On Saturday night, unified WBA/WBC/IBF middleweight champion of the world Gennady Golovkin(38-0-1, 34 KOs) successfully defended the WBA/WBC versions of his belts when he defeated Vanes Martirosyan (36-4-1, 21 KOs) by brutal second round knockout. The IBF refused to sanction the bout, so that is why Golovkin only officially defended two of his three belts.
Martirosyan was a late replacement who had not had a fight in nearly two years. This was also Martorosyan’s first professional prize fight north of 154 pounds, so the deck was certainly stacked against him, and the result did not come as a surprise to many even though Martirosyan had never previously been stopped.
Golovkin was originally slated to have a rematch against Canelo Alvarez. The two battled it out to a controversial draw last September. With judge Dave Moretti scoring it 115-113 in favor of Golovkin, judge Don Trella scored it a draw 114 apiece, and the last judge, Adelaide Byrd, inexplicably scoring the contest a lopsided 118-110 in favor of Canelo. Byrd’s scorecard was in no way indicative of the action that unfolded inside the squared circle.
Most observers believed that Golovkin had deserved to win the contest, and they were supposed to settle matters once and for all following the controversial draw. That fight was sidetracked when Canelo had tested positive for a banned substance, but now that that situation seems to have been resolved, fans are hopeful that the rematch will take place this September, one year after their initial encounter.
Gennady is now 36 years old, and he has been at or near the top of the division for a number of years. His career is not yet over, and he still has time to either improve or diminish his legacy. What he does over the next couple of years will likely have a huge impact on how he is regarded by future boxing historians. This edition of Rummy’s Corner provides a brief recap into Golovkin’s recent victory over Martirosyan, and also explores the all-time ranking of Gennady Golovkin. Please watch and enjoy the video!
