Thomas Hauser: “I’d Love to See Gennady Golovkin in More Big Fights”

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    There’s a new sheriff in town in the middleweight division, who is rapidly becoming number one on the most avoided fighter list.

    While looking at Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 KO) at first glance, one couldn’t tell that there is a beast that lies with in.

    After looking over his resume, one name that sticks out most to American fight fans is Kassim Ouma, a battle tested veteran but no where near his youthful days as a fighter. Golovkin’s most recent opponent, the European based Grzegorz Proksa, is a fighter with a style similar to that of Sergio Martinez, which is a very unorthodox style that is difficult to deal with for most fighters. Gennady Golovkin made a name for himself in his American television debut with an explosive performance on HBO, stopping Proksa in the fifth round of their main event bout at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York. But, was that enough?

    Boxing fans long for knockouts just as much as we desire to be rich. A knockout performance is a way to solidify one’s supremacy. Quieting the naysayers is a tall task, and some fight fans and boxing insiders aren’t putting much merit in the Proska win. “I personally don’t think a lot of Proksa as a fighter, I don’t think that he was a serious test for Gennady, but I would love to see Gennady in more big fights. He’s an exciting fighter, I like him personally, and he deserves the opportunity to make it to the big time and make a lot of money,” said HBO consultant Thomas Hauser.

    Hauser, a  writer and now currently an HBO consultant,  at one point was considered by many, the boxing detective, known for his investigative journalism and his extensive sources in the boxing industry. Clarifying his position at HBO Hauser stated, “I am not involved in the making of fights at HBO. I certainly put my two cents in, but I am not involved in the acquisition of fights.”

    While some people may believe that Hauser “sold out,” I on the other hand, strongly believe that some good can come out of his new role. This was evident back in March when Hauser along with a group of boxing’s elite match makers and writers conducted an experiment, one that not only showed promise but success. It’s not mystery that   Golovkin made his HBO debut against Proska, in a match up of two scarecly known Europeans. “I think he’s a good fighter, in fact one of the eye openers for a lot of people was when earlier this year I inaugurated a boxing industry poll. What I did was I put together a group of sixteen elite match makers, people that know there stuff. The first poll I did was the middleweights. I took the top thirteen middleweights in the world and said, ’What would happen if each of these thirteen fought the other twelve?’ So in other words you’d have well over a hundred hypothetical fights and then each match maker picks the winner of each fight, and at the end of the day we added up all the points, and those were our rankings. It’s probably the most valid statistical methodology you can have and matchmakers know this stuff better then anybody. Sergio Martinez was number one and Gennady Golovkin was number two. I think it was by half a point or point and a half that he edged out Dimitri Pirog at number three and then Julio Cesar  Chavez Jr. was number four. That was a real eye opener for a lot of people. It showed that, the people that really know the business and know the fighters had a lot of respect for Gennady Golovkin.”

    “Women lie, men lie, but numbers don’t lie.” The point is Sergio Martinez is king of the division for a reason, be it skill, speed, power, or math, he is the Lineal Champion and is an example of just how well this system works. “The results of fights that have occurred since that poll have certainly validated it. Now that being said, you can always have upsets.  You could have polled 100 match makers on Mike Tyson against James Buster Douglas, and I suspect 98 of them would have picked Tyson in that fight. Upsets are a part of sports and upsets are a part of boxing. So far the result of the fights and not just in the middleweight division, but the other divisions that were experimented with since, confirmed that this is a serious methodology and these rankings are certainly more creditable then any other rankings put out there by any of the world sanctioning organizations,” explained Hauser.

    Equating the facts and the statistical mathematics of the poll, mixed in with a little upset special seasoning, and Gennady Golovkin may be the man to pose the biggest threat to Sergio Martinez. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. didn’t take his opportunity seriously as was evidenced over the airwaves on HBO 24/7. Golovkin on the other hand is hungry and eager and you can believe that he will be training in a gym out in big bear and not moving sofas around in his living room to create a make shift ring to do pad work like Chavez Jr. did.

    Gennady fighting Sergio is as feasible as Sergio fighting Floyd. Golovkin will have to earn it the same way Martinez has. Golovkin is hoping and crossing his fingers that maybe WBA(Super) and IBF Middleweight Champion, Daniel Geale and his promoters can strike a deal and possibly fight him next.  “My guess is, and this is purely speculation on my part, that Geale will duck Golovkin and give up the WBA Super Title and keep the IBF Title because I don’t think he’ll want to fight Golovkin. I’ve been wrong before and I might be wrong again, but I don’t think so,” expressed Hauser.

    (Writers note: When Gary Shaw was asked of said purse bid, he said they have been given an extension and that Geale would not vacate any of his titles.)

    Boxing Industry Poll: The Middleweights: http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/14241-boxing-industry-poll-the-middleweights