against Anthony Joshua? You know the answer. Think about that. If Golovkin didn’t have the WBC’s interim belt there wouldn’t be all this public pressure on Canelo to fight him. Think about that.

Canelo vs Khan …smoke on the water! need I say more? Canelo takes Khan out in the 5th round or earlier. I beg to differ. I think Khan lasts into the late rounds and competes, but we’ll find out in two weeks.

Berto vs Ortiz…Berto gets off the floor stop Ortiz. I can see that happening. I can also see Ortiz getting off the canvas to stop Berto. I can also see both vets getting dropped and fighting to the final bell like the first fight. I have no idea who’s going to win this fight, but I’m pretty sure they’ll trade heavy hands, which is why I’ll be tuning in with interest.

Have a great week ahead and keep up the great work Dougie! I will do that!

Please tell Max Kellerman to take it easy and there is no need to overhyped Triple G when he is knocking out bottom feeders. F__k that. You know damn well I’ve got the same GGG fever that those 16,000-plus fans inside The Forum on Saturday have. Hell, I might be Patient Zero. It’s not hype. It’s real, and so is Golovkin, whether he’s belting out a no-hoper or a legit top-five middleweight.

BIG GAMMA SHOW

What’s up Dougie?

Time to rename the Golovkin show. Forget Big Drama Show. More like Big Gamma Show! Because Golovkin cracks like some gamma-boosted engine of destruction. The surprise for me is that he didn’t saw Wade in half with a body shot. Instead he nearly beheads the poor bastard with a left uppercut prior to bashing him senseless with a brutal right-hander.

And before those G-haters blab rag out about Wade being another bum let me point out that it doesn’t matter whether it’s a top-5 guy or a Wade-level guy. Golovkin demolishes the sucker in swift brutal fashion. That final shot would have had any middleweight crumpled on the matt with little Tweety birds buzzing around his head. Whether it’s Danny Jacobs, BJ Saunders and yes, Oscar’s Golden Chicken-Boy aka Canelo. At least Wade showed the balls to get in there. And if Canelo finally steps in there the end will come with Mr Gamma Show nearly driving Canelo’s pelvis up his throat courtesy of a well place hook to the body.

Right now GGG’s main mission is to unify. And good for him! Boxing is not a team sport so why do we need all these champions per division? But now he has something else to gun for. Breaking Hopkins record 20 title defences. He’ll do it. Trust me. Pigskins hit the 20 mark when he was 40. And GGG is only 34 and still going strong. He’ll be still kicking ass when he’s 40. Another difference is that he does the job in more forceful fashion than B-Hop ever did and he does it against guys his own size and not much smaller guys like ODLH. And personally I think that guys like the durable Martin Murray and the hard-punching David Lemieux were actually better than the likes of B-Hop’s dance partners like William Joppy and Howard Eastman. So there you go. The haters can go suck a d__k! Thanks Doug. – Triple T

Damn. You’re back with a vengeance, Triple T. I don’t agree with everything you have to say, but I concur with your suggestion for the GGG haters. However, it might be difficult for many of the then to fit another d__k in their mouths since that particular orifice is already stuffed with the genitalia of two U.S. Olympic medalists. (Then again, the manner in which some of these mopey dudes Tweet makes me think they’ve got pretty big mouths.)

But I digress

And before those G-haters blab rag out about Wade being another bum let me point out that it doesn’t matter whether it’s a top-5 guy or a Wade-level guy. Let those mopes “blab-rag” on Golovkin until blood comes gushing out of their ears, as long as he’s selling out major arenas, growing his fan base, and attracting major sponsors (such as Jordan Brand and Tecate) I’d say that K2 and Team GGG are doing something right.

Whether it’s Danny Jacobs, BJ Saunders and yes, Oscar’s Golden Chicken-Boy aka Canelo. I think those three can give Golovkn a fight (in different ways), but I would, of course, favor the Kazakhstan native to win. Still, I want to see how those bouts play out in the ring.

At least Wade showed the balls to get in there. Indeed. I respect him and his team. And I think he really tried to get something going in the opening round. He also showed a lot of heart in continuing after the second knockdown (which should’ve ended the contest IMO).

And if Canelo finally steps in there the end will come with Mr Gamma Show nearly driving Canelo’s pelvis up his throat courtesy of a well place hook to the body. Ouch! That soundsÔǪ unpleasant. Canelo told me (and Jim Lampley) that his sparring sessions with Golovkin helped teach the former amateur standout how to go to the body “Mexican Style.” Maybe he’ll get to GGG’s body too if and when they finally clash in a real fight.

Right now GGG’s main mission is to unify. And good for him! Boxing is not a team sport so why do we need all these champions per division? Agreed. I want undisputed champions. As much as I want to see Roman Gonzalez challenge Inoue or Cuadras at 115 pounds, I think he’s got unfinished business with WBO/WBA flyweight titleholder Juan Estrada, and I’d like to see how he handles the funky style of IBF 112-pound beltholder Amnat Ruenroeng. Those are legit challenges for Chocolatito, and if he were to beat those two, he’d seriously enhance his legacy. Golvokin’s fellow beltholder aren’t as formidable, but they’re not weak. For GGG, I think unifying is a platform to stardom, just as it was for Hopkins.

Breaking Hopkins record 20 title defences. He’ll do it. Trust me. I don’t doubt you. At his current pace Golovkin could do it before he turns 36.

Pigskins hit the 20 mark when he was 40. “Pigskins”? Hey man, don’t be dissin’ the Immortal B-Hop.

And GGG is only 34 and still going strong. He’ll be still kicking ass when he’s 40. I agree. Like Hopkins, he lives clean and keeps his weight down between fights, plus he doesn’t absorb much punishment in his fights (he’s too busy dishing it out).

And personally I think that guys like the durable Martin Murray and the hard-punching David Lemieux were actually better than the likes of B-Hop’s dance partners like William Joppy and Howard Eastman. Eastman and Murray are fairly equal, but I consider Joppy a far more accomplished middleweight than Lemmy (who is still young and may accomplish more in years to come). But Hopkins had his share of pointless mandatories, such as Robert Allen (three times) and Carl Daniels, as well as Wadesque title challengers, including Steve Frank, Bo James and Morrade Hakkar. However, I’d love to see how GGG would have dealt with some of B-Hop’s sturdier title challengers, such as Glen Johnson and Antwun Echols. Glen was a big, strong and determined fighter and Echols was a bat-s__t crazy mother__ker with one-punch KO power.

MYTHICAL MATCHUP

Doug –

Trinidad v GGG at 160? – Kevin Key, Duluth, MN

I think it would have been a fan-friendly showdown. (How could it not be?) Golovkin would have to defend against some serious bombs from Tito in the early rounds. If he could block, slip and take Trinidad’s best shots (and I suspect he would have), the Puerto Rican hero would have likely attempted to switch from seek-and-destroy mode to stick-and-move tactics, which would’ve enabled him to take the fight into the late rounds, but I envision Golvokin eventually cutting the ring off on Tito, punishing his body, and earning a brutal TKO in rounds 10, 11 or 12. I think GGG would know he’d been in a fight and his face would show the wear and tear of the ring battle.

CHOCOLATITO IS A MASTER

Hey Dougie,

Photo: Naoki Fukuda

I was very impressed with Chocolatito’s performance against the game McWilliams Arroyo. The way he combines head and body with 5-6 punch combinations is stuff of legends. He reminds me of JC Chavez more than Golovkin. His head movement and punishing attack is more reminiscent of the Mexican legend’s style. Arroyo did bring a lot to the table and made it a very competitive fight (even though I scored it 118-110). Each round was fought tough and earned the hard way. This wasn’t a pushover.

Chocolatito is without a doubt the #1 fighter in the world today.

I did see some weaknesses though, he got hit flush several times and was actually concerned about how

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

much he let his opponent (who does hit hard) hit him to the head and body. You could see that Arroyo’s punches hurt Chocolatito more than once and they would’ve put anyone away.

How long do you see Roman lasting with this kind of intensity and punishment he’s taking? Small fighters don’t usually last that long and he’s already long in the tooth (44 fights in 3 divisions).

He is certainly up there with the best fighters I’ve ever seen in the lower weight classes matching and exceeding the likes of Ricardo Lopez, Michael Carbajal, Mark Johnson, Myung Woo Yuh, Yuri Arbachakov and Chiquita Gonzalez.

GGG did what he was supposed to, this was truly his weakest opponent in the last few years, so there really isn’t much to say about him.

Who do you see Chocolatito fighting next? Can you envision him headlining a show? (I don’t.) Thanks! Cheers. – Juan Valverde

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Juan. I think Tom Loeffler of K2 (which co-promotes Chocolatito with Teiken) will push for the Juan Estrada rematch, which is a fight HBO will get behind. It’s also a fight that I believe is worthy of main event status, and I think it would sellout StubHub Center. I think a fight with unbeaten WBC 115-pound titleholder Carlos Cuadras (35-0-1, 27 KOs) could also be a main event at StubHub (and definitely in Mexico). Naoya Inoue can be a main event dance partner in the U.S. if he fights once or twice here and gets the HBO hype machine behind him.

He reminds me of JC Chavez more than Golovkin. His head movement and punishing attack is more reminiscent of the Mexican legend’s style. Good point. I think you’re right.

Arroyo did bring a lot to the table and made it a very competitive fight (even though I scored it 118-110). I scored it 117-111, and I could see a scorecard of 116-112.

Each round was fought tough and earned the hard way. This wasn’t a pushover. I was impressed with McWilliams. Even though he lost, and he’s without a major title, I think he might be the best active fighter from Puerto Rico.

Chocolatito is without a doubt the #1 fighter in the world today. I agree, but as I expected, the boxing doofuses of Twitterverse had to spit their contrary opinions as soon as Arroyo made it to the final bell. The poor deluded fools.

I did see some weaknesses though, he got hit flush several times and was actually concerned about how much he let his opponent (who does hit hard) hit him to the head and body. Hey hombre, this is prize fighting, not freeze tag. Guys are gonna get hit.

You could see that Arroyo’s punches hurt Chocolatito more than once and they would’ve put anyone away. I noticed. He dealt with it.

How long do you see Roman lasting with this kind of intensity and punishment he’s taking? Small fighters don’t usually last that long and he’s already long in the tooth (44 fights in 3 divisions). Actually, it’s 45 fights (he’s five wins away from being #TBE – LOL!) Seriously, if his next couple fights are that tough (and they could be much tougher) I think he’s got no more than two years of his prime left. The Arroyo fight (combined with his struggle to make the flyweight limit) may have already taken a toll (especially if he decides to remain at 112 pounds).

He is certainly up there with the best fighters I’ve ever seen in the lower weight classes, matching and exceeding the likes of Ricardo Lopez, Michael Carbajal, Mark Johnson, Myung Woo Yuh, Yuri Arbachakov and Chiquita Gonzalez. Holy crap, that’s high praise, my brotha. Too Sharp is the best all-around boxer I’ve seen live, and Finito is the most perfect technician I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness.

GGG did what he was supposed to, this was truly his weakest opponent in the last few years, so there really isn’t much to say about him. Well, you know the old saying, if you can’t say something niceÔǪ

THE SUBTLE SIDE OF GONZALEZ’S CRAFT

I’ll keep it short and sweet, have you ever seen a fighter pick off punches with his gloves/arms as well as Chocolitito? – Keegan

He does a terrific job of doing this. Juan mentioned that Gonzalez’s style reminds him a lot of Chavez Sr., and I concur. And guess what? The last pressure-fighting technician I’ve seen pick off shots as well as Chocolatito is Chavez Sr. Jose Luis Castillo was pretty good at too, but guess who he learned this technique from?

THE SOLE SURVIVOR & THE FUTURE ATG

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

McWilliams Arroyo has nothing to be ashamed about. He took a beating from the world’s best fighter but he got his own licks in too and never stopped battling. It’s amazing to watch Chocolatito get his engine revved up early and then consistently blast his opponents with 6, 8, and 10-plus combinations to the final bell. It’s just as amazing for his opponent to hear that final bell, with one sock to the canvas no less!

Chocolatito really does fight like a man who puts 12 spoons of sugar in his coffee – minus the crash. This is a historically great era for the little guys and I believe he’ll go down as an all-time great. Everyone’s talking about Canelo vs Golovkin and Kovalev vs Ward but the best match to be made in boxing right now is Gonzalez vs Estrada 2. Not only are they the two best in the division, but they come to rumble. They are like pint sized versions of Tommy Hearns and Ray Leonard – and as you know Dougie, their rematch at the heavier weight wasn’t half bad. – Jack

Hey, the sports media ripped the Leonard-Hearns rematch because it took place nine years after their classic first encounter. The boxing media ripped the fight because they thought Hearns was shot. But those two veterans put on one of the best super middleweight title bouts in the relatively short history of the division. What a dramatic showdown it was.

(Of course, today’s boxing fans would be up in arms because the WBC 168-pound title was on the line in a bout with a contracted catchweight of 164 pounds – and those two boxing blasphemers had the gall to weigh-in well under the catchweight limit! Oh man! Tommy and Sugar Ray lost all credibility!)

McWilliams Arroyo has nothing to be ashamed about. He took a beating from the world’s best fighter but he got his own licks in too and never stopped battling. Arroyo should be damn proud of the effort he put forth on Saturday. I’d like to see him get a shot at “regular” WBA beltholder Kazuto Ioka (which would be a good fight, by the way).

It’s amazing to watch Chocolatito get his engine revved up early and then consistently blast his opponents with 6, 8, and 10-plus combinations to the final bell. It really is, and it’s practically impossible for his opponents to defend against that kind of attack.

It’s just as amazing for his opponent to hear that final bell, with one sock to the canvas no less! Hats off (or should I say shoes off?) to Arroyo for keeping his composure when he lost his sole while the best fighter in the world was hell bent on taking his soul (see what I did there?) Seriously, every fight McWilliams has from now on is going to seem like a barefoot walk in the park.

This is a historically great era for the little guys and I believe he’ll go down as an all-time great. We’ll see. I think he’s well on his way to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Everyone’s talking about Canelo vs Golovkin and Kovalev vs Ward but the best match to be made in boxing right now is Gonzalez vs Estrada 2. Not only are they the two best in the division, but they come to rumble. You’re right. GGG-Canelo could turn out to be a blowout or one-sided fight. Kovalev-Ward could become a mainly tactical contest. But if their first fight is any indication, Gonzalez-Estrada II is going to be an elite-level barnburner.

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @dougiefischer