By: Hans Themistode
Gennadiy Golovkin has always been a patient hunter. But a person never wastes his time on lingering prey.
After taking down his enemies in the ring, Golovkin would often remove his blood-soaked gloves, grab the nearest microphone, and openly call out his next target. Rarely, however, was Golovkin’s desired opponent giving a direct response.
The current unified middleweight player begged for a match against Miguel Cotto. However, when the former four-world titleholder publicly ignored him, Golovkin turned his attention elsewhere. In addition to aiming straight at Cotto’s back, Golovkin has also called in the likes of Sergio Martinez and Jaime Munguia.
In the end, to Golovkin’s disgust, he was unable to draw any of the previously mentioned names into the ring. However, while sharp, Golovkin continued. So why doesn’t he do the same now?
At the age of 40, and having fought Canelo Alvarez on two separate occasions, Golovkin has proved very uncomfortable facing the Mexican star for the third, and perhaps last time. To be fair, Golovkin has officially granted his wish.
Initially, after considering several offers, Alvarez chose to accept Eddie Hearn’s lucrative three-way deal. In Alvarez’s perfect world, he’s willing to leave his undisputed 168-pound throne and successfully claim Dmitry Bivol’s WBA lightweight title. From there, Alvarez will then return 168 pounds in a third bout with Golovkin, before ending his year with a home bout in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico — or a trip across the pond to London, to facing the man who seems to be the leader in Joshua Buatsi.
Of course, Golovkin needed to end his negotiations, since he planned to confront Ryota Murata. Despite turning 40 a day before the April 9 game, Golovkin still brutalized his men, scoring the winning goal in the ninth round.
When Golovkin turned on his TV show this past Saturday night to review Alvarez’s confrontation with Bivol, part of him, albeit reluctantly, took a liking to his longtime rival. But while Golovkin nodded and smiled approvingly as Alvarez started to go strong, Golovkin put his hand over his mouth in disbelief as he watched the rest of the match unfold.
Outside of the first few rounds, Bivol dominated the weight class star. At times, a tired-looking temperamental Alvarez leans against the ropes, breathing deeply, hoping for redemption from a restless Bivol. However, Alvarez’s pardon never came.
Bivol, beaming with confidence at this point, closed the door forcefully, forcing Alvarez with a relentless series of fierce blows, doing so until the final bell rang. Alvarez, 31, had his best poker side as he waited patiently for the final score to be announced. While he raised his hand in victory, Bivol’s name was called out shortly after.
With the Mexican star tasting defeat for the first time in nearly a decade, he hastily announced that he would issue a rematch clause immediately, a statement he somewhat backed off. . In fact, if Álvarez chooses to face Bivol again, Golovkin should turn away from their personal and lucrative rivalry.
Golovkin couldn’t have achieved more at this point in his career against Alvarez. His eternal opponent’s invincible aura had been stripped.
During their first encounter in 2017, most of the boxing world was amazed with the final outcome as Alvarez proved lucky to be drawn into the deciding draw. In their immediate sequel a year later, while Alvarez scored the decisive goal for the most part, both the media and the sport’s die-hard fans appeared at odds with the final game. together.
Bivol not only successfully ended Alvarez’s reign on the Mount Everest of boxing, but in general, he also frustrated a third match against Golovkin.
While no one else will allow the Kazakh-born player to fatten his wallet the way a match against Alvarez can, he has both lucrative offers and intriguing confrontations ahead of him. .
For years on end, Jermall Charlo has publicly called for a middleweight unification bout with Golovkin, which the now 40-year-old has never really entertained. In addition to Charlo, Demetrius Andrade is still famous in his match with Golovkin.
The seemingly innumerable zeros expected to come with the match against Alvarez have clearly evaporated. So there is a chance for revenge. However, that does not mean that Golovkin and Alvarez will not see each other again. But for now, while both fights will forever be etched in boxing history, there’s no need for a third.
Charlo, Andrade, or even a bold 168-pound move to take on David Benavidez are all within Golovkin’s sights if he’s satisfied. Whatever Golovkin ultimately chooses, it’s time for him to drop his feud with Alvarez in the rearview mirror.
