Gennady Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez continue battle for pound-for-pound supremacy
Wednesday 14 September 2016 11:12, UK
Two of the world's leading pound-for-pound boxers in Gennady Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez were in action at the weekend. Who shone brightest?
Kazakhstan's world middleweight king Golovkin (36-0-KO33) pounded Kell Brook until his corner threw in the towel in the fifth while Gonzalez became a four-weight world champion by outpointing Carlos Cuadras.
The world-famous Ring magazine classes Nicaragua's Gonzalez (46-0-KO38) as the premier boxer on the planet and Golovkin is not actually rated his closest pursuer; that honour goes to WBA Super, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (30-0-1-KO26).
Regardless, many consider 'GGG' to be supreme ruler and - on paper at least - he enjoyed a stellar defence of his titles in dispatching a previously-undefeated world champion within five.
To the standards required in these imagined pound-for-pound races, Golovkin's performance was eclipsed by what Gonzalez achieved. The Kazakh may still have trumped Kovalev's last defence - a slightly underwhelming points victory over Isaac Chilemba in July.
'Chocolatito' Gonzalez continues to enthrall hardcore boxing fans. He began his career at minimumweight - that's around seven-and-a-half stone - yet it was not until his 17th fight he was extended a full 10-round distance. Soon after, he claimed a world title in the smallest weight class.
Fast forward more than five years and the glory of light-flyweight, flyweight world crowns and Gonzalez found himself facing a man who campaigned at bantamweight in the early part of his career. It mattered little - Cuadras may be naturally a much bigger man yet he was outworked and forced to hand over his WBC world super-flyweight belt.
Perhaps the reason Gonzalez is deserving of top spot is the journey. Golovkin began his career as a middleweight and remains one, while Gonzalez has swept through four weight classes and still boasts an extraordinary 83% knockout rate. You get the sense when he says he wants a rematch with Cuadras, it's so he can try to stop him.
Golovkin's domination has arguably been more absolute if more stagnant. Nobody at 160lbs seems physically able to live with him and because Brook was previously operating as a welterweight, Golovkin's eagerness to make his strength tell produced a spectacle akin to watching a playground bully getting away with it.
Triple G is unfortunate in lacking any top grade names on his record. Brook may be his most glamourous opponent to date and was making a huge leap of faith, weight-wise. At middleweight, and arguably anything above bantamweight, 'names' are expected.
In the lower divisions where Gonzalez has been operating, fighters are afforded less exposure and so his domination looks remarkable without anyone but aficionados truly understanding the capabilities of the opposition he's blown away. Cuadras, it has to be said, was a high-class victim having previously gone 36 fights unbeaten.
Some people say that lighter fighters are less relevant than the big boys. Some say that pound-for-pound rankings are a waste of time. Perhaps, but were they not at least discussed, the exploits of Gonzalez might be less public and last weekend his achievement was worthy of greater praise than Golovkin's.
