On Saturday, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin stopped the previously undefeated Steve Rolls in four rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York City. With the win, the 37-year-old Golovkin improved to 39-1-1 with 35 knockouts. The fight was also Golovkin’s first with new trainer Johnathan Banks.
Golovkin vs. Rolls – Fight Recap
Golovkin began the fight stalking Rolls while also being patient. The former unified champion was able to land some shots and control the center of the ring, though nothing landed really clean. In the second round, Steve Rolls would start to let his hands go, landing some solid shots including a left hand that snapped back the head of Golovkin. Overall though, GGG’s shots were clearly more effective, as even glancing shots were at times visibly moving Rolls.
In round three, Golovkin would take back complete control of the fight, bullying Rolls for much of the round with his power. In round four, Rolls began to throw more punches, but it was Golovkin who rocked the Canadian contender with a hard left hook to the top of the head. Rolls tried to hold on but was eventually forced back to the ropes where he was caught with a clean left hand right on the chin, putting him down face first. Referee Steve Willis called a stop to the fight as Rolls was clearly unable to continue.
No surprises here. Rolls is a solid Top 20 or 25 middleweight, but against a fighter like Golovkin there was very little chance he was going to go the distance. Golovkin did get hit in the fight and his age showed, but overall this was a good performance from the former champion. Guys have been able to hit GGG in the past, but Golovkin has shown time and time again he is willing to take a few shots to land one of his own.
After the fight, when asked about who he wants to fight next, Golovkin named WBA “super”/WBC/IBF middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, calling him out for a trilogy fight next. Golovkin drew with Canelo in 2017 and lost to him via majority decision in 2018.
Other Notable Fight Results
- Oscar Valdez UD12 Jason Sanchez
- Cletus Seldin TKO11 Zab Judah
- Ali Akhmedov TKO3 Marcus McDaniel
As a boxing fan, I would love to see a third fight between Golovkin and Alvarez. Both of their fights were thrilling back-and-forth wars, and both outcomes were controversial. At 37, Golovkin is unlikely to be able to improve much on his previous performances, but anything can happen and rivalries like this are good for the sport. Will Canelo, who is 28, take the risk and fight GGG again after getting the nod last time? I do not know.
Will Canelo fight Golovkin for a third time in September? Does Golovkin need to go after Demetrius Andrade instead? Comment below with your opinion.