Gennady Golovkin beat the hell (and mouthpiece) out of Osamanu Adama over seven rounds in Monte Carlo Saturday, despite a solid showing from Adama. There was even this one time in the 4th round where, like, Adama made GGG bleed, and then this other time in the 5th when he backed him up for a few seconds after a right hand!
The middleweight incarnation of torment itself got more of it back than most expected, to the point that some folk on Twitter were questioning what was wrong with Golovkin, whether he'd suffered an injury, why his performance wasn't up to par. But really, you can count Adama's good stretches on one hand, better, mind you, than most can muster against GGG. Meanwhile, Golovkin had Adama spitting his mouthpiece out on purpose or just losing it because his gob hurt (Golovkin was kind enough to help the ref find the guard one of the times); put him on the deck with a right in the 1st; put him on the deck again in the 6th with a left; and then dropped Adama with a jab in the 7th. After Golovkin shook Adama once more, the referee stopped in to wave it off, which probably could've been done between rounds or after the jab knockdown.
There was so much focus on why HBO didn't pick this fight up that some probably overlooked Adama's good qualities coming in, not to say he had established himself as a real contender or anything. That said, he was clearly no tomato can, either.
Golovkin is due back in New York City in the spring. Because of how he's handled everyone he has faced, and because the division's lineal champion Sergio Martinez is preoccupied elsewhere, it's hard to imagine an opponent who could win over Golovkin's small but vocal contingent of critics, who argue that Golovkin hasn't beaten anyone worth a damn. Daniel Geale and James Kirkland have been said to be in the running, but even if Golovkin can lure either into the ring — easier said than done, because the list of people asking to fight GGG has never been a long one — Geale is coming off a loss (competitive though it was) to Darren Barker, and Kirkland is a junior middleweight. Golovkin should feel free to make his home at 160 for as long as he likes. But he might not silence the "hasn't beaten anybody" gripe, and might not get a truly big-name opponent, until he climbs to 168 pounds. Until he decides to make that move, all he can do is stay busy, whether he's on HBO in America or off TV overseas.
