Can Gennady “GGG” Golovkin Vs Kell Brook Be a Modern Day Leonard Vs Hagler?

By Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña

In a surprise turn of events Tom Loeffler, of K2 and the promoter for undefeated middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 35-0, 32 KO’s announced Friday that “GGG” would be defending his title on September 10th at the O2 Arena in London against Kell “Special K” Brook, 36-0, 25 KO’s. In a shocking turn of events the fight between Golovkin and Chris Eubanks was called off on Wednesday. Eddie Hearn promoter for both Brook and Eubank told Sky Sports “I worked for three weeks on that fight, negotiating with Chris Eubank, SR. It felt like three years,” Hearn said. “We got into a position where everybody was ready to sign. He (Eubank, JR.) was offered the same pay-per-view deal as Anthony Joshua, Carl Froch and the one that Kell Brook accepted.” Unfortunately they (the Eubanks’) made the deal impossible. The things they wanted were just a complete no-go. They were given a deadline and they chose not to take the fight.

So now with Golovkin taking on Brook social media has gone into an uproar. Why? Because this is Canelo Vs Khan 2. It’s going to end the same, “GGG” is a hypocrite. Well maybe I should remind all naysayers of a certain fight back in April of 1987. A fight considered the “fight of the year” and by many “upset of the decade.” The fight was Marvelous Marvin Hagler Vs Sugar Ray Leonard. Hagler my favorite fighter growing up was unstoppable. He had defended his Middleweight title 12 consecutive times in a row and knocked out 10 of those 12 opponents. Sugar Ray hadn’t fought in three years and had only fought twice in five years before his battle with Hagler. Like Brook, Leonard was jumping up in weight from Welterweight to Middleweight. Many people had Leonard a huge underdog even Vegas had Hagler a 3 to 1 favorite on the books. Hagler like “GGG” was already in his 30’s when he took the fight with Sugar Ray 32 to be exact. Fans didn’t care Leonard was going to have ring rust, and surely be knocked out by Hagler.

Then came the night April, 6th 1987. The anticipation in the outdoor stadium at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas was thick. That night there were many who feared for Leonard’s safety, many concerned he’d be injured by the bigger Hagler. Sugar Ray Leonard the Olympic Gold Medalist entered the ring that night and stood toe to toe with Hagler. Leonard used ring generalship and his extremely fast hands to score points and steal rounds. Sugar Ray took the best that Hagler had to offer and after 12 rounds won a split decision. Judge Jo Jo Guerra had it 118-110, or 10 rounds to 2, for Leonard. Lou Filippo had it 115-113 for Hagler, and Dave Moretti broke the tie seeing it 115-113 for Leonard. After the fight a shocked Hagler stated ”He fought a courageous fight,” but I fought my heart out. ”There should have been more points taken from him for holding and grabbing. He fought like a girl sometimes. Those flurries didn’t mean anything. Those quick combos didn’t mean anything. He was showboating. It meant nothing.” The final punch stats showed that Hagler Landed 291 punches and threw 792 (37%) and Sugar Ray Leonard Landed 306 punches and threw 629 (49%)

Am I comparing Golovkin Vs Brook to Hagler Vs Leonard? Of course I am. Will it have the same outcome? Probably not. Styles make fights and for “GGG” he’ll be walking into a lions den at the O2. Brooks is an undefeated Champion who’s never been hurt let alone beat. “Special K” has shown in the past that he has an aggressive style that might set up an early night if he is caught by “GGG”, but he’s also shown his ability to sit back and box like he did against Shawn Porter. Brook is a huge welterweight that will be in for a high risk but even higher reward type of fight come September 10th. A win for the British challenger could easily lift him into the pound for pound rankings and begin to secure his legacy of a two division champion. With 71 wins between them, 57 by knockout and no defeats, it’s a wonderful clash and a huge opportunity for Sheffield’s Kell Brook. Fight fans also need to remember one other big factor the Golovkin Vs Brook fight would not be happening if Mr. Canelo Alvarez would have stayed true to his word and fought “GGG”. Gennady is the most feared middleweight in the world and I do believe Kell may test him.

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