Feared middleweight star Gennady Golovkin wants a number of things: a fight with middleweight world champ Canelo Alvarez, all four major alphabet titles at 160-pounds (GGG currently holds two of them; the WBA and the IBF, as well as the interim WBC belt) and, further down the road, the record for most successful consecutive middleweight title defences. Currently the record is 20, held by Philadelphian living legend Bernard Hopkins. But Golovkin, in speaking with ESPN.com, said breaking B-Hop’s record is something that is “very important” to him.
“I hope I can beat the record,” GGG said. “I like it. It’s very important to me and my team. Maybe. I hope. Thinking about this, I said this would be great.”
Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez also spoke about breaking the record, stating, “It’s a big part of history breaking Bernard Hopkins’ record and will be great for Gennady’s record.”
So, can Golovkin do it? Currently 34-0(31) GGG has so far retained at least one recognised belt at middleweight on 15 occasions. No disrespect to Dominic Wade, the man he will face tomorrow night in defence number-16, but unless we see an upset of absolutely epic proportions, the number will indeed increase to 16. So, four more retentions to tie with Hopkins’ record, five more to break it – that should be more than achievable for Golovkin, right?
The Alvarez fight aside, who else is there at 160-pounds capable of defeating Golovkin? And many fans will disagree that Canelo is capable of the feat (and will this fight ever happen anyway?). The only problem or problems Golovkin might face in his quest are age – his is already 34 and might, just might, begin to slow down in a year or so – and whether or not he will be able to stay at middleweight for a long enough period to have five more retention’s after tomorrow’s fight.
If, for example, GGG were offered a huge fight at 154, or up at 168 – with a big name, the type he is desperate to face – would he be able to resist leaving the middleweight division behind him, even to return at a later date (we are talking consecutive defences don’t forget)?
Golovkin is certainly closing in on Hopkins’ record and his place in history, and not too many fans would be willing to bet against the Kazakhstan terror topping “The Executioner’s” record.
