If Gennady Golovkin loses to Ryota Murata on Saturday, this article is not going to age well. But I believe the great GGG is not done yet.

Over the last few years, particularly after Golovkin’s decion win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko, a narrative has built that he is old and no longer the fighter he once was. My counter argument to that has always been- what’s your proof? Its easy to say that a fighter who is in his late thirties who has a bad night is old… but an off night and getting old are two different things. Golovkin had the flue, and Derevyanchenko is a tough guy who fought a hell of a fight. Fighters are not robots and any fighter of any age can have an off night physically. Perfect example is Teofimo Lopez fighting George Kambosas with a pneumomediastinum diagnosis and not turning in his best performance. 

In his follow up performance and most recent fight, Golovkin boxed nicely on his toes behind his jab in a seventh round stoppage of Kamil Szeremeta in December 2020. Though Szeremeta was not on GGG’s level, Golovkin’s skills still passed the eye test for me, and in some ways I thought he looked more mobile and versatile. 

If Golovkin wins this fight he will fight Canelo Alvarez for a third time in September. The reality is that Canelo has gotten bigger, stronger and better and will probably win. But to say Golovkin doesn’t deserve a third go at it is nonsense, and I think to say Golovkin has no chance at all to win is nonsense too. He is the only guy to really push Canelo both and strategically and physically in his career, and sometimes one guy just has the tools to give another guy problems (think Marquez and Pacquiao, Donaire and Inoue). I think this is one of those. 

The bottom line is, the guys been under appreciated at every point in his career. He was avoided by the vast majority of the elite fighters in his true prime, and never got the nod in two fights with Canelo despite both fights being “flip a coin” kind of fights. Now in the later stages of his career, it seems that many have written him off before it seems appropriate. My whole thing is- enjoy the guy while he’s still around. He’s one of the best fighters of his era and an all time great middleweight. Don’t rush him out the door before he’s ready.