Yes. Middleweight is loaded h2h. It is probably the deepest division ever. I would not favour every single fighter over GGG above. For example, McClellan was a massive puncher but very limited. If GGG can box and keep away, he could very well win. The guys in bold that i highlighted i would make considerably favourites over GGG but i think he stands a decent chance vs the rest.
The issue I have with Golovkin as I said before he doesn't have a stand out performance against an upper echelon opponent so for me his H2H ability is a bit of an unknown quantity. The 3 best opponents he fought by far were Jacobs, Canelo, Dereveyanchenko. The Jacobs fight was a razor thin decision with the knockdown deciding it. Golovkin IMO beat Canelo 7-5 in their 1st fight but it was close the other fights I had no problem with Canelo winning. The Dereveyanchenko fight was another very close fight could've gone either way. So that's what I mean Golovkin doesn't have a convincing win against a real top Middleweight.
fair enough. I don't necessarily disagree. The only thing that i would slightly disagree would be Jacobs. Jacobs fight was nowhere as close as people were making it out to be. People were shocked someone actually went the distance with GGG and as such, a lot of people thought it was closer than what it was. It was a clear win IMO. Like Usyk-Fury.
One can consider a result as a clear win and the fight still be close. Personally, I think Jacobs/Golovkin could have gone either way. There were several close rounds and plenty of people thought Jacobs deserved it. This should be no surprise, either. Jacobs was a significant step up in class for Golovkin - and it showed. The killer who'd been entertaining spectators against quite modest opposition was now being challenged somewhat and made to look human.
I remember getting a lot of stick for cautioning about getting too carried away by performances against the limited opposition he was facing back in the day when you had folk already saying he was the best post-war middleweight, that he'd be too hard hitting for Monzon, Hagler, etc. This despite still considering him a really good fighter that was obviously more promising than some of the recent uninspiring recent middleweight contenders/champs. lo and behold, a lot of that relentless forward motion and supposed monstrous ability to walk through opponents evaporated to something decidely more cautious and stoppable looking against better, more physically capable fighters. Granted he was getting older by some of them, but mid-30s isn't what it was back 20+ years ago. I've got to be honest, sometimes I think there's an element of prejudice and racism in the fervour these well-schooled eastern-euro/ex-ussr fighters instil in a certain type of white american fans. Every single one that starts making 3-4 title defences seems to get the "is he one of the best of all-time, can anyone handle his combination of skill and power" tugfest. Same with the undying love they had for the Klitschko's...a lot of Cletus-ass mother****ers used to having to cheer on unskilled labourers like Tommy Morrisson, Kelly Pavlik and Paz getting rock hard at white fighters that have better fundamentals than they're used to and black fighters finally no longer being as dominant in cetain traditional divisions.
The problem with GGG is that the top middleweights of his era didn't want to fight the close to prime version of him. This is why I have total love and respect for Kell Brook
I had Golovkin way ahead after the first half, then jacobs rallied a little bit in the 2nd half but it wasnt enough, plus GGG had him hurt in the 8th round as well.
He is a conundrum to me,he looks better than some I have in my top 10/15,but his resume ,doesn't stack up.