IBO Boxing Honesty and Integrity
Sports.kz asked to interview Scoop Malinowski last week about the current stage of the boxing career of Gennady Golovkin…
– There is a lot of talk about the December fight between Golovkin and Miura, but so far it has not been officially announced. Do you think this fight will take place?
Scoop Malinowski: My source tells me Gennady Golovkin vs Ryota Murata Middleweight unification will be on December 28 in Tokyo, though it has not been officially announced yet. Yes I believe it will materialize. – Can we completely forget about the trilogy with Canelo?
Scoop Malinowski: Almost everything related to Canelo seems to have an element of monkey business connected. He makes a lot of people a lot of money and all those interests do not want to see their revenue streams ended. Like Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler, the money fighter, Leonard and Canelo, they call all the shots and dictate ALL the terms. We know Golovkin wants it at any weight, but Canelo seems satisfied with his 24 rounds with Golovkin which looked like a soft, controlled sparring session, not an all-out REAL fight.
Watching Canelo box you can’t help but get a sense the opponent got a career high payday under the condition he does not hurt or beat Canelo. So the idea of GGG vs Canelo 3 isn’t exciting anymore.
– What do you think – maybe Golovkin has already decided to retire, but is still hesitant to announce it?
Scoop Malinowski: I don’t believe Golovkin is ready to retire at 39 or 40. Hopkins went beyond 50! Pacquiao is still going strong at 42, despite having to fight a very tall, smart, awkward, complex, intelligent, defensive Cuban veteran boxer with a very good jab in Yordenis Ugas last week. Ugas was the worst opponent for Pacquiao, his team should have rejected Ugas and picked an easier, smaller option on short notice. At this stage of his career, Golovkin should be more selective in who he fights, he has earned that privilege. Golovkin, if he still enjoys the process of training and competing, should continue. If not, if he’s lost desire and passion, maybe it’s time to retire.
– In your opinion, can GGG be satisfied with his professional career?
Scoop Malinowski: Golovkin is one of the greatest champions this sport has ever witnessed. In his prime years he decimated the division with total domination and a spectular, electrifying multi dimensional style. The most famous and dangerous challengers to his supremacy all ran away from taking their shot at Golovkin – Canelo, Quillin, Jacobs, Martinez, Cotto, Floyd at 154 – they all avoided the chance to expose and slay the mighty Golovkin.
They let him dominate. Golovkin fought the best he could face, he made all of his opponents look the same – inferior. Golovkin was one of those special champions who was too great for his own good, he frightened the best opponents to avoid him like the plague. I saw the best soccer player in the world Cristiano Ronaldo asked Golovkin for boxing lessons. Ronaldo is a man who can get anything he wants. He could have asked for boxing lessons from Tyson, Mayweather or Pacquiao or Fury or Klitschko, but he specifically requested Gennady Golovkin.
– In your opinion, if it were possible to start all over again, would Golovkin have a chance to achieve more in his professional career?
Scoop Malinowski: He did the best he could. He accomplished a fantastic career. The American boxing establishment unfortunately has a bias against great Eastern European fighters. HBO and Showtime even skipped televising several of the Klitschko heavyweight title defenses to show the boring sparring fights of Floyd Mayweather and other boxers they wanted to promote. The American boxing establishment protected Mayweather and Canelo from being knocked out by Golovkin. But to my eyes Golovkin is and was the far more superior fighter than Canelo and Mayweather ever were. Golovkin was a perfect fighting machine with beautiful technical boxing skills, a fearless intimidating mentality, knockout power, class, honor and unique charisma. The career of Golovkin, even with the two controversial, monkey business fights with Canelo, was a masterpiece career. I rate Golovkin’s boxing career among the elite pantheon of Lennox Lewis, Manny Pacquiao, Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, the Klitschkos, Roberto Duran, Bernard Hopkins, Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Ray Robinson, Mike Tyson.
– In your opinion, can Golovkin be successful as a promoter?
Scoop Malinowski: Not in America. Al Haymon, Floyd Mayweather, Bob Arum, Golden Boy the TV networks, won’t do Golovkin any favors, even if he produces another all time great young fighter like Vasyl Lomachenko. Haymon, Mayweather, Arum, Oscar will just avoid this young fighter and freeze him out from beating their asset fighters, as is sadly happening now to Terence Crawford and Anthony Joshua. Maybe in Europe Golovkin can be a successful promoter but it will be extremely difficult in America.
Boxing in America is no longer about matching the best vs the best as a sport. It’s about the business of creating the illusion of a great fighter and then protecting that asset and selling it for as much profit as possible for as long as possible. At the rate boxing is progressing, it’s possible boxing in America may turn into fake professional wrestling where every major fight is scripted to serve the promoter’s long term business interests.
