The unstoppable force of the Middleweight division, Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, proved to be too much yet again this afternoon, as Kell "Special K" Brook was the latest to succumb to Golovkin's power, being stopped on his feet in the 5th round of what was a very entertaining contest.
The fight, taking place at the 02 Arena in London, provided action immediately and maintained a great pace throughout. Brook (36-1, 25 KO), moving up 13 pounds to challenge for the WBC, IBF, and IBO Middleweight titles, showed a phenomenal chin and incredible heart from the onset. The champ came out swinging with big looping left hooks and jabs, however Brook was able to slip most of the punches and had some effective counters in return. Late in the first, Golovkin caught the underdog with a hard body shot that obviously shook Brook, however he was able to stay up to hear the bell.
Rounds 2 and 3 saw Golovkin (36-0, 33 KO) have more issues landing any clean shots, and Brook was taking advantage, marking up the face of "GGG" considerably and landing hard uppercuts and swift jabs. At some point in the second round, Golovkin caught Brook with a punch that broke the Welterweight champ's right eye socket, leaving the challenger fighting with one eye for the remainder of the bout.
In the fourth frame, Golovkin went back to work and continued to apply pressure on his opponent. Brook landed a few punches towards the end of the round, however his eye was becoming noticeably swollen and he had been taking a considerable amount of punishment. "GGG" came out in the 5th like a madman and was flailing shots to his foe's body and face. He caught Brook with a few jabs that snapped his head straight back, and continued pressing him into the corner, with Brook eating flush shots from every angle. With 1:16 left in the fifth, Brook's trainer, Dominic Ingle, ran to the apron, waving his towel to save his fighter from taking a further beating, however the referee remained completely oblivious for 10 full seconds, allowing Golovkin to unload even more punishing punches to Brooks face.
The stoppage seemed somewhat controversial live, however upon reviewing the fight, Brook was in really bad shape, and his corner was all too aware the dangers present if continuing to fight a monster like "GGG" with an eye socket that had been shattered. "Special K" was quoted as seeing "4 or 5" of Golovkin in the ring, so the corner made a smart decision to protect their fighter. Even in a loss, Brook looked incredibly impressive and will be sure to have a big fight waiting on him when he heals, whether it be defending his title at 147, or moving up to 154 or 160. As well as he boxed the harder punching Golovkin, it appears as if Brook will be a handful for anyone in that weight range.
After the fight Golovkin maintained his goal of unifying all Middleweight belts as soon as possible, which would mean Billie Joe Saunders would have to finally agree to a fight after running from it earlier this year. Saunders has a bout against an undetermined opponent on the undercard for the October 29th Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko showdown, and Golovkin would salivate at the thought of claiming every major belt in the division. While Golovkin did not look his absolute best today, he remains the man to beat in the division, and the most feared puncher in the sport.
