It's Golovkin Time

Canelo Alvarez may be the future of the sport… Miguel Cotto may have accomplished more… Andre Ward has beaten better opposition… Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has a bigger fan base… but not one of the aforementioned fighters is as polarizing and captivating as Gennady Golovkin.

He’s the most feared boxer in the sport since a young “Iron” Mike Tyson and he returns to the ring this Saturday against hard-hitting Marco Antonio Rubio (59-6-1, 51 KOs).  

A bout with Rubio does nothing more than satisfy our appetite for blood.  Rubio’s a good tough fighter, but nowhere near the caliber of Golovkin.  Golovkin-Rubio represents an all too familiar script, but just like Hollywood, by no means does that make it any less entertaining.  

Gennady Golovkin (30-0, 27 KOs) is past the point of fighting decent opposition.  By no fault of his own, he constantly has to adjust his path to greatness by taking the scenic route.  Plain and simple, the best fighters in the sport want nothing to do with this monster… yet.  

I always say that boxing has a way of making things right… regardless of the situation.  The world can’t continue to sleep on Golovkin and with every resounding performance, the anticipation surrounding “GGG” flourishes.  

At some point, the public will demand one of these “so-called” great fighters to step up and fulfill their duty as a true champion.  

Miguel Cotto has been in the ring with some legendary fighters.  He’s never ducked anyone and to say that he’s ducking Golovkin is a little far-fetched.  I’d say it’s more like he’s steering away from him.  The rejuvenation of Cotto with the help of Freddie Roach breathed new life into his career.  He’s already “dared to be great” many times… so I wouldn’t fault him for avoiding Golovkin after his inevitable showdown with Canelo Alvarez.  

As for Canelo, there are no excuses… and I don’t expect him to make any.  While Oscar De La Hoya [Canelo’s promoter] may do everything in his power to avoid a GGG-Canelo mega-bout, eventually the public will demand it… as will HBO… and most importantly, Canelo himself.  Say what you want about the young star, but his track record proves that he’ll fight the best to prove he’s one of the best.  

History has shown that there are a number of ways to becoming a superstar in boxing.  Some fighters are forced down our throat by promoters, while others are passed the torch through a momentous victory.  

It’s become obvious that Gennady Golovkin  will not have the luxury to choose his own path to superstardom… but eventually he will arrive.  Boxing has a way of making things right.  The proposed bout with Chavez Jr. earlier this year would’ve exposed Golovkin to a good sized fan base.  Carl Froch would do the same.  If Andre Ward ever decides to fight again, a Ward-Golovkin bout would be epic! 

But for now… we’ll have to accept Rubio and luckily for fight fans, Golovkin has yet to not deliver.   

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