‘GGG’ savagery holds no bounds – but fans love it

GENNADY “GGG” Golovkin has knocked out 33 of his 36 opponents and that translates to about 92% knockouts which stands as knockout record for a middleweight fighter.

Two SA boxers Simon Mokoena and Tshepo Mashego make that body count.

He is yet to taste a defeat having left a trail of 24-opponent destruction in a row.

Amid that he has picked up sanctioning world bodies belts from WBA, IBF, IBO with the latest being the WBC Saul “Canelo” Alvarez dumped like a hot potato rather than fight the devastating Kazakhstani monster.

Despite Alvarez running for dear life when GGG’s name was mentioned as the next foe, the public still want to see the red-head being fed into the GGG meat grinder in the ring.

Such is the mentality of boxing fans.

One would have thought that with GGG running out of opponents, the interest in him will wane as he always enters the ring a favourite in almost all his fights.

He will again enter as such tomorrow (Sunday SA time) when he takes on once-beaten American Danny Jacobs in defence of his multiple belts at Madison Square Garden in Los Angeles, California

But that will not stop people from flocking to the venue to watch another GGG brutality while others will be glued to their television sets.

This is why boxing is different from other codes in that if a match has an odds on favourite, usually it generates little interest.

But in boxing there is that expectant climax when another boxer renders his opponent senseless with possible blood accompanying the gory scene.

Call it callous but if the interest in GGG’s fights is anything to go by then perhaps boxing is the sport for the cretin.

Like goals in a soccer match or wickets in cricket, knockouts are the epitome of excitement that linger in the mind long after the event had passed.

And being an entertainment sport, boxing is able to transcend to the main domain if brutality plays to the fore.

Dubbed a “Smiling Assassin, Kazakhstani Steamroller” or any other scary ring moniker one can fathom, GGG is the modern-day brutal puncher whose fights attracts interest like light attracts moths.

There have been some self-proclaimed greatest boxers whose fights only served as repellant to casual fans. MayPac... cough, cough!! Admittedly through brilliant marketing gimmick, they left the ring with bags full of cash.

But they did nothing to pique the interest of the ordinary fans to transform them into hardcore ones.

But GGG is doing it the old way and that is letting his fists do the actual marketing.

Enjoy the GGG steamrolling machine.