With all the present day accolades bestowed on Canelo, who has proven himself to be a truly great fighter, I think it's time to rethink GGG. Many have written off as an over rated, second tier middleweight champion who built his reign in the shadows, below the radar, against limited opposition .. if Canelo is the P4P greatest fighter in the world today than GGG, who twice fought him dead even at worst while past his own prime and was handled out of his title because he was less marketable and out promoted deserves reconsideration .. GGG was a very smart, technically sound fighter with a strong amateur background, decent speed, terrific two handed power, stamina and an all time chin and heart .. in his mid to later 30's , clearly past his best he gave Canelo all he could handle. I personally feel he was robbed in the rematch as well. Today he seems written off my many .. what're your thoughts on GGG ?
Honestly, I think Canelo has made significant improvements, and adopted a much more effective style for himself since those fights. It's not like it was the first Canelo fight with controversial cards
Yeah, even though they were a draw and loss on paper, these two performances are probably GGG:s best, since he got the better of the two fights in the opinion of many. Canelo was still improving, but, as you say, GGG was quite probably past his best on the other hand. But his fights against Jacobs and Dereveynchenko were closer than you'd want from an ATG MW, and since those together with his fights against Canelo are the sum total of his fights against quality opponents really, it's a bit too thin.
Golovkin is a certified ATG in my eyes. I have zero doubts that he'd have beaten crippled Martinez or old Cotto. Zero. Him not getting them fights doesn't hinder his legacy for me. From Geale until the 2nd Alvarez fight he was the best MW in the world and defended that unified title 9 times against the very best the division had to offer. First fight was given as a draw, but for me it was a clear Golovkin victory and he kept his titles as well. After Canelo left the division he's picked up a title again and may even go on to reunify the division. Without doubt a top 15 MW in my mind both ATG and H2H.
He was a very good middleweight. I would not rate him among the all-time greats but he was a formidable middleweight a few years ago.
There's probably a sliver of wiggle-room for, not so much a re-evaluation, but some firm recognition of the challenge Golovkin faced in Canelo. But it doesn't change the fact that he spent most of his career knocking over ordinaries and less than ordinaries and was run close by any opponent with a bit of substance - not just Canelo. Sure, we can play with the idea of this having been due to the stage Golovkin was at in his career, but then to what extent? There's just not enough there and this is only made more apparent, when any such reevaluation is being based on how well he did in two defeats and on what Canelo has gone on to do since.
I think the problem is because a lot of people made him out to be this unbeatable monster his reputation has suffered in comparison. People talking about his power but I think his physical strength and relentless pace were his key attributes with his durability but Canelo dealt with him.
GGG is the superior fighter. Too bad he came from Kazakhstan because if he had been from the US or the UK he would have been a household name. He fought everyone. Didn't make catch weight demands. He just fought. Didn't use steroids. Class act all the way around. Didn't denigrate his opponents. A real gentleman. But a badass MFer.
He beat Canelo at least once and thats the only fighter he lost to so... He's going to the Hall of fame, likely on his first try. He can't help it if Martinez or Cotto avoided him.
Martinez was the same age as Golovkin is now when this alleged avoidance took place. So let me ask you this, do you hold it against Golovkin for avoiding Andrande and Charlo just you hold it against Martinez?
