GGG-We Witnessed The First Signs of Decline

[caldo2025]

He's the best Middleweight that I've ever seen and it hurts me to have to say it but I think that we just saw the beginning of the end of GGG on Saturday. I think GGG finally showed signs of aging inside the ring and this really shouldn't surprise us as we are talking about a 34 year old boxer but to me, the evidence was alarming and unexpected.

Power doesn't have shelf life so GGG will always have the ability to throw thunder in both hands. But as boxers get older, it's the hand speed and reaction time that goes first and I think that's exactly what we started to see Saturday Night. GGG looked slower than normal and though the punch stats disagree somehow, he appeared to miss more punches in this one than i've seen in his last 3 fights. Defensively, he was a step behind and seemed really easy to hit. Maybe that was on purpose per his post fight interview when he stated that Brook couldn't hurt him but I don't believe it. GGG's timing, offensively and defensively, was off. It wasn't WAY off but it was off and it had a large affect on GGG's overall effectiveness in the fight.

Timing is everything in boxing and once a boxer starts losing TIME, there's no way to get it back. I feel that we just witnessed the beginning of the end for this great champion. I just hope he gives us a few more thrills before he hangs the gloves up.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Possibly, he is 34, or just as likely, he decided to come for a brawl, because he had zero respect for Brook's power.

[caldo2025]

Possibly, he is 34, or just as likely, he decided to come for a brawl, because he had zero respect for Brook's power.

I know that's what GGG said that he was doing in there, street fighting Brook, because he couldn't hurt him. But i don't believe it. It's just an easy excuse for a bad performance. GGG looked slow regardless and that is problem to me. You can have all the power in the world but once you lose that trigger to get a punch home, what good is it.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Possibly, he is 34, or just as likely, he decided to come for a brawl, because he had zero respect for Brook's power.

I know that's what GGG said that he was doing in there, street fighting Brook, because he couldn't hurt him. But i don't believe it. It's just an easy excuse for a bad performance. GGG looked slow regardless and that is problem to me. You can have all the power in the world but once you lose that trigger to get a punch home, what good is it.

He's never really trade on speed really though, more solid fundamentals. Brook was always likely to have the edge in speed.

I think it's easy to read a little too much into this performance.

[caldo2025]

Possibly, he is 34, or just as likely, he decided to come for a brawl, because he had zero respect for Brook's power.

I know that's what GGG said that he was doing in there, street fighting Brook, because he couldn't hurt him. But i don't believe it. It's just an easy excuse for a bad performance. GGG looked slow regardless and that is problem to me. You can have all the power in the world but once you lose that trigger to get a punch home, what good is it.

He's never really trade on speed really though, more solid fundamentals. Brook was always likely to have the edge in speed.

I think it's easy to read a little too much into this performance.

I definitely hope i'm wrong on this one so i'm rooting for your theory. Maybe Brooks speed magnified GGG's slowness. That could definitely be what happened.

[Enlightened-One]

There's no evidence to suggest that GGG's performance levels are declining. That may be true, but there's no proof of this... yet. So I personally doubt it.

Golovkin simply walked through a much smaller opponent (in Brook), whose punches he treated with contempt.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Some of those shots that Brook landed, looked pretty solid too, they just bounced off GGG, he really does appear to be as hard as nails.

[bbjc]

Tbf to golovkin brook is an ingle trained fighter. The same guys that trained naseem hamed. Ryan rhodes. Johnny nelson. Junior witter. Herol graham if anyone knows some of them names. They train them to be elusive. The ingles spend a lot of time on it from youth up.

[boxing_rocks]

Looks like a bnovelist post.

[Killer Blow]

He put in a questionable performance on purpose to stop the top guys in his division running from him. And suprise surprise BJS and Jacobs are suddenly talking seriously about fighting him next.

[jamesmcdonnell]

He put in a questionable performance on purpose to stop the top guys in his division running from him. And suprise surprise BJS and Jacobs are suddenly talking seriously about fighting him next.

Hmm, we shall see, they've been talking for some time now.

[boxing_rocks]

We've heard the same talk after Monroe, and then Golovkin brilliantly handled Lemieux.

[Baby Face Finster]

Golovkin did give himself only a 4 out of 10. I think if and when he faces another power puncher you won't see the porous defense that we saw Saturday. He may be slipping but I think it is negligible at this moment.

[Ian1973]

Some of those shots that Brook landed, looked pretty solid too, they just bounced off GGG, he really does appear to be as hard as nails.

You can't hurt the guy. Time and time again he's stalked not bothering whether he got hit and not once has he ever looked remotely hurt. Take away the crowd cheering and the hysterical commentary from the Brook fight and it's exactly the same story as when he let Murray land on him (example) - does not flinch.

Golovkin really is made of hard stuff.

[Tony1244]

I don't think GGG was ever considered a defensive wizard. A lot of great fighters will take a few shots to deliver their own. Ie. Marciano, Frazier.

[jamesmcdonnell]

We've heard the same talk after Monroe, and then Golovkin brilliantly handled Lemieux.

Yes, he didn't let Lemieux land a glove on him.

I thought it was an incredible performance.

[Shirow]

As most are saying. He completely disregarded his defence as he was fighting his most skilled opponent so far who was faster and smaller. Top priority was landing his punches lowest priority was avoiding getting hit or trying to outbox someone used to fighting welterweights. As well as being very entertaining that was probably the most efficient way to apply maximum blunt force trauma.

It occurred to me on Sunday that GGG has a very good style for an aging fighter. On top of exquisite fundamentals he doesn't bounce around and run around the ring so if his legs start to go it won't be noticeable. Also his defence doesn't rely on great reflexes. These are the usually the first things to go with punch and chin being the last. As he gets older the pressure might ease off a little but he'll still be great at cutting off the ring but the punch output might drop a little which shouldn't hurt him too much.

I think he could still be highly effective by the end of 2019 even on 3 or 4 fights a year.

[Ian1973]

We've heard the same talk after Monroe, and then Golovkin brilliantly handled Lemieux.

Yes, he didn't let Lemieux land a glove on him.

I thought it was an incredible performance.

It was Golovkin was fantastic that night. The way he controlled the distance dispelled any myth that he was just a "bully" that can't box (levels and all that).

He can box when he feels he has to but by his own admission he'd rather not so when he doesn't feel threatened he seems to disregardhis defence. He CAN do it, we've seen that, he just doesn't.

[jamesmcdonnell]

As most are saying. He completely disregarded his defence as he was fighting his most skilled opponent so far who was faster and smaller. Top priority was landing his punches lowest priority was avoiding getting hit or trying to outbox someone used to fighting welterweights. As well as being very entertaining that was probably the most efficient way to apply maximum blunt force trauma.

It occurred to me on Sunday that GGG has a very good style for an aging fighter. On top of exquisite fundamentals he doesn't bounce around and run around the ring so if his legs start to go it won't be noticeable. Also his defence doesn't rely on great reflexes. These are the usually the first things to go with punch and chin being the last. As he gets older the pressure might ease off a little but he'll still be great at cutting off the ring but the punch output might drop a little which shouldn't hurt him too much.

I think he could still be highly effective by the end of 2019 even on 3 or fights a year.

I think GGG has quite a few years left, he wastes almost no movement. He could go on until he's 40 at this rate. He also doesn't telegraph his punches, so it's hard to avoid his shots.

[Ricky_]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXMLilVoQSc

Golovkin loves a tear up, and for Kel Brook in front of a sell out crowd and PPV, he came for a tear up.

[Tanzio]

I think that people are giving 3G too much credit for allowing Brook to punch him. He got nailed multiple times when he was in full defensive mode. The shots Brook landed more than once stopped 3G's advance. He felt some of those shots. Furthermore, 3G showed signs of gassing or resting in the 2nd half of rounds giving Brook an opportunity to score (and win round 2).

I think that 3G is showing some signs of age. If a solid jawed, hard punching, skilled younger opponent can whether a round like the 5th v Brook, that boxer could trouble 3G in the later rounds.

Also, I think that 3G could be muscled by larger opponents at 168 plus.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I think that GGG, as Marquez did latterly, also realises his best chance of developing an international following, is to be involved in proper fights.

It's almost impossible for any fight fan not to warm to GGG, he comes in there and looks to bash his opponent up, and almost always succeeds.

I hope he has some more big fights here. I wonder if Hearn has been trying to line something up. I seem to recall that he got quite a generous round of applause when the fight was over. Even brook fans must have been entertained.

[crusader]

He didn't look on the decline to me, just like he went in there with no respect for his opponent and hence fought a bit carelessly. I didn't notice the stamina issues that Tanzio mentions either, and I think some people have exaggerated the success that Brook had in being broken down and taken out in 4.5 rounds....he didn't do much better than Willie Monroe IMO (poor Willie didn't get huge cheers from the crowd, people jumping up ringside, or cheerleading commentary)

[jamesmcdonnell]

I think that people are giving 3G too much credit for allowing Brook to punch him. He got nailed multiple times when he was in full defensive mode. The shots Brook landed more than once stopped 3G's advance. He felt some of those shots. Furthermore, 3G showed signs of gassing or resting in the 2nd half of rounds giving Brook an opportunity to score (and win round 2).

I think that 3G is showing some signs of age. If a solid jawed, hard punching, skilled younger opponent can whether a round like the 5th v Brook, that boxer could trouble 3G in the later rounds.

Also, I think that 3G could be muscled by larger opponents at 168 plus.

I saw no evidence of sagging stamina, if he was having problems, odd that he came on like a train in the 5th round.

[Ricky_]

He didn't look on the decline to me, just like he went in there with no respect for his opponent and hence fought a bit carelessly. I didn't notice the stamina issues that Tanzio mentions either, and I think some people have exaggerated the success that Brook had in being broken down and taken out in 4.5 rounds....he didn't do much better than Willie Monroe IMO (poor Willie didn't get huge cheers from the crowd, people jumping up ringside, or cheerleading commentary)

I agree. Brook landed a couple of nice uppercuts in some spots... other than that it was pretty much as expected.

Also felt Brook was knocked down because he was hurt but was ruled a slip.