Gennadiy Golovkin won just five of his 42 victories by decision and went nine years without hearing the judges’ scorecards.
Gennadiy Golovkin, one of the greatest amateurs in boxing, and a legend of the middleweight division boasted heavy-handed knockout power, as well as supreme skill and intelligence.
Golovkin won a silver medal after his brother stepped aside, allowing him to represent Kazakhstan at the Athens Olympics.
The Kazakh has faced a host of fighters, most notably Canelo Alvarez, but one showed true grit in the face of brutal punishment.
Gabriel Rosado’s trainer feared for his life against Gennadiy Golovkin
In 2013, Golovkin defended the IBO world title against Gabriel Rosado, who argued with Devin Haney recently, in a fight that saw Rosado bravely face the heavy hitter despite blood blurring his vision.
In footage that can be found on CalfKicker.com, Rosado’s trainer can be seen pleading with his father:
“Chino I’ve gotta stop it, your son’s gonna die, man. He can’t see the punches.”
The towel was thrown in seconds later, securing Golovkin a seventh-round TKO victory over the brave Rosado.
Rosado has now retired from boxing, with a record of 26-17-1. At the time, his record was 21-5, and despite the losses he’s accumulated since the Golovkin fight, Rosado remains a brave fighter who was willing to take on any challenge.
Gabriel Rosado almost beat Gennadiy Golovkin’s most durable foe
Seven years after falling short against Golovkin, Rosado took on Daniel Jacobs, who was 36-3 at the time.
Jacobs lost for the first time to Golovkin in 2017 but was the first man to go the twelve-round distance with the Kazakh. The only other was Sergiy Derevyanchenko, who forced Golovkin to dig deep.
Rosado lost to Jacobs on a split decision, but the contest was extremely close, and the final scorecards read: 115-113, 115-113, 113-115 in Jacobs’ favor.
Golovkin saved Olympic boxing recently ahead of the 2028 LA Games, after retiring with a record of 42-2-1.