GGG Pulls Through War, But the Clock Ticks

Gennady Golovkin is world middleweight champion once again - but not without the mightiest of struggles. The reality may have dawned on many on a blistering Saturday night in New York City - Triple G's days at the top are numbered.

It took a fiery twelve rounds for the Kazakh to reclaim the IBF title, but the tolls of two brutal wars with Canelo along with an eternity spent at the top, even before he broke through as a pay-per-view star, were once again on display.

Sergey Derevyachenko was probably overlooked by many, perhaps as a step up from Steve Rolls who Golovkin annihilated in the summer. He more than brought the fight to GGG on Saturday night, you could say he was even close to winning it.

We all wanted to see the trilogy, the final chapter to add to the two thrilling wars witnessed between the former unified champion and the biggest star in boxing - but who knows where that stands after Golovkin got through 12 rounds that will only shorten his career.

Image: Boxing News 24

Golden Boy Promotions and Team Canelo were likely watching with widened eyes as the fight went down in New York City - they played the waiting game and got a win over him last year, and now there is no obligation to take the risk until it's worth it - the risk has been trimmed significantly since that night.

Wary of the dangers posed by one of the most dangerous middleweights in history, Derevyanchenko's intent from the outset was to disrupt the rhythm of his opponent. It kept GGG at bay for a minute or so before he landed flush with a left hook. Moments later, a right hand landed at the top of his head sending him down to the canvas at the end of a combination.

The Ukranian needed a big response and he found it. An increase in volume - but not necessarily power - saw him back Golovkin up on several occasions, although by the end of the round a cut was visible on the right eye. The defence of the former unified middleweight champion was looking sound early on, although the body shots implemented by his opponent as the round wore on was a cause for concern.

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Like a wounded lion, Derevyanchenko continued to come forward and was undeterred. A massive body shot had the Kazakh reeling and despite trying to circle and move out the way, the underdog managed to fire off a couple more shots that left some swelling on the face of the 37-year-old.

Body shots quickly became the narrative of the fight as Derevyanchenko took advantage of the lowering GGG defensive guard to land upstairs. A couple of digs to the body, mixed in with some straights to the head before a swivel to get away from the ropes - it was proving to be a successful recipe to recover from the first-round knockdown.

The former pound-for-pound king was already exhausted with the halfway mark of the fight approaching. Leaning forward into a shell with his elbows tucked in was all the evidence we needed to see that these body shots were really taking their toll. MSG erupted when he connected with a thunderous right uppercut, but it didn't do too much to swing the fight back in his direction. Towards the end of the fifth stanza a crushing left hook to the body hurt Golovkin who once again had to survive.

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The fight continued to catch fire through the midway point, with the hand speed of Derevyanchenko causing problems for the legendary Kazakh. Both were beginning to trade in fierce exchanges in the centre of the ring, with the fight for the taking of either challenger.

Gennady Golovkin got behind his jab more in the seventh round to stifle his opponent, and other than some more body punishment dished out by his fellow European, he finished the round strong with renewed pressure.

With the jaw-dropping output from both combatants, the pace was bound to curtail and it did so in the round eight. He was on course to regain momentum but Derevyanchenko refused to go down - even when he was being caught heavy towards the end of the round.

A thunderous uppercut and crushing one-two were the highlights of a ninth round that signalled GGG back in killer mode. But much to his dismay, his opponent was not knocked out, and instead would be swivelling out at the end of combinations and firing back with some shots of his own.

The toll of fighting at world championship level has its drawbacks but also its obvious benefits. GGG was tired and a body which has been through the punishment of two brutal Canelo fights was showing damage - but he was reaping the benefit of the experience as he overcame a fatigue spell early in round ten to back up his opponent and potentially steal the round.

Seeing Golovkin recklessly swing and miss is something we've not been accustomed to but that became the norm as the fight came to an end. When he did land though, the New York City crowd erupted - as was the case in the penultimate three minutes when a left hook found its mark.

Scorecards were all over the place as round twelve began - neither fighter could be anywhere near certain that they had done enough to claim the IBF title. They scrapped and traded in the last round with a lot of clinching as the battle caught up with Golovkin and Derevyanchenko.

114-113, 115-112, 115-112, the scorecards read. Golovkin did enough but he was pushed like few have done before. If you ask a handful of GGG fans if they still wanted the Canelo rematch, you'd bet that many more are turning it down compared to the results if asked immediately after the second Canelo bout.

The Kazakh once again proved his monster chin - but if you can't land upstairs, then go downstairs. That was the formula outlined by Alvarez last September, and it was executed brilliantly by GGG's latest foe on the night.

Time has been ticking for Golovkin for a while now. Considering he burst on to the scene towards the end of his prime, there were always going to be questions. He managed to get the win but it was a brutal fight in which he had to take a tremendous amount of damage - things are beginning to phase the man who once resembled a juggernaut.

The next step for GGG needs to be a carefully calculated one. His defence has never had to be good considering the power he possesses, but maybe that will need re-evaluating. He's on thin ice to execute the right moves at such a late stage of his career.

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