On a day where many eyes are glued to NCAA football and UFC 203, boxing will showcase some of its brightest stars. Not only was middleweight heavy-hitter Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin in action but #1 P4P fighter Roman Gonzalez will also compete.
The GGG vs Brook fight in London lived up to the hype and fans were treated to 5 rounds of exciting boxing.
Brook showed that he has superb boxing skills and counterpunching. Several times he hit Golovkin with punches that would’ve dropped most fighters at 147 lbs, the division that Brook holds a world title at, but the power of GGG proved to be too much. Brook’s corner threw in the towel in the 5th round; stopping the fight and saving Brook from long-lasting damages.
Kell’s speed vs GGG’s power was the narrative heading into the fight and it played out like many predicted. It also followed a similar path as the Canelo vs Khan fight that fans saw in May. The smaller, quicker fighter is able to show the boxing skills early in the matchup but the body punches from the heavier man take their toll on the smaller fighter.
Fans spend a lot of time criticizing the matchmaking in boxing but these cross-division fights seem to give viewers everything they look for in boxing matches. There are spots of technical boxing, ring movement and of course powerful finishes.
For promoters it’s a win-win situation.
The smaller fighter leaves the fight with a loss but is praised for having enormous heart and courage. They also enter their next fight with the leverage to demand A-side money. There’s always the chance that the smaller man ends up face down, i.e. Amir Khan, but it’s a chance worth taking for many in search of added promotion.
The benefits for the larger fighter are a bit harder to recognize but there are some major advantages to risking it all against the smaller guy. One glaring advantage is the comfort of knowing that there’s a slim chance of being knocked out. Today we saw GGG walk through some of Kell Brook’s hardest punches unfazed.
There’s also the chance to get some of the bigger names in boxing, which is found in abundance at 147 lbs. The higher divisions feature 2-3 marquee names but the 147 lb. weight class has a flurry of up-and-coming stars.
Unlike the smaller guy, the larger boxer has everything to lose if the fight turns the wrong way. The larger fighter usually puts their belt up for grabs and the loss of title means the loss of money.
Even with that possibility looming, as slim as it may be, promoters are willing to risk it with these type of fights because it’s as close as they can get to a win-win scenario for both fighters. And with the “Cold War’ between Top Rank and PBC still in full effect, it is important that the companies not hurt the prestige of their top-tier guys.
In both recent cases Khan and Brook gained respect and notoriety moving forward. People talk more about their courage and skills than the loss that handed to them early in the fight.
Both Canelo and GGG make a solid pay check and continue along as dominant fighters.
In a promoters mind it’s better to make money in this scenario than putting the top 2 fighters in a weight class and risking one takes an ugly loss. The fans and analyst may publicly say that they do not like the approach but the stats will tell a different story.
Combat sports is now about weighing risk vs reward and boxing is on the extreme end of the bell curve. The UFC has one entity to govern the matchmaking, which is why we often see the best in a particular weight class face-off, but boxing shows no sign of doing the same anytime soon.
In synopsis, boxing has a bright future. It just may not be the future fans were hoping for.