Ryan Garcia says he doesn’t think former unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin deserves to be voted into the Boxing Hall of Fame for what he accomplished during his 16-year pro career.
Questioning GGG’s Greatness
Garcia states that Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) didn’t beat any “great’ fighters during his career. That is true if you ignore his controversial 12-round draw against Canelo in their first fight in 2017. Gennadiy had tried to fight Alvarez starting at age 32, and had to wait until 35 before the Mexican star fought him for the first time on September 16, 2017.
GGG made 20 consecutive title defenses of his various belts from 2010 to 2018, which tied a record held by Bernard Hopkins. That was impressive.
Golovkin’s best career wins:
- Daniel Jacobs
- Ryota Murata
- David Lemieux
- Kell Brook
- Sergiy Derevyanchenko
- Daniel Geale
- Matthew Macklin
- Curtis Stevens
- Vanes Martirosyan
The Hall of Fame Debate
“For one, GGG never had any real great victories. Who did he beat?” said Ryan Garcia to the InsideTheRingShow, who questions whether Gennadiy Golovkin belongs in the Boxing Hall of Fame. “The one thing I can give him is that he was one of the superstars in boxing for a long time.
Ryan doesn’t say who he thinks Golovkin needed to beat to be Hall of Fame worthy. Many of the fans who were around when GGG fought Canelo Alvarez for the first time on September 16, 2017, believe he deserved a win in that fight. A lot also felt that Golovkin should have won the second contest as well, as he rallied down the stretch after the Mexican star faded.
“For me, it’s hard for me to put somebody in the Hall of Fame. I can’t give him that nod,” said Garcia.
Canelo, Crawford, and Comparisons
You can argue that quality-wise, Golovkin has a similar resume to Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. Both of those fighters are destined for the Hall of Fame. They won many fights, but against older, lesser opponents. Neither of them beat better fighters than the guys GGG defeated.
By Sean Jones — Senior Boxing Writer, Covering the Sport Since 2016.
Last Updated on 10/06/2025
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