IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“Middleweights Daniel Geale and Darren Barker knuckle up under the lights of the Revel Resort, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday night. While a bit of a sore thumb—a bout featuring two commonwealth fighters with one prior HBO appearance between them—Geale-Barker will produce the kind of legitimate opponent Gennady Golovkin has pursued for a year. Having hitched its wagon to Golovkin, it makes sense for HBO to televise Geale-Barker with the express purpose of delivering the winner to him. Of course, Zeno’s paradox of motion makes sense, too, but neither it nor the above scenario has anything to do with reality.”

Read Off the Radar: Daniel Geale-Darren Barker Preview on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“It was not the apocalyptic display of destruction that white-knuckled enthusiasts of the next big thing anticipated. The protracted and gory assault middleweight Gennady Golovkin subjected Gabriel Rosado to on Saturday night at The Theater in Madison Square Garden was almost understated. Expectations of decapitation, of stiff limbs and heaving chests, silent crowds, and chilling recumbence went unfulfilled. Indeed Rosado, a heavy underdog, never even suffered a knockdown. And yet, despite the absence of such drama, the fight—which Golovkin won by TKO in the seventh round—spoke loudly to the very real danger he represents.”

Read “BRICKWORK: Gennady Golovkin TKO7 Gabriel Rosado” on The Cruelest Sport.

IBR on The Cruelest Sport

“Last seen bludgeoning Grzegorz Proksa over five rounds last September, middleweight Gennady Golovkin returns to action on Saturday night at The Theater in Madison Square Garden. Setting hearts aflutter in confirming his reputation for rough treatment, Golovkin has become one of a handful of fighters whose fights generate enthusiasm regardless of the opposition. He has yet to fully profit from his burgeoning popularity, as the Proksa fight has discouraged a number of familiar middleweights from risking exposure to Golovkin’s brand of hurt.”

Read “Rough Treatment: Gennady Golovkin-Gabriel Rosado Preview” on The Cruelest Sport.