Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin vs. Vanes Norikovich Martirosyan

Golovkin by UD, if not shutout, very close to it.

People knee-jerk voting on the stoppage option need to realize that just because there's a mismatch in class doesn't mean to expect a KO. Martirosyan has been down a couple of times in his career but don't jump the gun there, BoxRec warriors. He isn't somebody that anyone is going to put away easily; I'm not sure even a prime Golovkin would've, let alone the deteriorating-before-our-eyes version.

 

Eh, at his best several years ago he was a better p4p fighter than currently-prime Spike is now.

If they fought today I'd make Spike a slight favorite to pound out a competitive decision.

 

You guys have to understand, for three weeks' notice this is PERFECTLY fine.

Would everybody have rather seen Golovkin fight Spike? Or better yet Derevyanchenko/Andrade/Charlo/Saunders/Jacobs (really would anybody have been upset to see Maciej Sulęcki take a little step-aside money to get back in line)? Or, in a perfect world, the Canelo rematch? Sure.

But considering the recent alternatives for this late in the game to salvage the May 5th date were the likes of Yamaguchi Falcão (a star amateur who so far has looked utter GARBAGE in the pros, especially in his last outing as the card B-side in a doubleheader w/ fellow fallen-flat hype-job Jason Quigley, in a performance where I'd favor even a rusty Martirosyan to kick his ass thoroughly) and Roberto "Amenaza" Garcia (the guy Antonio freaking Margarito pitched a shutout and was made to resemble a cutie pie master boxer against, even doing the Ali Shuffle) - this is PERFECTLY FINE.

 

I don't want to be hearing a louder outcry about Martirosyan's unworthiness being a light middleweight that was among the highest rated in the world by every org for many years, than we heard last week for Jaime Munguia, a padded-zero light middleweight that has fought NOBODY of note, ever, or achieved half what V-Mart has.

 

Yeah, they were the most ardent in the original blockage of it.

 

Correct on all counts but at this point the choices were either a) scrap the May 5th date, b) take somebody WORSE than Martirosyan (ie Garcia, Munguina, or Falcão) or c) this.

 

Golovkin struggled with Ouma far more (and lost more rounds IMO) a year later than Martirosyan did, FWIW.

That was eight years ago, though. Comparing their respective career trajectories since then forms the shape of a crocodile's jaw (Golovkin maxillary; Martirosyan mandibular)

 

I think I finally see my "Boo-Boo is a KO waiting to happen" prediction made good on, Derev gets him late.

 

Little wrinkle that might be a blind spot for some of my ignorant fellow Americans (or just those generally not well-versed on global-scale diplomatic relations & sociopolitical intrigue) - there is a lot of friction between Kazakhs and the Armenian diaspora. Relative to some of their Central Asian ethnically Turkic neighbors, Kazakhstan are friendlier and not as discriminatory toward Armenians, but there is still an undercurrent of mutual dislike, and Kazakhs have strong cultural & bilateral political bonds with Azerbaijan, the Armenians' #1 sworn arch-enemy.

So while this won't exactly be a Mexico vs. Puerto Rico type of "bad-blood" dream match that you'd want on Cinco de Mayo, there's a good chance that Golovkin and Martirosyan could be institutionally programmed through pride in their heritage to be, privately, just a wee bit racist toward each other.