GGG feels as good as he ever has!
On Friday December 18, IBF and IBO world middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KO’s) returns to the ring. On that date, Golovkin will face the challenge of undefeated Polish fighter Kamil Szeremeta (21-0, 5 KO’s). The match will mark GGG’s first bout in fourteen months.
Most are not really expecting much out of Szeremeta. His prizefight with Golovkin will only be his second in America and third outside of his native Poland. Along with that, Szeremeta has a scant amount of knockouts against less than stellar competition. So naturally, the common perception is that he will be little more than chum for the shark.
STILL FRESH AND DANGEROUS?
However, despite the gloomy chances given for Szeremeta’s shot at victory, many are questioning the overall state of Golovkin himself. Throughout boxing circles it is widely believed that GGG actually lost his last bout to Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (13-3, 10 KO’s). In that match-up Golovkin was far from the wrecking machine of his former glory and appears to have been saved by a curious unanimous decision victory.
It is certainly not outlandish to question if GGG is losing a step. The fourteen year veteran is swiftly approaching his 39th birthday. Sure, he has been a fan-friendly, steel-jawed come-forward fighter to this point. But at almost forty years of age, how many more top level performances against elite competition does he have left? When asked by Pro Beez of Pep Talk UK about this very concern, Golovkin was overtly optimistic in his response.
“It’s difficult for me to say whether I am at the prime or not, but during training, when I do sparring I feel great. I feel as strong, as powerful, as tenacious, have a lot of stamina as I had for example five years ago. Maybe even better. And I did introduce certain changes in my training. I have a new training for physical trainings and there have been changes to my training.”
WHAT AND WHO IS NEXT?
While his optimism was appreciated, Golovkin essentially said what he was supposed to say. So in the long run we will just have to wait and see what he truly has left in the tank. Unfortunately, barring a stupendously surprising upset, Szeremata will not provide the litmus test that we are looking for.
It is also exceedingly unlikely that GGG will tangle with WBA super world middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez after his Polish opposition. However, WBC world middleweight champion Jermall “Hit Man” Charlo (31-0, 22 KO’s) and WBO world middleweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (29-0, 18 KO’s) would jump at a chance to unify with Golovkin. Unfortunately, GGG has never come across as overly enthusiastic to fight either man. So for the moment, Golovkin’s overall future is somewhat in the dark.
By: Bakari Simpson
