Meister der Farbe » ent wasnt as smart as it was back in Arm

Ever since the Gennady Golovkin-Kell Brook match was announced, pundits and fans alike have been figuratively digging the Englishmans grave. A suicide mission, you say? Well, not quite but GGG, the unified middleweight titleholder, has been installed a prohibitive 8-1 favorite to hand Brook, who owns a welterweight belt, his first defeat, if not his head.Fans on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean have done little but ridicule the match from the get-go. They are cock-sure the boxer who calls himself The Special One isnt anywhere near special enough to beat Golovkin. His destiny is preordained. Hes going to be victim No. 36. No doubt about it.But dont expect Brooks ring walk to be accompanied by that old Tom Waits song, Whistling Past the Graveyard. The 30-year-old fighter from Sheffield sounded supremely confident fight week and told the media that he felt like a monster. Lets just hope he wasnt talking about the Cookie Monster.Not everyone in the U.K. is as convinced as Kell that he can pull a Randolph Turpin. The result of a Sky Sports poll favored Golovkin by a surprisingly narrow 54 to 46 percent margin. Nevertheless, you cant help but wonder how many Brook votes were of the wishful-thinking variety.Understandably, the foremost reason Brook is an overwhelming underdog is that hes going up against a man many considered todays finest fighter, pound-for-pound. Theres also been a lot of gibberish about the fact that Brook is a welterweight titleholder challenging a middleweight titlist.Rather than another insurmountable obstruction, however, the history of such matchups is one area where Brook can take solace. Some welterweights have succeeded and some have failed, so lets take a look at some examples and see what light history can shed on Saturdays showdown at Londons sold-out O2 Arena (HBO, 5:30 pm ET).Three who failedCeferino Garcia Draw 10 Henry Armstrong Los Angeles, May 1, 1940The Setup: Armstrong entered the ring at Gilmore Stadium as the reigning world champion of the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight divisions, a unique feat that has never been duplicated. After Joe Louis, he was the biggest star in boxing. He had successfully defended the welterweight title with a competitive decision over Garcia two years prior, and when the Filipino won a version of the middleweight title, Armstrong set his sites on becoming the simultaneous ruler of four weight classes.The Fight: Homicide Hank fought as he always did, applying relentless pressure, head on his opponents chest, digging away like a coal miner. Garcia, who held an 11?-pound advantage, tried to match Armstrong punch-for-punch on the inside but was much more successful when he took a step back and flashed his famous bolo punch. Referee George Blake, the lone arbitrator, called it a draw.The aftermath: The majority of observers thought Armstrong was robbed. The Associated Press, for example, had it 6-2-2 in the challengers favor. Referee Blake, who never worked another fight, raised additional suspicion when he left the ring immediately after the final bell without rendering a decision. How bizarre is that? Later he claimed hed deducted points from Armstrong for low blows and butting, but the rumor persists that Blake also muttered something about Armstrong having enough titles already.What does this fight tell us about Golovkin-Brook?: The whole affair had a weird vibe -- 10 rounds instead of 15, Blakes behavior, the A-side losing a hotly debated decision. If nothing else it reminds us that boxing is an anarchistic endeavor and anything can happen. And dont forget Golovkin-Brook is taking place on Kells home pitch.Gene Fullmer KO 10 Benny Kid Paret Las Vegas, December 9, 1961The Setup: Three months after regaining the welterweight championship from Emile Griffith in a demanding contest, Paret challenged Fullmer, who was making his seventh defense of the middleweight title. It proved a dreadful mistake.The Fight: As was his wont, Paret gave it everything he had but was no match for Fullmer, one of the toughest and roughest middleweights in history and frequently fought like a billy goat. A near-exhausted Paret was floored three times in the 10th round, the final knockdown leaving the Cuban flat on his back for the full count. Unknown to the general public at the time, Benny had been suffering debilitating headaches for some time and, in all likelihood, entered the fight already suffering CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).The Aftermath: The Fullmer match eerily foreshadowed the tragedy that took place in Parets next fight, when he was battered into a coma in the 12th round of a rubber match with Griffith and never regained consciousness. That was just three months after absorbing a savage beating from Fullmer. Benny was only 25 at the time.What does this fight tell us about Golovkin-Brook?: While boxers put their lives on the line every time they step into the ring, Brook has never taken the sort of pummeling that Paret did in many of his fights. It is, therefore, highly unlikely that Brook would suffer a similar fate. Even so, the risk remains, as we are reminded far too often.Carlos Monzon TKO6 Jose Napoles Puteaux, France, March 9, 1974The Setup: Napoles and Monzon had dominated their respective division for a number of years and by the time they fought their Hall of Fame credentials had already been established. It looked like a great match on paper but quickly turned into rout.The Fight: Napoles simply could not get past Monzons jab and was an easy target for the defending champions chillingly accurate right hand. After taking a steady thrashing for six rounds, the bleeding and dizzy Mexico-based Cuban didnt answer the bell of the seventh. Nobody called him a quitter.The Aftermath: They carried on almost as if nothing had happened. Both continued to enjoy success in their respective weight classes. Napoles called it a career after losing the title to John H. Stracey in December 1975, while Monzon retired still champion following his June 1977 victory against Rodrigo Valdes.What does this fight tell us about Golovkin-Brook?: This was one of the times when size really made a huge difference. Standing 511? with a 76 wingspan, Monzon had a four-inch height and reach advantage. Moreover, at 159? pounds, he was six pounds heavier than his challenger. Brook, however, has reinvented his physique and is looking bigger and fitter than ever. Hes only 1? inches shorter than GGG and if he loses, it wont be because Golovkin is the bigger man.Three who succeededSugar Ray Robinson TKO 13 Jake LaMotta Chicago, June 5, 1951The Setup: Robinson won the welterweight title that had been vacated by Marty Servo (who Ray had already defeated twice in non-title bouts) by outpointing Tommy Bell on Dec. 20, 1946. By August 1950, his sweetness has made five successful defenses but was also fighting middleweights and couldnt wait to get reigning champion LaMotta back in the ring. After all, hed already beaten him in four out of five non-title bouts and was overdue for a title shot.The Fight: Thanks to his Bronx Bull nickname, many contemporary fans think that LaMotta was a one-dimensional brawler. But most of the raging bull stuff took place outside of the ring. In his own way Jake was also a good boxer and in several of the early rounds actually outjabbed Sugar Ray. But when Robinson unloaded a devastating flurry in the 13th round, referee Frank Sikora stopped the fight with a blood-smeared LaMotta swaying on the ropes, out on his feet.The Aftermath: Although Robinson was arguably at his best at welterweight, his most famous fights were at middleweight. He lost and regained the 160-pound championship four more times before retiring in November 1965, his status as the greatest fighter of all time secure long before then.What does this fight tell us about Golovkin-Brook?: Its a prime example of a welterweight champ successfully moving up and claiming the middleweight title from a strong, determined champion.Carmen Basilio W 15 Sugar Ray Robinson Bronx, New York, September 23, 1957The Setup: Basilio had stopped Tony DeMarco in June 1955 to annex the welterweight title and start an incredible streak of being in The Rings Fight of The Year four years running. The second fight in that series was his split decision victory against Robinson.The Fight: The 153?-pound Basilio took the fights to the 160-pound Robinson throughout much of the bout, and although he was repeatedly speared by left jabs as he worked his way inside, he kept coming. At times, especially in the later round, it looked like Sugar Ray might wilt under Basilios unyielding attack. But he always rallied back, and there was little to choose between them at the final bell.The Aftermath: Robinson won the rematch the following year in another sensational Fight of the Year. The decision was split again, and when you get right down to it both fights could have gone either way.What does this fight tell us about Golovkin-Brook?: Neither Basilio nor Robinson was diminished by their loss, and if Golovkin-Brook is anywhere near as good as the Basilio-Robinson wars, even the loser will cover himself in glory.Emile Griffith W 15 Dick Tiger New York City, April 25, 1966The Setup: Griffith was a three-time welterweight champion by the time he challenged Tiger for middleweight supremacy, a classic matchup between two iconic boxers now enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.The Fight: Even though he only weighed 150? pounds, Griffith edged Tiger to take the title in a rather uneventful affair in which the fighters styles nullified each other. Not everybody agreed with the decision but it wasnt the sort of verdict that caused a public outcry. Compared to all the stirring fights Tiger and Griffith gave us, it was a dud.The Aftermath: Griffith took the commission to court in a vain attempt to keep both titles. Apparently the boxing establishment wasnt as smart as it was back in Armstrongs day, so Emile was forced to choose, and decided to keep the middleweight belt. Tiger hardly skipped a beat and upset Jose Torres to win the light heavyweight championship in his very next fight.What does this fight tell us about Golovkin-Brook?: Among the very best practitioners of the Noble Art, style is often the deciding factor and if youre good enough a loss doesnt necessarily mean all that much in the long run.What will all of this mean Saturday? Maybe nothing. The cover headline on the Boxing News preview issue was Mission Impossible, and thats coming from the venerable British weekly (since 1909), which tends to favor U.K. fighters whenever feasible. But if Golovkin wins as expected it wont be because he grew into a middleweight before Brook did. It will be because hes a better fighter. Celtics Jerseys China . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany h