Arguably the most terrifying man in boxing returns to the ring TONIGHT (Sat., March 18, 2017) as Middleweight emperor Gennady Golovkin takes on knockout artist Daniel Jacobs inside Madison Square Garden.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of “Golovkin vs. Jacobs,” starting with the HBO pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast TONIGHT at 9 p.m. ET. You can watch a live stream of the undercard here starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Golovkin (36-0, 33 KO) has knocked out 23 consecutive opponents and held at least one world title since 2010. Unanimously considered the best Middleweight on the planet and a regular feature in Top 5 pound-for-pound lists, “GGG” has recently struggled to find willing opposition, most notably unification target Billy Joe Saunders.
His last fight saw him struggle early with Welterweight standout Kell Brook before ultimately stopping him on a busted orbital.
Jacobs (32-1, 29 KO) holds the “regular” version of Golovkin’s “Super” WBA belt and owns a 12-fight knockout streak of his own, including an 85-second thumping of Peter Quillin. He’s among the division’s heaviest punchers behind Golovkin and figures to be one of his stiffest challenges to date.
The HBO Boxing PPV card will also feature arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (46-0, 38 KO), defending his super Flyweight title against Thai puncher Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (41-4-1, 38 KO) in the co-main event. Former Gonzalez foe Carlos Cuadras (35-1-1, 27 KO) will face recent world title challenger David Carmona (20-3-5, 8 KO) in the opening feature.
“GOLOVKIN VS. JACOBS” QUICK RESULTS:
Middleweight Championship: Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs
Super Flyweight Championship: Roman Gonzalez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Super Flyweight: Carlos Cuadras def. David Carmona by unanimous decision (97-93 x2, 96-94)
Lightweight: Ryan Martin def. Bryant Cruz by TKO at 0:45 of Round Eight
“GOLOVKIN VS. JACOBS” ROUND-BY-ROUND COVERAGE:
Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs
Round one:
Round two:
Round three:
Round four:
Round five:
Round six:
Round seven:
Round eight:
Round nine:
Round ten:
Round eleven:
Round twelve:
Final result:
Roman Gonzalez vs. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Round one: Straight left from Srisaket. Hook to the body. Gonzalez looks for a right hand, lands a left hook. Body shot. One minute in. Srisaket with a left downstairs. Gonzalez answers in kind. Both land their power hands. Srisaket sneaks in an uppercut. Right hand lands for Gonzalez upstairs. One minute to go. Good exchange in the center. Big right hand and down goes Gonzalez! He takes an eight count before rising. Srisaket opening up, eats a right hand. 10-8 Sor Rungvisai.
Round two: Knockdown looks a little iffy upon further review, but eh. Srisaket opening up, forcing Gonzalez back. 1-2 by Srisaket. One minute in. We’re not seeing anything like Gonzalez’s normal volume right now. Srisaket to the body. Hard left hand upstairs and a right to the body. Counter right hand lands for Gonzalez, but Srisaket doing damage on the ropes. now Gonzalez throwing back. Heavy right hands by Gonzalez. One minute to go. 1-2 by Gonzalez and another right. Gonzalez has him backing up now. Srisaket lands lefts to the body, eats a right to the body. Gonzalez opening up, throwing with the bigger Thai. 10-9 Gonzalez, 19-18 Sor Rungvisai.
Round three: Right hook to the body from Srisaket. Srisaket forcing him back, landing to the body. Combination by the Thai. Right hand by Gonzalez. One minute in. Clash of heads and Gonzalez is sporting a cut beside his right eye. Counter right by Gonzalez and they trade punches. Srisaket right in there throwing with him. Great exchanges in the center. Gonalez starting to land hard. Great exchanges. One minute to go. Both men land to the body and Gonzalez blasts him with 1-2s to force him back. Right hand by Gonzalez. Close rounds. 10-9 Gonzalez, 28-28.
Round four: Right back to the center they go, trading heavy punches. Gonzalez seems to be getting the better of it. SRisaket to the body. Ref warns them to watch their heads. One minute in. Good left hands by Srisaket as he forces Gonzalez back. He gets Gonzalez on the ropes and opens up. The strength difference is big. Srisaket muscling him around the ring. Gonzalez with a heavy uppercut and left hook. Great shots by both men. One minute to go. Big right hands by both men and there they go again. Big right hand and body shots by Gonzalez. Srisaket in there banging with him. Srisaket eats a big combination at the end of the round. That late surge won Gonzalez the round. 10-9, 38-37 Gonzalez.
Round five: Srisaket opening up with combinations. Big right hand from Gonzalez. ANother amazing exchange in the center. Srisaket rips a right downstairs. One minute in. Right from Gonzalez, body shot from Srisaket. Big uppercut from Gonzalez and Srisaket comes back with a straight left. Warned again for their heads. Right hand to the body from Srisaket and a short left upstairs. One minute to go. Srisaket backs him up with combinations, eats some in return. Now Gonzalez has him backing up. Beautiful combinations. Nasty uppercut. Srisaket giving ground and here comes Gonzalez. More right hands 10-9, 48-46 Gonzalez.
Round six: Another clash of heads as they exchange. Srisaket isn’t imposing himself like before. Good right hook lands for him. Straight left connects. Gonzalez cracks him with a straight right. Gonzalez beating him up in the pocket. Nasty body shots. Gonzalez’s head movening inside is sublime. More body shots by Gonzalez. Srisaket with a sharp right hand inside. Srisaket lands an uppercut in close. Good uppercut met by a murderous body shot that freezes Srisaket. Gonzalez unloading brutal punches to the head and body. Nasty right hand hurts Srisaket again. Gonzalez staying patient, rips him with left hands but they clash heads again. Srisaket loses a point. 10-8 with the point deduction, 58-54 Gonzalez.
Round seven: Srisaket showing some more life. Left hand lands for him, clinch. Good right hand. Back to trading in the center. One minute in. Both men landing well. Srisaket landing a bit better this round, eats a straight right. One minute to go. Combination from Gonzalez. Nice punches from both men. Another clash of heads. Right hand by Gonzalez. Srisaket ends the round with a good flurry. 10-9 Sor Rungvisai, 67-64 Gonzalez.
Round eight: Both land their power hands early. Good shots by Srisaket, eats a combination upstairs. Right hands form both men. Srisaket just firing away. Oh big shots by Gonzalez. One minute in. Huge shots near the ropes. Brutal punches. Clinch. Srisaket landing well. Gonzalez comes back with a right hand. One minute to go. Massive shots by Gonzalez. Body shot by Srisaket. 1-2 by Gonzalez. 10-9, 77-73 Gonzalez.
Round nine: Hard uppercut by Gonzalez as the exchanges continue. Big shots by Srisaket. Hard shots by Gonzalez near the corner. Back to the center a minute in. Very good exchanges in the center. Right hands from Gonzalez. One minute to go. Gonzalez is getting the better of these but eating a fair share of blows. Big right hands sting Srisaket after he lands a good sequence. 10-9, 87-82 Gonzalez.
Round ten: Good shots early from Sor Rungvisai. Heavy left hands. Right hands by Gonzalez. One minute in. Both land good right hands. Big combinations from Gonzalez. 1-2 by Gonzalez, uppercut comes back, clinch. Big flurry by Srisaket. Back to the center for more point-blank slugging. One minute to go. Srisaket outlanding him at the moment. Big left hook by Gonzalez draws a smile. Great exchanges on the ropes. 10-9 Sor Rungvisai, 96-92 Gonzalez.
Round eleven: 1-2 by Srisaket. There’s just not enough output from Gonzalez at the moment. They trade in the center. One minute in. Gonzalez backs him to the ropes, clinches. Combination by Srisaket in the center. Gonzalez still marching after him. Srisaket opens up inside. One minute to go. Body shot. Good left hand inside. Gonzalez rips a left downstairs. Good right hand to the head and a left hook on the exit. Good late work by Gonzalez, but 10-9 Sor Rungvisai, 105-102 Gonzalez.
Round twelve: Now they’re back to going blow-for-blow. Hard shots being landed. One minute in. Srisaket connects in the clinch, eats a huge left hand and walks through it. Gonzalez backing him up, landing massive blows. Huge shots. Srisaket on the retreat. One minute to go. Srisaket looking to clinch and wait it out. Gonzalez unloads once again, eats a left hand in return. They trade bombs to end the fight. Terrific stuff. 10-9, 115-111 Gonzalez.
Final result:
Carlos Cuadras vs. David Carmona
Round one: Cuadras looks for the body, eats a left hook. Carmona to the body. Cuadras with a left downstairs. One minute in. Hard right hand by Carmona. Cuadras goes to the body. 1-2 from Cuadras lands clean. Carmona to the boy. One minute to go. They trade left hooks. Nice counter right by Carmona. 2-3 from Carmona, Cuadras to the body. Left hook appears to sting Carmona, who eats three straight to the body before the bell. Close round. 10-9 Cuadras.
Round two: Carmona pops him with a jab. Left hook exchange. 1-2 by Carmona. Cuadras cracks him with a cross counter. Left hook exchange. One minute in. Carmona overhand right. 3-2 from Cuadras gets in. They exchange in the center, neither lands clean. Carmona cracks him with a counter right. One minute to go. Cuadras left hook. Carmona lands a right cross. Both men bang to the body. These are close rounds, but 10-9, 20-18 Cuadras.
Round three: Cuadras throwing hard. Counter left hook stings Cuadras. Carmona’s counter punching is on point tonight. One minute in. Cuadras with a left downstairs. Jabs from Carmona. Both land hooks to the body. Carmona lands a left hook after taking a right hand. One minute to go. Carmona jabbing the body. Cuadras with a pair downstairs and he mocks him. Carmona right hand. Both men land crosses before the bell. Actually think Carmona got the better of it. 10-9 Carmona, 29-28 Cuadras.
Round four: Hard left hook from Carmona as they exchange. Cuadras with a right to the body, clinch. One minute in. Both rip to the body. Cuadras with a glancing overhand right, eats one in return. Again with that overhand. One minute to go. Carmona with a 1-1-3. Two heavy body punches from Cuadras and they exchange shots to the midsection. Cuadras left hook. 10-9, 39-37 Cuadras.
Round five: Both land 1-2s downstairs. Left hook upstairs from Cuadras, who walks into a check hook. Overhand right lands for him, Carmona answers to the body. One minute in. I have to take an emergency bathroom break so the rest of the round is going by the announcers. Cuadras with a flurry downstairs. Carmona answers in kind. 10-9, 49-46 Cuadras.
Round six: I got back with a minute to go so I’ll score it from here. Cuadras bangs to the body, lands a left hook upstairs. Nice jab from Carmona. Both land hooks to the body. 1-2 by Carmona, clinch. Heavy hook by Cuadras and another hard one to the body. 10-9, 59-55 Cuadras.
Round seven: Cuadras lands a right hand as they trade that knocks Carmona off-balance. Ref calls it a slip. More combinations for Cuadras. Jab downstairs. One minute in. Jab exchange and a heavy uppercut by Cuadras. Good combination lands for Carmona. Carmona tries to capitalize with more body shots and winds up catching Cuadras in the jewels. Good right hand and body shot by Carmona. Cuadras sporting a cut, eats more body shots. Cuadras thumps him with a left upstairs as Carmona continues to punish the body. One minute to go. Clinch. Both bang to the body. Heavy 1-2 by Carmona and Cuadras clinches. 10-9 Carmona, 68-65 Cuadras.
Round eight: Cuadras still game, throwing low and high. Right hand from Cuadras. One minute in. Body shots. Nice uppercut and body shot by Carmona. They jab in the center. Clinch. Left hook from Cuadras, left hook from Carmona soon after. Carmona lands on the beltline, ref warns him for low blows. One minute to go. Right hand by Carmona, uppercut and left hook. Nice combination by Carmona. Cuadras appears to be fading a bit. Counter right by Carmona and they trade body shots. 10-9 Carmona, 77-75 Cuadras.
Round nine: They trade some nice shots in the center. Carmona doing a lot of good work. 1-2 by Carmona, Cuadras comes back with counters. One minute in. Good jab by Cuadras. Counter right from Carmona, clinch. Lead right lands for Cuadras and they trade body shots. One minute to go. Carmona to the body. Cuadras with an uppercut on the exit. Cuadras hurls a left hook to the body. Think Cuadras made a comeback here. 10-9, 87-84 Cuadras.
Round ten: Quick exchange in the center. Carmona still looks the fresher but Cuadras is getting in his licks. Carmona with a three-piece to the body. Both men go to the body. Hard body shots by Cuadras. One minute in. Overhand right by Cuadras. Carmona to the body after taking a 1-2. Cuadras to the body. One minute to go. Left hook by Carmona and they trade. Cuadras left hook, Carmona to the body. Cuadras finding his mark late. Straight right lands for Carmona, clinch. They exchange at the bell. 10-9, 97-93 Cuadras.
Final result: Cuadras def. Carmona by unanimous decision
Ryan Martin vs. Bryant Cruz
Round one: Cruz targeting the body early. Jabs from the taller Martin. Left hook upstairs from Cruz, who avoids a body shot. Check hook a minute in from Martin. Jab exhanges. Overhand right from Cruz. One minute to go. Quick exchange. 1-1-2 from Martin and he opens up on the ropes. Cruz looking to counter, eats a big left hook. Nice work on the ropes for Martin. Thumping left to the body. 10-9 Martin.
Round two: Good body shot from Martin. Right hand by Cruz. Martin’s hook and straight right both look good. He’s busies in the early going. Cruz working a stiff jab, lands several in a row before getting rattled by a long combination. One minute in. Cruz to the body. Left hook around the guard and they trade right hands. Both land right hands, then a 1-2 by Martin. Cruz to the body, eats a swatting right hand. One minute to go. Good exchanges. Both land well to the body. Good hook to the body from Martin, warned for low blows. Cruz to the head, eats a combination. 10-9, 20-18 Martin.
Round three: Martin continuing to land quality combinations. His left hook in particular looks excellent. Cruz throwing some good combinations, but a lot is getting blocked besides the jab. Martin rips more hooks to the body. One minute in. Good phone booth exchange. Martin walking forward, opens up on the ropes. Nice work in the corner. Cruz bangs to the body in return. One minute to go. Cruz goes to the body, eats a left hook. 10-9, 30-27 Martin.
Round four: Cruz going to the body, eats a series of hooks in return. Cruz opening up to the head, backed off by jabs and straights. Martin’s punches just seem so much more impactful. Cruz landing some perfect right hands to zero effect. One minute in. Cruz rips downstairs. 1-2 by Martin and a clean shovel hook. Counter hook. Cruz slips a left hook around the guard. One minute to go. Good jab by Cruz. Counter hook by Martin. Good trades. I actually think Cruz got the better of this round. 10-9 Cruz, 39-37 Martin.
Round five: 1-1-2 by Martin. Body shot from Martin. Both land right hands. Body shots from both men. One minute in. Cruz lands to the body inside. Nifty uppercut lands for Martin and they trade in the center. Check hook by Martin. One minute to go. They trade right hands. Cruz drills him with a right to the body, but eats a pair of big straight rights. Martin walking him down and teeing off. Cruz gets his wits back and slips the end of the flurry. He lands some jabs before the bell. 10-9, 49-46 Martin.
Round six: Cruz goes to the body, eats right hands in the clinch. Double hook to the body from Martin. Man, that left hook is a treat. One minute to go. Cruz slips an uppercut through his guard. Cruz targets the body, eats a hard right. Heavy straight right from Martin. Cruz bangs the body. Counter 1-2 from Martin. One minute to go. Counter right. 3-2 stings Cruz and Martin opens up once again on the ropes. 10-9, 59-55 Martin.
Round seven: Martin just has him so badly outgunned. Sharp counter right, then a 1-2. Body shot, then a combination on the ropes. Cruz giving ground, taking punishment in the corner. One minute in. Cruz firing back. Right hand by Martin, then another. Hard right cross. One minute to go. Cruz working behind his jab. 1-2 by Martin and he bangs away on the ropes. Cruz is on the ropes way too often. Right hand lands for him in the waning seconds. 10-9, 69-64 Cruz.
Round eight: Martin backs him to the ropes, thumps away with more combinations. Right cross, 1-2, hard combination in the corner. Martin’s throwing like he wants the finish and he gets it.
Final result: Martin def. Cruz by TKO