20 little-known facts about Gennady Golovkin

5. Golovkin has never been the lineal middleweight champion

As stated in the previous slide, Gennady Golovkin has never been the lineal middleweight champion – although this hasn’t been due to a lack of effort. For years, Golovkin has doggedly pursued his division’s undisputed champion in a bid to wrest this historical title. In fact, Sergio Martinez, Miguel Cotto and, of course, Canelo Alvarez – the last three lineal champions at 160 pounds – all found themselves in Golovkin’s crosshairs at some juncture. And for the most part, all three deftly avoided the fearsome Kazakh.

Martinez, the slick and crafty Argentine, held the title from 2010 until 2014 in an impressive reign that included an unforgettable one-punch icing of Paul Williams and a herculean effort to stymie Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s late rally in a fight that exhibited the extent of Martinez’s class. However, Martinez’s reign was also partly defined by him chasing his own “white whale” – Miguel Cotto. By the time Martinez finally secured this marquee bout, his ailing body failed him as Cotto steamrolled his way to a stunningly one-sided victory. Meanwhile, Golovkin was treated as an afterthought.

The Martinez win was undoubtedly legacy-enhancing for Cotto, but it also began a perplexing middleweight reign that lasted a mere two bouts – both of which were fought at catchweights and saw Cotto tip the scales under the junior middleweight limit. Golovkin was understandably desperate for a shot at the great Puerto Rican, but any discerning fan knew that Cotto, undersized and also aging, would never agree to it – especially with a lucrative, and far more winnable, fight looming against Canelo Alvarez.

Canelo, however, soundly defeated Cotto in a compelling contest that silenced plenty of doubters who fancied a seemingly rejuvenated Cotto. With Canelo emerging as a viable middleweight given his thick frame and developing physique, the call for a Golovkin match was inevitable. Although Canelo played catchweight roulette with fans’ patience, the fight is finally happening, but the stretch of lineal champions starting with Sergio Martinez likely robbed Golovkin of the chance for an extended reign to match the likes of Marvin Hagler (1980-87) or Carlos Monzon (1970-77).