Golovkin destroys Macklin in 3!
Powerful World Boxing Association & International Boxing Organization World middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (27-0, 24 KOs) stopped challenger Matthew “Mack The Knife” Macklin (29-5, 20 KOs) with a lethal body shot in the third round, headlining tonight’s HBO Triple-Header, presented by K2 Promotions and DiBella Entertainment, in the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
Golovkin stalked the game Irishman and finished the fight at 1:22 of the third round with a vicious left hook to Macklin’s ribs, sending a strong signal to the entire 160-pound division that the Kazakh is a true force.
“My perfect position for that body shot,” Golovkin commented. “I want this fight (vs. Sergio Martinez). I felt great in the ring, he never hurt me. It was an easy fight for me. I want to fight against soon. Any top fighter, any champion, any belt holder….anywhere.”
“He’s the best I ever fought,” a game Macklin said. “He never really let me get started. It was a great shot he landed, the left hook to the body is personally one of my favorites. I tip my hat to him; he’s a great champion. He has clubbing, solid power and you can feel the weight of every punch he throws.”
The 10-round co-feature between super middleweights Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen
(21-0-2, 13 KOs) and Brandon “Flawless” Gonzales (17-0-1, 10 KOs) battled to a draw (96-94, 92-98, 95-95) in their HBO debuts. Oosthuizen, the International Boxing Organization (IBO) champion, stormed back to win the last five rounds on two judges’ scorecards. South African southpaw Oosthuizen is rated No. 5 byThe Ring Magazine, International Boxing Federation (IBF) and WBA, while Gonzales is ranked No. 10 by the IBF.
“I felt sluggish the first two rounds and then I found my rhythm. I thought I won the fight. I’d give him an immediate rematch if he wanted. I want to come back to fight in America soon and I want to fight Mikkel Kessler.”
“I feel good,” Gonzales remarked. “I absolutely won the fight. I landed the harder punches and out-boxed him. I did everything I had to do, unfortunately, the judges didn’t think so. We’ll go back to the drawing board and figure out where to go from there.”