20 little-known facts about Gennady Golovkin

13. Golovkin made his American debut against Grzegorz Proksa in 2012

The genesis of the Gennady Golovkin American fight fans have come to revere occurred on September 1, 2012, when Golovkin annihilated respected contender and European middleweight champion Grzegorz Proksa in five terrifying rounds. Golovkin dropped Proksa three times and essentially battered him into submission, offering a glimpse of his refined skill-set and uniquely ruthless ring craft.

However, one question did linger: At age 30, had Golovkin’s American debut come too late? That concern obviously rings hollow now, if not downright ludicrous, but at the time it made a modicum of sense. Golovkin was relatively unknown, and no one could have predicted how flawlessly he’d age. Moreover, working with renowned trainer Abel Sanchez added a more calculated aggression to complement Golovkin’s technical precision, patience and natural power.

It’s easy to forget that Proksa was a fringe top-10 contender at the time of the Golovkin fight. He had only lost once prior to facing Golovkin, and he combined a relatively slick southpaw style with respectable power. Against Golovkin, though, Proksa was exclusively reactive and unable to muster any fusillades of note. Despite being utterly outclassed, he does deserves credit for showing genuine heart and willingness to gamely absorb a beating.

Proksa was never the same after going through the Golovkin thresher. He ended his career on a 1-3 stretch (including the Golovkin loss) and hasn’t fought since 2014. Like Mehdi Bouadla, Proksa is another one of those footnotes to Golovkin’s career, but it’s important to remember that he had the gumption to accept his title shot against long odds and dutifully play his painful role in a memorable evening.