I don't. I respect offense more than defense because most ATG's have been offensive fighters. And offense is how you score points. Lots of fighters look like they have decent footwork running away. How many people are always right on top of their opponents like Golovkin is?
But quality opposition has a lot to do with how good people think his footwork is, he really hasn't been pushed to his potential yet. Fighting on the backfoot has a lot to do with how good a fighter's movement is graded. We have yet to see that from GGG.
I haven't seen him fight off his back foot. So that's not to say he can't but I haven't seen it. Hopkins could fight at all ranges with great defense and a high ring IQ against elite opposition.
Hopkins 160 reign was on par with quality as Golovkin's has been and the middleweight division in general. Hopkins best wins at 160 came against a career 147 fighter and a guy who started off at 130. It's amazing how people like yourself who seem determined to call out Golovkin on his resume at 160 simultaneously get a hard on for Hopkins.
Hopkins did fight Jones Jr though. And Trinidad was really big for a welter. So honestly he did face tougher competiton than GGG. But Hopkins 160 competiton is overrated especially his title reign.
We're talking about all ranges. GGG is comfortable on the outside, in the pocket and inside. So all ranges.
To be fair though he lost big to Jones and Trinidad probably made more waves at his short 160 reign than Hopkins did in all the years prior. Hopkins 160 reign is littered with the class of opponents Golovkin is making short work of.
For a pressure fighter. Pressure fighters have gone down in quality while boxers and counter-punchers have thrived. It didn't use to be so. Cotto was probably the best pressure fighter since Chavez from a technical standpoint, aside from Castillo I think, but he was more boxer-puncher, so in terms of pure offensive footwork Golovkin's is probably better and the best since Chavez. Kovalev's isn't bad either.
Yea and boxers avoid pressure fighters like the plague. A boxers worst fear is a guy who just won't get the F off of him and won't let him breathe.