FIGHTLINE BY DOUG FISCHER
Fights only last a matter of minutes, but fighters are connected to each other by chains that extend for decades – even centuries – into the past. Their bond is a lineage built face-to-face: A young prospect struggles with the skills of an aging veteran whose nose was once broken by a fighter now enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In that way, muscle memory carries knowledge and boxers face a piece of everyone their opponent has fought, everyone those people fought, and so on. This month, we’re linking two of the most fearsome, hard-hitting middleweights of the last 40 years – newly inducted Hall of Famers Nigel Benn and Gennadiy Golovkin . Benn took British boxing by storm upon his pro debut in January 1987, earning his “Dark Destroyer” moniker with 22 consecutive knockouts by early 1989. Benn was fierce and fearless, a panther who pounced on its prey. But the primal puncher was tamed by crafty countryman Michael Watson, who weathered the early storm and scored a sixth-round stoppage. That setback sent Benn packing to America, where he picked up much-needed pro seasoning. He won his next five bouts, all in the U.S., including stoppages of veterans Doug DeWitt (TKO 8) – for the WBO title – and Iran Barkley (TKO 1). He was the cover star of the January 1991 issue of The Ring, which declared him “Boxing’s Baddest Bad Boy.” But the Bad Boy met his match in the enigmatic Chris Eubank, a fellow Brit who was Benn’s polar opposite in style and temperament. The buildup to their showdown and the battle – won by Eubank via dramatic ninth-round stoppage – launched a rivalry that captured the imagination of the British public. Benn won the WBC super middleweight title in 1992 and made nine successful defenses, including a mega-rematch with Eubank, which ended in a split draw, and an epic but tragic battle with Gerald McClellan. An upset loss to Thulani Malinga in 1996 signaled the end of Benn’s destroyer days; he closed out the year – and his career – with back-to-back losses to Steve Collins. Kazakhstan’s greatest fighter began his pro career in Germany in 2006 following a stellar amateur career capped by 2003 World Championship gold and 2004 Olympic silver. Frustrated with his promoter’s refusal to match him with promotional stablemate and long-reigning titlist Felix Sturm, Golovkin cut ties and relocated to Big Bear, California, where veteran coach Abel Sanchez introduced him to the “Mexican style” that would become a trademark of his American campaign. His phenomenal power, strength and durability quickly earned him gym-legend status as well as the attention of promoter Tom Loeffler. Golovkin cracked The Ring’s middleweight rankings following his first bout with Loeffler – a first-round KO of Lajuan Simon in December 2011 – and remained rated for the next 11 years, most of that time in the No. 1 spot. Beginning with his U.S. debut against Grzegorz Proksa in 2012, Golovkin defeated a dozen Ring-ranked middleweights – Gabriel Rosado, Matthew Macklin, Curtis Stevens, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio, Willie Monroe Jr., David Lemieux, Daniel Jacobs, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Kamil Szeremeta and Ryota Murata – as he evolved from hardcore sensation to bona fide superstar. Golovkin’s close decision over Jacobs in March 2017 snapped a 23-bout KO streak but led to a highly anticipated September showdown with Canelo Alvarez, which did huge business but ended in a controversial draw. The rematch, won by Alvarez via majority decision, was The Ring’s 2018 Fight of the Year. Golovkin retired in 2022 following a unanimous decision loss to Alvarez in their third match. Benn retired with a 42-5-1 (35 KOs) record. Golovkin ended his career with a 42- 2-1 (37 KOs) ledger. There are multiple paths linking the 160-pound predators, whose primes are separated by 25 years, but we found this five-boxer Fightline. Can you find a faster route? If so, or if you have another Fightline you’d like to submit, send it to comeoutwriting@gmail.com. And remember, some fighters can be linked on paper by jumping forward and backward in time, but to be a true lineage, the fights must come in chronological order.
BENN SD 10 WILLIAMS JANUARY 14, 1990
BEASLEY UD 8 WILLIAMS MAY 26, 1992
TAYLOR KO 3 BEASLEY JULY 9, 1999
MUNDINE UD 12 TAYLOR FEBRUARY 11, 2009
GEALE UD 12 MUNDINE JANUARY 30, 2013
GOLOVKIN TKO 3 GEALE JULY 26, 2014
96 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker