Unified Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin (38-0-1, 34KO) made easy work of fill-in opponent Vanes Martiroysan (36-4-1, 21KO), getting a crushing knockout in the 2nd round to match Bernard Hopkins' middleweight record of 20 consecutive title defenses. It was the expected outcome, as Golovkin won the first round, despite Martiroysan landing a couple of punches toward the end of the round.
The second round was all Golovkin, as he landed a brutal uppercut that turned Martiroysan to jelly. He quickly attempted to hold and once broken up, began to receive more punishment. GGG unleashed a combination that once again hurt Martiroysan badly, and sent him into the ropes. Golovkin continued with a brutal 1-2 combo that landed flushed on Martiroysan's chin and he crumbled against the ropes. As he slumped toward the canvas, two more solid punches landed for GGG to finish the job. Martiroysan was counted out while laying on the mat and GGG had himself a devastating 2nd round knockout. Martiroysan was able to get up after a few moments on the canvas after the brutal ending-combination.
Give him credit for stepping up in weight and competition for an opportunity of a lifetime, but in the end, it was the outcome that was expected. It's tough to really take anything away from this bout given the circumstances. Give Golovkin credit, he delivered on what was expected of him, even if it was against a far-lesser opponent. The KO was a Knockout of the Year candidate and provided an explosive end to the bout.
Now the questions can start about GGG and Canelo finally getting together for their rematch. September 15 would be the expected date, however during the lead-up to tonight, Golovkin was vocal about the rematch possibly not happening in September, as he put the chances at just 10%. Promoter Tom Loeffler said his fighter was just focused on the fight at hand and extremely frustrated with Alvarez from having to pull out of the rematch. Golovkin may have an IBF-mandatory at-stake in his next fight or he may risk losing the IBF Belt. There's always a chance that Golovkin could get another exemption for the Canelo rematch to happen first, but their is a long way to go before anything is in the books. One thing is certain though, GGG made history tonight in the middleweight division, and he did it with some fireworks.
