Gennady Golovkin Making Huge Mistake Negotiating For Carl Froch Fight

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By Travis “Novel” Fleming

Negotiations are under way for a mouth watering clash between rising, power punching, star Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 33-0 30 KO’s, and the best British fighter of the last decade in Carl “The Cobra” Froch, 33-2 24 KO’s. This is an excellent fight, sure to deliver fireworks between two giant punchers. GGG will finally get the chance to prove he’s legit by moving up a division to fight the bigger, and much more proven, Froch. We’ve all been waiting to see if GGG can be effective against an elite level fighter that can test him, and perhaps handle his power, in Froch we will get our answer. I’m excited about this fight, but would strongly advise against it for Golovkin. In fact, a few months ago I did an article on whether or not GGG was the real deal. I think he is at 160 lbs, but even months before this Froch fight was being speculated, I advised against a move up in weight for GGG until he’s settled business at middleweight.

Froch is a big, powerful, super middleweight who has amassed perhaps the best resume of the last decade in boxing. He’s fought everyone, he can take a massive punch from men much bigger than GGG, and he can deliver one. He’s got a big size advantage over GGG and he has faced every style imaginable. He’s also awkward and unpredictable. I believe this fight is close to 50-50, but what if Froch takes Golovkin’s power without flinching and upsets the rising star or, even worse, knocks him out? Remember, Jermain Taylor, a natural middleweight like GGG, knocked the iron chinned Froch down hard, and hurt him before getting knocked out late by Froch. George Groves, who is not a powerful puncher, also sent Froch to the canvass before succumbing to a knockout blow by the Cobra of Nottingham. If GGG doesn’t at least knock Froch down once, people will question if his power is as brutal as it has appeared against weaker opposition. Froch is 37 years old, and on the verge of retiring after a long career of facing the best, back to back, in many ring wars where he has suffered a lot of damage. A loss to Froch is a very real possibility, and would do irreparable damage to Golovkin’s hype. Right now, GGG is the invincible beast that destroys every man put in front him with ease, and that every credible opponent is running scared from, which is why he’s given a pass for fighting weak opposition for a champion with 14 title defenses. If Froch wins, overnight GGG will become a “hype job” to fickle fans. It wouldn’t even matter that he still has a middleweight title due to the fight being at super middleweight, because the aura of the invincible destroyer will be lost, and that’s what sells his fights. I can see it now “who cares who GGG fights next, he already got exposed by old man Froch on the verge of retirement”. This train of thought is totally wrong when considering a middleweight being brave enough to take on the beast of a three time champion that is Carl Froch, regardless if he loses, but that’s boxing fans for you! Fighters go from demigod to overrated hype job in one fight. Even if GGG returned to middleweight with success, he would not be looked at in the same light.

To make things even harder for Golovkin, early reports have the bout taking place at the massive, and world renown, Wembley Stadium in London. Froch is undefeated on British soil, and always has his best performances in front of his rowdy British fan base. Froch has had fights of this magnitude before. For GGG it will be a whole new ballgame fighting front of 90,000 hostile fans. It’s also very hard to win a decision against the beloved Froch at home. Andre Dirrell deserved to beat Froch back in 2009, but Froch benefited from the fight being at home and was awarded the split decision victory. Not only will GGG be facing the biggest test of his career, the biggest and most powerful man of his career, and the biggest stage of his career in front of a hostile crowd, but he’ll need to win at least eight rounds clearly to be awarded a decision in England against its most popular fighter.

This does not mean I think losing to Froch is a sure thing. I just feel the timing is not right for Golovkin to make the leap up to super middleweight because anything less than a spectacular performance will see his stock lower and no one ever looked spectacular against Froch. Right now, Golovkin is sitting at 14 defenses of his WBA middleweight title. This ties the great Carlos Monzon for second in all time middleweight title defenses, and puts him just seven defenses away from surpassing the legendary Bernard Hopkins in notching more title defenses than any middleweight in history. If I were handling GGG, I would have him remain at middleweight until he passes Bernard Hopkins’ record 20 defenses. That’s another seven fights, so just over two years at the rate of activity GGG has been on. This should be enough time to unify the division, face some elite fighters and finally get his shot at the lineal championship. Within seven more middleweight fights, there is no way the lineal championship, and the best of the division, can keep avoiding him.

He’ll likely get a huge star making fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, which is a less dangerous proposition than Carl Froch and comes with a greater reward. Surely by then, another big name threat will emerge on the middleweight scene, and GGG will get the chance to notch a career defining win or two. This would see him climb the pound for pound rankings, and secure a legacy as one of the best middleweights who ever lived. Once he has taken care of business at middleweight, then he can explore moving up in weight to become a two division champ in risky fights against the bigger men at super middleweight. Moving up to super super middleweight before securing his legacy at 160 lbs is something I would strongly advise against for GGG. Many of Bernard Hopkins’ defenses weren’t elite level fighters either, but by notching 20 straight defenses, the longevity spoke for itself and had him ranked in the top three greatest middleweights of all time. Eventually, some bigger names had no choice but to get in the ring with Hopkins if they wanted the glory, culminating in Hopkins’ dismantling of the great Felix “Tito” Trinidad. At some point GGG is going to get his “B-Hop” against “Tito” Trinidad moment, where a highly respected, elite fighter, is going to step in the ring with him and GGG will get the chance to legitimize his reign. It took many years before Hopkins got the respect and big fight he deserved, and look at how highly regarded he is now. GGG would be wise to exhibit the same patience.

In chasing the dangerous Carl Froch, it appears that GGG is hell bent on proving his critics wrong. He’s surely heard the critics’ claims that he only fights easy opponents, and it seems that he’s ready to shut them up by facing one of the hardest men in the sport. Personally, I think he should remain at 160 lbs and is making a mistake that can cause him irreparable damage to his career.

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