Review by AllTheBestFights.com: 2015-05-16, great fight between Gennady Golovkin and Willie Monroe Jr: it gets three stars.The undefeated Gennady Golovkin entered this fight with a perfect boxing record of 32-0-0 (29 KOs=91%) and he is ranked as the No.1 middleweight in the world. In his last three bouts he won over Daniel Geale (=Golovkin vs Geale), Marco Antonio Rubio (=Golovkin vs Rubio) and Martin Murray (=Golovkin vs Murray).
His opponent, Willie Monroe Jr, has an official record of 19-1-0 (6 knockouts) and he entered as the No.17 in the same weight class. He suffered his only defeat in 2011 when he faced Darnell Boone (via split decision), since then he has collected nine consecutive victories winning the ESPN’s Boxcino Mw tournament in 2014, against Brandon Adams (=Adams vs Monroe Jr), and beating Brian Vera in his last bout (=Vera vs Monroe Jr). ‘GGG’ Golovkin vs Monroe is valid for the interim WBC, IBO, WBA middleweight titles (all held by Golovkin) but the Wbc belt is not on the line for Monroe since he didn’t comply with Wbc rules prior to the bout (30-day and 7-day pre-weigh-ins and medical examinations). Watch the video and rate this fight!
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Date: 2015-05-16
Where: Forum, Inglewood, California, USA
Division: middleweight (160 lbs, 72.6 kg)
Title: interim WBC, IBO, WBA World middleweight titles
Golovkin’s previous fight: Gennady Golovkin vs Martin Murray
Monroe’s previous fight: Brian Vera vs Willie Monroe Jr
Golovkin’s next fight: Gennady Golovkin vs David Lemieux
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Official video:
(Alternative free embeddable video hosted on Youtube)
(Alternative video hosted on kiwi.kz)
Official highlights
Brave, skillful fighter is Monroe. He gave GGG the best fight to date, when the stars of the sport were afraid to try. Respect!
??? martin murray gave GGG a harder fight!
Fair point, I’d forgotten about Murray. He certainly took a beating, but he went twice as long and hard as Monroe.
I wouldn’t say best to date.
8 rounds and he quit. Also it seems like GGG gets bored and lets people hit him.
BUT he definitely tried. I hope he takes a bit of time off and recoups else it could be BAD for him in the long run. He was taking some hella shots.
I really don’t know who Kellerman is thinking in regards to
Middleweights out there. So lets see. Who would you bet for against Golovkin?
Andy Lee
Peter Quillen
David Lemieux
Hassan N’Dam
Billy Saunders
Jermall Charlo
Out of these lets see who will probably never fight him:
peter Quillen , Jermall Charlo & Caleb Truax. Did I miss any other Haymon fighters?
Great performance by GGG!
Monroe was forced to change his strategy and did pretty much what Roy Jones said he should do: stay on the inside – because he’s getting hit way too much when he’s on the outside. But GGG did not make any adjustments and that’s when he got hit the most. I thought his corner was giving him the wrong advices telling him to keep pressing the action while he seemed to be outboxed. He’s probably the most powerful puncher at 160 right now, but in a certain way, some weaknesses were exposed. After the first 3 rounds, I thought he was already outboxed and fighting like Provodnikov… Getting hit by too many quality powerpunches trying desperately to land his owns. Speaking of powerpunches, Monroe was not a threat, but can you imagine if those big hooks and uppercuts were thrown by a fighter like David Lemieux?
I don’t think his corner gave Golovkin the wrong advice at all.
With that comment of yours, i’m not even sure we saw the same fight.
In Round 3 he already turned his offensive way down. Then, watching Round 4 and 5, it’s very clear to me that Golovkin almost completly stopped boxing for about 2,5 Minutes of each of those rounds. As he was saying after the fight, to give his opponent a chance.
He was not “desperately trying to land” powerpunches. Yes he fired a few wild ones. But were those even meant to hit? He only used them, when he wanted a break from being used as punching bag! They were his means of keeping a throttle on Monroes pace while GGG was almost inactive.
In every one of those rounds 3-5 he landed some real punches too – when he wanted to land them, the the few seconds of active boxing he admitted himself in those rounds.
Then in Round 6 he decided to go box again – and simply mauled the Monroe.
Okay, I can admit I’m being a little severe with GGG despite the fact that he dominated this fight and he truly demonstrated that he is one of the most exciting fighter out there. But the question remains: why did he stop boxing for 2 and a half minutes in round 4-5?
To me it seemed as if he was trying to score a KD/KO early in those rounds and found himself quite exhausted after less than a minute doing so. But not only did he stop landing punches but he took some good shots too. So, no matter what GGG himself might say about that, I don’t believe any fighter at this level give their opponents “chances”.
About his corner advice, I said that because I noticed GGG was winning the fight easily at mid-range as in the first rounds, but when Monroe closed the gap he made things just a bit more complicated for GGG. So maybe it’s just my opinion (and you disagree!) but I thought that if I was GGG’s coach, I would tell him to keep doing what’s working best for him and that is to stay at mid-range.
In my first viewing of the fight, I thought GGG simply agreed to fight
on the inside in rounds 3-5. He had Monroe fairly beaten, and most of
the New Yorker’s earlier punches had been fairly light. It could be that
he mildly surprised Gennady down the stretch.
But on rewatching, I believe you’re right that Gennady was prematurely tired. Look at him breathing heavily in the corner. After merely three rounds, he looks like he’s gone six. Clearly his full-speed-ahead style is enervating to him, and it gives us a glimpse of what his career trajectory could turn out to be. He’s not young.
And yet, he clearly retains his power through this fatigue, even if it makes him more hittable. His willingness to trade punches — at what must be the most unequal exchange rate ever devised! — is turning him into a kind of people’s champion. He might elevate boxing’s popularity in the USA to levels last seen when Tyson walked the earth.
I think Cotto will never face GGG, he is not a middleweight and I think he will struggle with Geale!!!
Lee and Saunders are overrated.
I thought Quillin could be a great opponent but I didn’t like him in his last fight.
So probably the best boxers he could face are: the winner between Lemieux and N’Dam, Canelo Alvarez if he moves up to the Mw division, but also Erislandy Lara (he is a southpaw like Monroe but he is stronger than him with more speed, technique and power)
Very nice fight with a very aggressive GGG who displayed skillful technics out-boxing the very technical fighter in the first 3 rounds. He was able also to connect a lot of power punchs bringing Monroe down in several occasions. Monroe was able to complicate a little bit the fight after the third round but with no consequences.
GGG-Lemieux would be awesome!
I like watching Lemieux BUT he has to get past Hassan N’Dam first.
We already know who has the better chin between Lemieux and GGG. So unless Lemieux steps up his game and dominates against N’Dam, I wouldn’t give him a chance.
(think Stevens)
Yes, he has to beat N’Dam first and I recognize he still has a lot to prove. This next fight will be crucial. But I feel he has improved a lot since his defeats against Rubio and Alcine. He changed his coach Russ Anber, who said at the time he was too indisciplined outside of the ring to be trained, for Mark Ramsay (who is also Pascal and Beterbiev’s coach), he has also changed his management team from Groupe Yvon Michel to Eye of the Tiger. Since then, he has shown he is more than a unidimensional powerpuncher. He has not reached GGG’s level yet, and he maybe never will, but a fight between these two would be electrifying! About the chin of both guys, I don’t know what to say really. You seem to mean that GGG has a huge advantage, but I don’t feel like he has been tested yet in that regard. They both faced Rubio, with a high KO%. Lemieux almost knocked him out in the early rounds, but he ran out of gas in the late rounds and he suffered his first defeat as a profesional. Lemieux was young and inexperienced (22 y.o.). On the other hand, GGG didn’t have the “chance” to feel Rubio’s power at all.
I’m sick of HBO coverage, more and more.
It feels like watching WWE.
GGG was strong boxer but if they go full 12 rounds and then GGG may lose the fight. Willie Monroe Jr. wasn’t bad fighter. GGG his style will KO his opponent and his opponent can have chance to KO him as well.
GGG was strong but his style wasn’t excited boxer like Manny style.
I’m sure he is one of shinning stars now.
I was disappointed with judges decision on Manny vs. Floyd. Manny was got robbed by judges again. I watch the fight again and again but I can’t give Floyd even draw. Boxing in US was slowly fading away because of Judges bias scoring behavior on fight. Manny vs. Floyd was shown very low level of professionalism from Judges and Commentators.
GGG needs to change his style because long term he can’t KO every opponents. His style open up for his opponent and his opponent can KO him.
I want to see more foot work and speed from GGG in future fights.
I’m always excited to watch GGG.
I could careless about Floyd Vs Manny – that was so 5 years ago. I hope Manny retires. He should have years ago.
Here is a funny for you.
EVERY boxing organization share this same rule. That is if your corner or entourage get into the ring at any point in the fight, you are automatically disqualified. With the exception of corner men during the 30 sec between rounds.
Now go watch Mayweather Vs Judah.
I posted about this numerous places and all were taken down.
You have zero knowledge about boxing,GGG foot work is unic.
How this is rated 3 stars like Manny vs Mayweather is funny..had more action then that fight but rated the same?..I never had respect for how u rate ur fights but this is amazing lol
Mayweather Pacquiao should have an asterisk
Yes. I would not say I miss Larry Merchant though!… The only guy I like to hear on HBO is Roy Jones Jr. ;)
Hello, Olivier. I watched the fight again, this time with the HBO commentators (and not the Russian ones I heard the first time LOL), so that I could see if things were as bad as you say.
They sounded like banal car dealers. I assume HBO wants the most out of its GGG investment, so Jim and Max have been deputized to tell the audience how shiny and fast the new model is. Jim’s quip at the end to Roy — “It’s working!” — regarding GGG’s spellbinding of the audience might have been a remark with a small hint of authorial pride in it.
Roy seemed almost combative in arguing his point with Jim about “true” middleweights, an exchange which I enjoyed because it tunneled to the man beneath the rhetoric. It could be that Roy, having caught wind of HBO signing Bernard Hopkins to commentate, is feeling threatened. I quite like Roy and Bernard.
But, unlike you Olivier, I miss the curmudgeon Merchant: never underrate a cynic in the kingdom of car salesmen, ha ha!
I really like your comment! It’s sometimes hard for me to find the right way to say what I feel/think in english, but you said it all!… Except for Merchant… haha! Just kidding. To be honnest, I think I get really impatient sometimes with “slow talkers” and Merchant is the king of them all! ;)
Larry ‘Vodka breath’ Merchant
Nice try from Monroe, but Golovkin is slugging worse than my ex-girlfriend :) Would be nice to see him against Canelo. Big monies!
All the people who say other people don’t know anything about boxing don’t know anything about boxing themselves.