NEW YORK -- Gennady Golovkin reclaimed his IBF title on Saturday, defeating Sergiy Derevyanchenko by a unanimous decision in a bruising middleweight fight at Madison Square Garden.
Golovkin knocked Derevyanchenko down in the first round and cut him over the eye in the second but had to dig deep to beat the stubborn Ukrainian, who made his opponent look all of his 37 years.
"It's a bad day for me but a huge experience," said Golovkin. "After the first round I didn't think this was an easy fight. I told myself this is a tough fight."
With the vacant middleweight title on the line, Derevyanchenko fought a brave fight, landing solid body shots and getting Golovkin in trouble several times.
He recovered quickly from the knockdown but it didn't help him in the scoring department in what was a surprisingly close fight.
One judge scored it 114-113 and the other two had it 115-112 for Golovkin.
The 37-year-old Golovkin improved to 40-1-1 as he regained the belt he first won in 2015.
Golovkin defended the title with wins against Dominic Wade, Kell Brook and Daniel Jacobs and a draw against Mexico's Canelo Alvarez.
Golovkin was stripped of the IBF title last year when he failed to make a mandatory defence against Derevyanchenko, opting instead for a rematch with Alvarez -- who handed Golovkin the first defeat of his career.
The 33-year-old Derevyanchenko, who falls to 13-2 with 10 KOs, was hoping to score a huge upset and dim the prospects for a third Golovkin-Alvarez bout in 2020.
The shadow of another Alvarez fight has loomed large over this bout.
Alvarez is making a November 2 return to the ring against light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev in a fight that will see Alvarez move up two weight divisions.
Golovkin, who contends that Alvarez "ran away" from a rematch, was clearly wearied by repeated questions about Alvarez in the build up to Saturday's bout.
Speaking in the ring immediately after the fight, Golovkin said would have to improve before he fights Alvarez again.
"Right now I know exactly what I need. I understand I need more," he said. "Everything is ready. Just call to Canelo and if he says yes, let's do it."
Blood flows
This may not have been the long awaited trilogy showdown but it was a surprisingly entertaining fight.
Golovkin started quickly in the opening round, landing strong left hooks and then knocking Derevyanchenko down with a grazing right to the top of the head.
In the second round, Derevyanchenko started bleeding from a nasty cut over the right eye that referee Harvey Dock mistakenly called a head butt.
Video replays showed the cut came from a vicious left hook to the brow that had Derevyanchenko pawing at his eye to try and wipe the blood off.
Once the blood started to flow, Derevyanchenko went to work. Down a 10-8 round from the knockdown and bleeding from a potential fight stopping cut he showed more urgency.
Golovkin was the aggressor through the middle rounds but Derevyanchenko managed to counterpunch effectively. When Golovkin tried to cut off the ring, Derevyanchenko did a good job of spinning out of trouble and throwing punches on the move.
Every time Golovkin appeared to get Derevyanchenko in trouble, the Ukrainian dug deep and battled back with a sense of determination and a steady volley of punches.
Both fighters landed solid punches in a furious 10th round. Derevyanchenko had Golovkin in trouble after a right hook and a right uppercut but Golovkin came back and connected on a couple of blows at the bell.
By the 12th round, Golovkin looked the more tired of the two but he had won enough rounds early on and scored the knockdown, which allowed him to take the close decision.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK -- Former unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin turned back the clock on Saturday night with a sensational fourth-round knockout of Steve Rolls in their super middleweight fight at Madison Square Garden.
The 37-year-old Kazakhstan fighter hit Rolls with a short left that sent the Canadian crumbling face first to the canvas with one minute to go in the fourth in front of a crowd of 12,357.
"I feel great, I feel like a new baby," said Golovkin.
Golovkin, who was fighting for the first time in nine months and coming off the first loss of his career, chose to fight the heavy underdog Rolls as he jockeys for a third fight against champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
But in the back of everyone's mind was last week's shocking heavyweight upset that saw unheralded and overweight Andy Ruiz steal three titles by dismantling champion Anthony Joshua.
Golovkin made sure there was no repeat of that, using the first three rounds of the 164-pound fight to figure out how to break down the undefeated Rolls.
Golovkin sized him up by winning a close first round. In the second, Rolls (10-1) hit him with a left hook and a left jab that snapped Golovkin's head back.
But Golovkin started to see cracks in Rolls' defence in the third round. He stayed patient -- even holding off and not throwing punches despite getting Rolls in a vulnerable position. Golovkin's the type of boxer who can put those moments away in his muscle memory bank for use later in the fight.
And that's just what he did to finish off the Canadian in the fourth, first landing a chopping left hand to the top of the head that hurt Rolls. The wobbly-kneed Rolls staggered backwards and then tried unsuccessfully to get Golovkin in a clinch.
Golovkin worked his way out of it and then slammed a short left from a southpaw stance into the face of Rolls for the knockout.
"It is my style to knock people out," said Golovkin, who once had a 23 knockout streak. "I told my coach, 'OK I see it now, I see, I just need a little bit of time'."
Asked who he wanted to fight next, Golovkin didn't hesitate, "Everybody knows. I am ready for Canelo. Just bring him, ask him. If you want a big drama show, tell him."
Golovkin (39-1-1, 35 KOs) made a number of key changes heading into the scheduled 12-round fight.
He split with long-time trainer Abel Sanchez and signed a lucrative six-fight deal with US streaming company DAZN which may well smooth the way to a third bout with Alvarez, another DAZN fighter.
This was his first fight with new trainer Johnathon Banks and he hopes also a new beginning for his career.
"I come back to my knockout (ways)," he said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LAS VEGAS -- Mexico's Saul "Canelo" Alvarez ended Gennady Golovkin's unbeaten reign as unified middleweight champion here Saturday, battling to victory by majority decision in a pulsating rematch.
Alvarez showed skill and durability to outlast Golovkin in another attritional contest between the two evenly-matched rivals at the T-Mobile Arena, one year after they had fought to a controversial draw at the same venue.
Alvarez inflicted the first defeat of Kazakh slugger Golovkin's career after two judges scored it 115-113 in his favour, with another judge scoring it even at 114-114.
"I am a great fighter, and I showed it tonight," said Alvarez, roared on by a partisan crowd throughout on the eve of Mexico's Independence Day celebrations.
"If the people want another round, I'll do it again," added the 28-year-old, who improves to 50-1-2. "I feel satisfied because I gave a great fight. It was a clear victory."
Golovkin, who fell to 38-1-1 after the loss, left the ring immediately to get eight stitches to a cut above his right eye.
He later said he believed he had done enough to win -- and opened the door for a possible third instalment.
"I'm not going to say who won tonight, because the victory belongs to Canelo according to the judges," the deposed WBA, WBC and IBO middleweight king said.
"I thought it was a very good fight for the fans, and very exciting. I thought I fought better than he did."
When asked about a third fight, he said: "Under the right conditions, yes."
Alvarez's victory ended the 36-year-old's dream of securing a record-breaking 21st consecutive defence of his middleweight titles.
While Golovkin appeared to take issue with the result, there was little sense of controversy about Saturday's outcome.
Golovkin's trainer Abel Sanchez was among those who had few complaints.
"I had it close going into the 12th round," Sanchez said. "We had good judges who saw it from different angles - I can't complain about the decision, but it's close enough to warrant a third fight.
"Canelo fought a great fight, congratulations."
Both fighters fought cagily from the outset, reluctant to trade heavy blows.
- Canelo unruffled -
Golovkin appeared to edge clear in the early rounds, working well behind his stiff left jab, but Alvarez remained unruffled.
The Mexican, who had been accused of "running" in the first fight, came forward relentlessly and dominated the mid part of the fight.
On all three judges cards Alvarez dominated the middle rounds from the fifth through to the eighth, building a handy lead to defend in the closing stages.
Golovkin attempted to rally, rocking Alvarez with a stinging right hand in the 10th before pinning him on the ropes with a flurry of hooks.
But Golovkin was never able to press home his advantage, and each time Alvarez was able to evade the looming danger to slide away and respond with blows of his own.
With Golovkin needing a big finish in the 12th, Alvarez again proved up to the challenge, shrugging off an early uppercut to hold on for the win.
Although statistics afterwards showed Golovkin had thrown more punches, it was Alvarez who landed more consistently, outscoring his rival 143-116 in power punches.
An array of stars from the movie and sports world were amongst a crowd of 21,965 for the most anticipated fight of the year, with LeBron James rubbing shoulders with Hollywood icons such as Denzel Washington and Will Smith.
But the technical, tactical battle never quite lived up to the explosive classic which fans had hoped for.
The contest followed an acrimonious build-up which saw both camps trade insults in the wake of Alvarez's two failed drug tests in February which forced the cancellation of an earlier May 5 rematch.
The two boxers needed to be separated at Friday's weigh-in after Alvarez charged at Golovkin as they faced off.
Alvarez was banned for six months after testing positive for the banned performance enhancing substance Clenbuterol.
The Mexican blamed the test failures on eating contaminated meat in his native Mexico.
However Golovkin had infuriated the Alvarez camp by repeatedly rubbishing his opponent's explanation for the test results, accusing the Mexican of being a dope cheat.
The acrimony was forgotten in the aftermath of Saturday's bout, with both men embracing in the ring.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LOS ANGELES -- Gennady Golovkin equalled the record of 20 straight world middleweight title defenses with a devastating second-round knockout of Vanes Martirosyan on Saturday to retain his WBA and WBC belts.
Golovkin ended the fight with a vicious series of right and left combinations that floored the heavy underdog Martirosyan, who appeared doomed from the outset of the hastily arranged fight at the StubHub Center.
"The first round I was just looking, because I know he is a good fighter," the 36-year-old Golovkin said. "The second round it was true business."
Martirosyan was in big trouble from the beginning of the second round as Golovkin rendered the challenger helpless by landing a right uppercut on the chin.
He followed with a few stinging jabs and then a full throttle left hook and straight right on the ropes that put Martirosyan down for good at 1:53 of the round.
The American tried to get up before the 10 count but slumped forward, ending up face down on the canvas. Golovkin, who is boxing's longest-reigning current world titleholder, is now unbeaten in 39 fights, including 34 by knockout.
Martirosyan was a last-minute replacement following the cancellation of the Kazakh's much anticipated rematch with Canelo Alvarez of Mexico.
The rematch was cancelled because of Alvarez's two failed drug tests in February, followed by his suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on April 18.
Alvarez will be free to fight once his suspension ends in August.
Saturday's event was moved from Las Vegas to south central Los Angeles and Golovkin fought for a fraction of the money he would have received for a fight against Alvarez.
With the victory he now joins Bernard Hopkins for the division record of 20 successful title defences. Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) is now in line to surpass Hopkins in the fall when he hopes to finally get that rematch with Alvarez.
"I want everybody," said Golovkin. "It doesn't matter to me. I am still the champion .... guys come and take my belts."
The 31-year-old Martirosyan, who normally fights at light middleweight, was completely outclassed as he stepped up a division to face the hard-hitting Golovkin.
"It was like being hit by a train," Martirosyan said. "That is the hardest puncher I have ever faced. He surprised me with his power. He is a hell of a fighter."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK - Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, the most fearsome knockout artist of this era, was pushed to the limit by Daniel Jacobs before retaining his world middleweight titles by decision at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Jacobs, known as "Miracle Man" since coming back from bone cancer five years ago, ended the unbeaten Golovkin's streak of 23 knockouts in a row in a battle that went to the scorecards for the first time since 2008 for the Kazakh champion.
Two judges scored it 115-112, with the third making it 114-113 in favor of Golovkin, who retained his WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO middleweight crowns.
Golovkin knocked Jacobs down in the fourth with a double dose of rights, but as the fight wore on Jacobs confused the Kazakh by sliding into a southpaw stance, scoring on stinging combinations, holding his own against the dangerous power of the champion.
After a cautious, feeling out in the first two rounds, the bout blossomed into a fascinating battle with the fighters engaging freely in a thrilling duel to the finish.
Golovkin improved his record to 37-0, while Brooklyn native Jacobs dropped to 32-2.
(Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
