Did GGG struggle vs Canelo because he was past his prime or was Canelo just the best guy he faced

These are the two best posts IMO. Completely agree with both, Canelo's style would always be problematic for GGG. And GGG was naturally in decline for Canelo.

 

This. He took quite a while to step up and stopped looking invincible as he aged and finally started taking on quality opponents. It isn't a coincidence and it isn't his opponent's fault.

As for Canelo, he showed more versatility and adaptability than Golovkin who seems only capable of either slugging or spamming his jab at mid range and fighting at a measured pace refusing to get out 1st gear boxer puncher mode.

 

Both good fights. I think he won both. Didnt struggle/ Canelo was a good opponent and GGG had to work.

 

GGG magically got past prime once he started facing top elites in Jacobs and Canelo.

 

Well it's partly his opponents fault. Both Jacobs and Canelo held off fighting him for as long as they could and Cotto, Martinez, Sturm and a load of others refused to fight him at all.

 

It wasn't by magic, he was waited out by fighters looking for him to decline. They know as well as anyone that Father Time is undefeated.

 

Canelo did infamously drop his belts but he fought him twice. Canelo may or may not have deserved a draw (which was likely done for business purposes but it was a closer fight than people will admit), but he made adjustments not just in the 1st fight (learning to use his legs) but also in the 2nd fight with a come forward front footed style incorporating all of the tricks of the trade he learned. He fought his heart out and you have to give Canelo credit for being the more versatile guy. Golovkin complained about the "running" and when he got what he asked for he hid behind his jab and stayed at mid range. To be completely frank, I don't feel sorry for him even if you think he deserved the nod in 2nd fight because he wouldn't engage and slug like he kept feigning as though that is what he wanted and didn't show much in the way of imagination or improvement. It was like a guy playing a fighting game spamming the same move over and over. Sure, if something works don't fix it, but it obviously left a poor taste in the judges mouths after all his "Mexican style" tough talk.

Jacobs didn't drag things out for a very long honestly. He won his belt in 2014 and fought Golovkin in 2017. In the in between he took on Mora twice (necessary given Mora's ankle injury) for some decent paydays against a skilled rated opponent and destroyed Quillin in 1 round (who was also rated highly and undefeated and Jacobs was actually the UNDERDOG).

Cotto was pretty old and on like his 4th weight class. He had a long, eventful career full of both wars and chess matches where he absolutely earned his stripes winning some and losing some. There wasn't much incentive for an old smaller fighter to face golovkin without a huge payday.

Martinez had a busted knee and was getting old.

Can't comment on Sturm but I do know that some middleweights did indeed duck Golovkin. Eubanks jr's dad messed up the fight for him being anal in negotiations.

However the opposite is also true as Golovkin showed little interest in facing Dervencho (i think he was his mandatory and dropped a belt?), ignored Jermallo Charlo and andrade who were calling him out and eager to fight. Saunders ducked him before but finally found his nut sack and offered the fight but was ignored.

You can blame whoever you want, but he did not pursue Lara or Ward.

The Brook fight was stupid and proved nothing--made worse by the fact he criticized Canelo vs Khan. All that was accomplished in that fight was ruining a good welterweight's career.

All in all you can try to use all sorts of mental gymnastics to somehow absolve Golovkin of any wrongdoings for the above, but the facts of the matter are that he did in fact get more opportunities to face great fighters than most other boxers can dream of. It seemed pretty clear to me he was chasing the money after he finally started gaining some traction (like allowing Oscar De la Hoya to dictate to him how to run his career, warning him not to fight for undisputed). I will say that Abel Sanchez being an idiot who talks too much and his promoters trying to market him as some sort of miniature Rocky Marciano didn't help at all, and ultimately it was their job to get him the best fights. All he's supposed to do is train and win. But in the LeBron James/Floyd Mayweather era of sports athletes owe it to themselves to take matters of their career in their own hands. To become masters of their financial destiny and legacy. Golovkin didn't seem to have much interest in self promotion, marketing, and negotiating terms for himself and that is definitely on him with all the social media available. It was weird because he spoke English, had a charming smile, knocked guy's out, and had an extensive amateur background while being undefeated for a very long time.

 

Yeah but the NSAC/Vegas gang had to rob him .against Canelo TWICE. But you wouldnt understand coz YDKSAB

 

Martinez was pasts prime

 

Do you still have trouble sleeping knowing Canelo beat two of your hero's? ?? It must suck being you...

 

Canelo has NEVER beaten any of my heroes ROFL GGG kicked his Ginger ass twice though
What does it feel like supporting two cowardly cheats who only get "wins" when the judges fix the cards lol I support FIGHTERS!! not cowardly peds cheaters

 

There is zero doubt in my mind that Clenelo got GGG as he was sliding, but I wouldn’t say GGG was shot. Far from it.

 

I have trouble knowing he should have won the first fight at a minimum. A draw, what a joke. Clenelo winning 118-110, LOL. That card alone proved corruption.

 

GGG comfortably won the first fight. And he was middle-age. The clue he might not have been in his prime can be found in the number of years next to his age. We can see it's very different to the number next to Canelo's name. Basically, we discover there's a disparity here, whereby Canelo is under thirty and Golovkin is the wrong side of thirty. When we look even closer we discover that many MWs and SMWs actually retire before the age Golovkin had reached. Indeed, guys like Macklin, Groves, Degale retired in their low to mid thirties due to the fact they felt past their best after long, taxing careers. We can also see that Kovalev, a guy from Golovkin's gen, is a different fighter post thirty five. Perhaps that might also be a clue that Canelo might have faced a jaded Golovkin.

The other clue that GGG wasn't at his peak might be that Canelo delayed the fight a number of years to deliberately age Golovkin and get an advantage, just as BJS openly admitted to doing.

Golovkin is better than Canelo. The fact at his age he won the first fight by an easy margin and a had a toss up second event proves this. People now rewrite history and pretend the first fight wasn't a robbery and the second was a landslide victory for Canelo.