Yes, I would say so. He was more versatile than both men, better offensively than Bivol and a better back-foot boxer than Beterbiev. He has better feet than Beterbiev and his footwork is about equal to Bivol (more economical though imo). Neither have his chin. GGG was a tremendous athlete though talking about raw talent: fast feet and hands, good balance, iron chin, heavy hands, good feel for timing, and a good ring IQ.
I think GGG's biggest weakness as he stepped up in competition was his handspeed. He had to box and used his timing against Canelo because he couldn't match his handspeed. He also couldn't overwhelm Canelo because Canelo is physically strong and is a bit of a brute. You can see GGG being hesitant against Canelo because he couldn't unload fast enough before Canelo fires back. He did a great job boxing against Canelo in the first 2 fights and I had him winning both, but I saw a lot of hesitancy at mid-range and close-range, which is bread and butter. I saw him hesitate against Derevyanchenko as well, because Derevyanchenko was faster on the inside. Beterbiev on the other hand doesn't have this problem. Beterbiev is vicious at mid-range and close-range and his handspeed is good enough to offset anyone. His punches are short and he can counter anyone who dares to stay in one spot long enough. Bivol doesn't need to be great on the inside because he's so good at mid-range and long-range. Bivol and Beterbiev are on the extremes of their craft. A great boxer and a great power-punching pressure fighter. GGG was a good boxer and a good pressure fighter, but he is not as good as the either at what they do best.
Prime GGG vs Prime Beterbiev if they were the same weight would’ve been a fight. GGG has the better chin but Beterbiev could generate more power with less effort. I might have to go with GGG on this on.
Do you mean that Bivol's is better or that Golovkin's is? For me, I prefer the economy of movement that Golovkin has and how he switches from moving on the balls of his feet to close distance quickly to moving on his heels when he needs to generate power. I really like how Golovkin cuts angles, how he uses the L-step to cut off the ring, and how he shifts stances to close the gap on opponents. Bivol is certainly flashier with faster feet and is masterful in controlling distance with movement but for me isn't as varied as Golovkin nor as clever when it comes to being energy-efficient.
How about Prime GGG vs Prime Bivol (if they were the same weight)? Do you think Prime GGG, the guy who was KOing everyone at Middleweight, could hurt or stop Bivol? Could he beat him down? Or do you think Bivol would be able to outbox GGG and win a decision? Now many would point to the fact that Bivol was able to navigate around Beterbiev's power over 24 rounds and not get hurt as a reason to believe Bivol couldn't be hurt by other big punchers. But Prime GGG was a different animal than 39/40 year old Beterbiev. GGG in his prime was faster and had a better work rate than Beterbiev, and unlike Beterbiev, GGG was better at cutting off the ring, pressuring his opponent and applying consistent pressure.
Bivol is a bad style for GGG. I think Bivol would out point him. GGG wasn’t a great inside fighter. I think to beat Bivol you either have to be extremely powerful like Beterbiev, where he can generate ****** strength from barely any distance, or be able to drown him on the inside. Bivol 8-4.
GGG was actually pretty decent on the inside. Check out some of his amateur fights and he actually fought a lot rougher in the amateurs than he did in the pros. This content is protected He knew how to fight dirty if he needed to: This content is protected
He fought well off the back-foot against Canelo in the second fight imo. As an amateur and in his early career he fought off the back-foot more often. He also didn't really get the chance to showcase his back-foot boxing since few fighters have the durability necessary to take the fight to GGG. Abel Sanchez also told Golovkin to stick to the "Mexican style" he had taught him and to avoid the cute mover stuff for most of his pro career. Bivol, frankly, hasn't really ever impressed me that much while fighting on the front-foot. He's too busy staying mobile and bouncing around in a bladed stance that it means he can't cut off the ring effectively or really apply pressure that well. He struggles to lead the dance quite often which is why Craig Richards was able to have so much success against him, since Bivol isn't all too used to having to chase someone down. Here's an example of GGG winning a fight off of the back-foot for reference (fight starts at 2:12 btw): This content is protected
I am not sure if the lighter weight in the amateurs was more challenging in terms of more raw talent being at the weight around the world. What I am assuming is that there were more technically gifted and more difficult opponents at the weight Golovkin fought then the weights Beterbiev and Bivol fought in. Just a thought that came to mind.
I have half-jokingly posted anti-Golovkin a lot, during G fever on the forum, and I respect Bivol and Beterbiev a lot, but I consider Golovkin a greater talent whe. I think of his entire skill set and attributes from his best amateur days through HBO hype machine. He is more than anyone of them the guy I wanted to have more chances earlier with a better class of fighters of different styles. But the class he did have eventually is nothing I sneeze at or fart in the general direction of, prepositionally.