Obviously, there is a difference in the physiology of a 25-year-old’s body and a 40-year-old’s body. There is also a difference between the physiology of a 33-year-old body and that of a 40-year-old body.
But when it comes to 40-year-old Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin in his upcoming third opportunity against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, age, to a large extent, IS just a number.
I’m not saying there isn’t a small decrease in speed, recovery, and reaction time on a post-prime Triple G. People get old. What I am saying, though, is that age is not going to be the final, overwhelming determining factor that fans and the media will play. The fact that Golovkin has passed five months since his 40th birthday won’t matter much in the ring this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
First of all, this is not 1965. High-level boxers routinely compete at an elite level into their 30s and 40s these days.
Golovkin, especially, fits the profile of a fighter who can (and does) compete at a high level beyond his physical prime. He is definitely not the Israel Vazquez type, physically broken and mentally battered after countless wars.
Gennadiy Golovkin is a 40-year-old fighter with the build of a 35-year-old fighter in an era where 35 is not that old.
The Kazakh spent his best years against tailor-made opposition, barely breaking a sweat and rarely making it past 7 or 8 rounds. In fact, from 2011 to 2016 (his physical prime as a main stage fighter), he averaged just under 5 rounds per fight and suffered virtually zero actual damage from any of his exhibition squashes. From 2017 onwards, he has gone more rounds but has fought less often. He also suffered minimal damage in those fights. Actually, you could say that the only real, traditional boxing war he has been in, over the course of 16 years as a professional, was against Sergey Derevyanchenko in 2019.
The grind of war hasn’t worn Triple G down. However, the grind of training could be a legitimate aging factor. The training required for 44 professional fights and 350 amateur fights will age a man, take some of the life force out of him. But it’s not like Canelo was sitting on the beach, drinking Coronas under an umbrella while Golovkin was doing street work and training. The Mexican has 61 professional fights, a short amateur career of his own and a much busier schedule than Golovkin has in recent years.
One factor working in favor of an older Golovkin (which has been sold as a handicap in some circles) is the weight gain to 168 pounds. out of her 160-pound comfort zone for his entire career. Historically, older fighters moving up in weight have benefited from the change. Less work required to shrink down to fight weight generally means less energy exerted in camp, and in turn, more juice left over for fight night.
An older fighter, not too far past his prime and still with his “mojo” (and Golovkin still has it), will also be a smarter fighter, more able to control his pace and generally fight smarter. and efficient.
The picture some paint is of Canelo devious messing with a wobbly old Triple G. If it was, in fact, Team Canelo’s plan to wait until Golovkin was irretrievably old to make this third fight, then they chose evil. time to do it
Golovkin is not a physically handicapped fighter by any real measure. The diminished returns in recent fights have been a product of complacency and comfort (of a comfortable 6-fight DAZN deal) far more than physical decline.
The Kazakh KO artist can still fight at the highest level when and if the occasion calls for it…and this occasion DOES. The question will be whether he can summon fire after he has been quenched by comfort and entitlement for so long. THAT is the big question in Saturday’s contest, not age.
