Photo By Big Joe Miranda
“Everybody has a plan until they get hit. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.” – Mike Tyson
Sometimes, a fighter’s reputation precedes him into the ring. Mike Tyson used to have guys pissing themselves while awaiting his seemingly endless procession to the ropes. The menacing glare alone stiffened most men, the subsequent flurries to the head and body finished the job.
It’s a reputation earned by possessing the one attribute every fighter wants, but few have in epic abundance–power.
Gennady Golovkin has enough to last him several lifetimes. The affable Kazakh doesn’t have Tyson’s pent-up rage, rather he smiles gleefully before and after fights. But he’s an assassin between the ropes, firing precise shots wherever he wants that quite often end with the other guy in agony or semi-conscious on the mat.
Though he hasn’t heard the final bell of a fight since June of 2008, he displays remarkable patience for a guy who knows he can break you with one shot. He’s totally content to bide his time and wait for the right moment to finish off his man. It’s cunning, ruthless and usually breathtakingly fantastic to watch.
The 32 year old is bringing the pain train (power hour?) to the Stubhub Center on Saturday as he takes on Marco Antonio Rubio, who is a pretty dangerous puncher himself. Golovkin would of course love to be fighting Miguel Cotto, or perhaps Canelo Alvarez. But those two would just as soon prance merrily through a village in Liberia than fight him.
He can’t force the top dogs into fighting him. For them, the violent beatdown they’ll incur isn’t worth the money. It sucks, but that’s reality. GGG may never get a big fight unless somebody like Canelo, who has a proven track record of willingness to fight less-than-desirable competition, steps up to the plate.
The other scenario would be if Golovkin finally shows some kinks in the armor–maybe the big attractions would then find him worth the risk. Maybe he doesn’t need anyone to help him. He has evidently sold out Stubhub, which is a huge accomplishment, but it speaks to the electricity GGG brings to the sport when he fights. Still, it isn’t easy finding guys who are willing to jump into the fray with him.
Enter Rubio, who holds a record of 59-6-1, with 51 KOs. The guy has been a top contender in the Middleweight division for years. The problem is that when he’s taken on the elite fighters in the division, he ends up on the losing side. He was easily beaten by a comebacking Kelly Pavlik back in 2009, and lost a unanimous decision to nacho-loving Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2012.
Does Rubio have a shot? Well, the odds certainly aren’t in his favor. While he did score a win over heavy handed David Lemieux, Gennady Golovkin is not David Lemieux. Golovkin does everything exceptionally well. Rubio will have to fire off the jab and straight right hand, and maintain constant movement throughout the fight. So, he pretty much has to become a different fighter.
Photo by USA Today
The one thing Rubio does have going for him is that he can hit. He might not have inhuman, Golovkin pop, but he bangs nonetheless. So far, Golovkin seems unfazed by pretty much anything he’s been hit with. Maybe Rubio has the stuff that can crack GGG’s beard. If so, he’s certainly a live dog. Golovkin isn’t invisible, he’s usually there to be hit. The question is, can Rubio withstand the heat long enough to catch him with something in return?
The reality is that Rubio has only one shot at pulling off a huge upset–he’s got to drill Golovkin with something he doesn’t see coming. He won’t outbox him. He doesn’t have dazzling hand and foot speed. He’ll come forward, work off the jab and try to land a big shot or two.
Rubio’s odds of winning are awful, so why not try a different tactic altogether?
What if he were to come out and try to force Golovkin back? GGG is so used to being the aggressor, it might catch him off guard to have an opponent attack him for a change. At the very least, a brief firefight might erupt.
The Stubhub Center seems to always have magic in the air–perhaps instead of a one-sided massacre, Rubio can give us a shootout. He’s usually pretty durable, though I can’t shake the memory of Kofi Jantuah bouncing Rubio’s head like a pinball about 20 seconds into their fight.
The prediction here is going to mirror the rest of the boxing world–Golovkin by brutal, nasty KO. And then he’ll smile with that grin, the one that says “I’m happy but there’s definitely something not quite right with me.”
Here’s to hoping he’s back again in four months.
Some Random Notes From The Boxing World:
Who’s back on top? You guessed it, Jermain “THERE IS NO DANA ONLY ZUUL” Taylor. It’s really hard to tell what exactly Taylor has left, since Sam Soliman displayed all the sturdiness of an inebriated baby giraffe. He’s clearly insane, which is awesome, but it’s probably realistic to think that we’ll see him violently concussed again in the near future.
I’m enjoying this version of Andre Dirrell. He’s getting hit a bit more, but he’s bringing the pain as well. Good for him.
Danny Garcia doesn’t think Viktor Postol is worthy of a fight. Rod Salka, however, was prime time action.
Ruslan Provodnikov is so frustrated at being avoided that he’s decided he’s going to head to Russia and murder Jose Luis Castillo.
Canelo’s ankle (sure, his ankle) leaves Joshua Clottey’s schedule wide open. What’s Gabe Rosado up to?
Has anyone heard from Jean Soleto’s testicles? Now clearly, getting hit in your special place hurts terribly, but Soleto’s reaction to the borderline shot–where he first writhed in pain and then laid motionless for several minutes, seemed slightly exaggerated. I mean there’s getting hit in the nuts, and then there’s what happened to Zed in Pulp Fiction. Soleto’s case wasn’t the latter. Perhaps–and I’m just guessing here, but perhaps Soleto wanted out of the fight.
T minus one month until Hopkins vs. Kovalev. Think about this–if Kovalev beats him, many of us will be proven wrong. In essence, it will come as a surprise to many that a murderous puncher in the prime of his career will have defeated a 50-year-old man. Let that sink in…
Donaire isn’t quite what he used to be, but I have him winning by knockout, for the record.
