A Look Ahead To February

By Chris Williamson.

Another Gennady Golovkin fight, another routine win, probably inside-schedule. At least, that appears to have been the reaction from most boxing fans when they learned that the fearsome-punching Kazakh will defend his WBA Middleweight title against Ghana's Osumanu Adama in Monte Carlo on February 1. 

Understandably, it's too hard to get excited about this match up, and personally I feel that the only real point of interest is whether or not Golovkin can make his almost certain victory a stoppage one, thus doing something that nobody else has ever done to the 22-3 (16) Ghanaian. I don't wish to sound too dismissive of Adama as a challenger. His record does at least suggest a good-class professional, and in his previous world title attempt (against then IBF Middleweight boss Daniel Geale), he performed admirably before losing a unanimous decision almost two years ago. 

That is, admittedly, the only fight I've seen of him, but the fact that Geale, a relatively light puncher in comparison to Golovkin, was able to force him back and keep him on the back foot is a concern. I also couldn't help but notice that Adama has a tendency to leave himself wide open when he flurries in close, being particularly vulnerable to the left hook. That's a worry for him here - just ask Curtis Stevens. 

While I'm a fan of Golovkin, I find it a little inexplicable that he was voted Ring Magazine's Fighter of the Year for 2013, given that the fights which will define his career (against men such as Sergio Martinez, Andre Ward and perhaps even Carl Froch) continue to elude him. With that in mind, the 28-0 (25) Kazakh will need to make a statement with this performance to keep those few remaining doubters at bay for a little while longer. In terms of how he matches up to Adama, he appears the appreciably stronger man, and also boasts far better punch accuracy. Unless Adama has revamped his style from the Geale fight, he'll be unable to get in to the fight from an attacking point of view.

Adama, who comes across as a very likeable and self-assured character, predicts his speed will be the difference, and sites working with his countryman Ike Quartey, who held the WBA Welterweight belt between 1994 and 1998, as a source of new-found inspiration and belief. However, I just don't think it will be enough. I expect Golovkin to win this fight comfortably, and yet, maybe against my better judgement, I think he will have to wait until the late, late rounds to get Adama out of there. 

Meanwhile, the 'Welsh Mayweather', 26-year-old Lee Selby, continues his journey towards what should eventually be the upper echelons of the Featherweight division against former Super-Bantamweight title challenger Rendall Munroe in Cardiff on the same day of Golovkin-Adama. For Munroe, 33, this fight may well prove to be last chance saloon in terms of keeping himself anywhere near the top of the domestic or European scene. A knockout loss to Scott Quigg at his old weight of 122 lb in November 2012 was devastating enough for the man from Leicester to announce his retirement, albeit he quickly reversed that decision, arguing that cutting too much weight in order to make Super-Bantam had finally caught up with him (he has campaigned at 130 lb since his return).

I'm looking for a convincing win for Selby, however. The left-handed style of Munroe may cause some problems early on - Munroe is, after all, the first high-class southpaw that the Barry youngster has faced. But ever since his gallant losing effort against Toshiaki Nishioka for the WBC 122 lb belt in October 2010 (losing a unanimous decision) there seems to have been a notable decline in Munroe's punch output and sharpness. He has made no secret that he has been left feeling disillusioned with the fight game, and you'd have to wonder just how much he really believes in his own mind that he can pull the upset here.

Selby's stunning (and largely unexpected) one-punch knockout of Stephen Smith in September 2011 seemed to temporarily open the floodgates for man hitherto regarded as only a moderate puncher; that victory was the second of a line of four on the spin which all ended early. But as his opposition has gradually improved, the stoppage wins have dried up again, with three of his four victims since that run taking him the full distance. I expect that Munroe's experience will allow him to do likewise, but I can only see Selby holding on to his British title - and adding the European one - with a wide and resounding win on the cards.

Much like Munroe, the all-action Gavin Rees may also be fighting for his career as a legitimate European level fighter on February 1 when he squares off against Gary Buckland on the same bill in Cardiff. It's not yet even a year since the former WBA Light-Welterweight champion faced off in Atlantic City against American starlet Adrien Broner for Broner's WBC Lightweight belt before the American absconded to contest for Welterweight honours. Rees, fighting with his typical plucky attitude and courage, was conclusively beaten (fifth-round stoppage) in that contest as many had expected, but losing his next fight on points to Anthony Crolla last June surprised many, and has left the Welshman with precious little margin for error in the coming year or so.

For Buckland, only 27 but already something of a mainstay on the domestic and European scene having fought for Lightweight European honours as far back as 2010, this fight also represents a roll of the dice. After being stopped in eleven rounds in his aforementioned tilt at John Murray's Lightweight belts, he trimmed down to Super-Featherweight, picking up the British title before being stopped by Stephen Smith in five rounds last summer. Now, he returns to 135 lb, and most would surely have understood and been forgiving if he'd picked an easier opponent to kick-start his second crack at the Lightweight division than the 37-3-1 (18) Rees.

Personally, I can see Rees winning, and winning well. A lack of genuine power is Buckland's primary problem (his 27-3 record consists of only 9 wins inside-schedule) and while he's a better stylist than Rees, I struggle to see him containing the former world champion enough over the course of the fight to avoid being overwhelmed and forced on to the retreat eventually, which isn't Buckland's preferred way of fighting. I'm backing Rees to win this one, and I can see him doing it by late stoppage, perhaps - but as is often the case with Rees, I can see it being a very enjoyable fight whatever the weather.  

http://v2journal.com/16/post/2014/01/a-look-ahead-to-february.html

Massive year for ggg. He needs to be put in with some of the big guns. All this time fighting decent level but not top class fighters is hardly going to help during his peak years. I'm as sure as anyone that he could compete with and probably beat all his rivals right now but if he doesn't step up in class he could go stale. Don't want to see anyone else do a cleveley with their career.