Tuesday 28 June 2016 06:20, UK
Gennady Golovkin has picked up the gauntlet thrown down by Chris Eubank Jr and boxing fans may be in for a fight for the ages, writes Isaac Robinson.
On paper, the Brighton man would be over-matched and many are already warning that Eubank Jr is trying to bite off more than he can chew.
The thing is; it's tough to imagine Eubank Jr being a lamb to any slaughter, even the one taking place in the ruthlessly-efficient abattoir that is Golovkin's boxing career. The 26-year-old is in the prime of his life and exuding the sort of physical prowess most can only dream of.
It's not just physical, though. The supreme athleticism, the speed of the uppercut and the granite of the chin are all attributes contributing to Eubank Jr's threat to the Kazakh - but it's also the mentality. Ronnie Davies, who also coached his legendary father, describes him as "granite" with a "single-mindedness."
There is one striking similarity between Golovkin and Eubank Jr and it's that both seem to genuinely enjoy dismantling opponents systematically and methodically, rather than in a hurry. That's not to say they take any purpose out of their punches - more that they enjoy the process of a fight enough to explore their opponent's capabilities before exposing their limitations.
In the case of Golovkin, he seems to want to know just how much of his vaunted power each foe can take. Once he discovers that, he inflicts rhythmical punishment for as long as it can last. Rarely does he seem in a rush to unleash the killer blow and when referees jump in to save his victims, it's usually through an accumulation of blows.
Eubank Jr, on the other hand, is similar in his mean streak but seems more concerned with 'fair' trade. There is no doubt he can box but it's equally clear that he neglects that side of the sport in favour of fighting. The reasoning behind him being caught so cleanly time after time could well be a desire to prove the strength of his chin.
So far, Eubank Jr's campaign to smile, dance and taunt from down on the receiving end has been impressive. Against Gary 'Spike' O'Sullivan (22-2-KO15) - a puncher of repute - Eubank Jr responded to pre-fight threats by standing toe-to-toe with the Irishman. He probably could've outboxed him but instead, Eubank Jr chose to show O'Sullivan and the world that he was the bully.
The result of those tactics in that brutal bout, which saw O'Sullivan withdrawn by his corner at the end of the seventh, was that Eubank Jr was repeatedly struck flush by a man who had stopped his previous four opponents in three rounds or less in America. He barely blinked. Instead, he seemed to relish the warfare; most particularly when they came in close enough for him to rattle home his trademark uppercuts.
The question that quickly emerges is; against arguably the world's most heavy-handed pound-for-pound boxer, could Eubank Jr afford to adopt a similar game plan?
The answer is that there may not be a viable alternative. While the extent of Eubank Jr's boxing skills remains undetermined, he looked raw and occasionally wild in the early stages of his career. These days, he's a far slicker proposition but you'd have thought that after an amateur reported at 345-5 and with a World Championship gold medal to his name, Golovkin holds a technical edge.
Besides the obvious power, it's accuracy and angles that set Golovkin far apart from most. Once he has established his range, his precision can be surgical. Then there's his repertoire, which includes a particularly freakish downward overhand right which comes geographically from the heavens but from his opponent's view, metaphorically from hell. He's not the most nimble (or at 34, the youngest), but his footwork is yet to fail him.
Furthermore, his desire and fighting pedigree are also beyond question. While Eubank Jr grew up in Brighton, destined to follow in his father's footsteps, Golovkin was born in the coal mining town of Karagandy in the Kazakh SSR. He was encouraged to fight by his two older brothers; both of whom subsequently died serving the Russian army.
With Eubank Jr only holding a British title, claims that a clash with Golovkin would mark one of boxing's biggest ever events are perhaps extravagant, but there can be no doubt that the nature of these two men and the attitude with which they fight will produce the most spectacular of firework displays.
Whether you believe the Englishman capable of shovelling his critics' words on to a plate for them or not, he deserves respect for trying to climb from domestic level straight up to pound-for-pound reckoning by beating a modern great.
