Major and Latest Boxing news in Ghana
Boxing: Adama stopped in 7th round
WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin did his best last Saturday night in Monte Carlo, patiently stalking challenger Osumanu Adama for seven rounds before zeroing in for the kill.
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And, like always, he got his man in the end. But far from simply blowing out his opponent, he had to work a little harder than usual to solve his tricky, safety-first style.
Golovkin’s powerful right sent the Ghanaian boxer to the canvas at the end of the first round and a quick left hook knocked Adama down in the sixth, forcing an eight count. Golovkin put Adama down again with a left jab in the seventh for another count before a left hook prompted the referee to stop the fight.
The Kazakh fighter successfully defended his belt for the 10th time to improve to 29-0, including 26 KOs. The bout was the mismatch it appeared on paper, as Adama was ranked 12th by the WBA.
Adama, whose record dropped to 22-4, 16 KO, made a concerted effort to use his reach advantage, constantly flicking out a jab to keep Golovkin at a safe distance and prevent him from getting inside where he could do damage. At some points in the fight, the strategy was highly effective, and it forced Golovkin to be more selective with his offense.
But as the fight wore on, and as it became increasingly clear that the challenger didn’t have the pop to trouble him, Golovkin settled into a rhythm, ripping hard shots to the body to zap his foe’s legs.
A hard right hand floored Adama for the second time, near the end of the sixth round, and when he came out for the bell in the seventh, it seemed that his legs, and any chance he had of winning the fight, were gone.
Golovkin dropped him a third time in the seventh with a jab, and, shortly thereafter, referee Luis Pabon stepped in to stop the fight.
With the victory, Golovkin scored his 16th consecutive knockout victory and re-staked his claim for the top spot in a loaded 160-pound division.
“I feel terrific, I’m very happy with my performance,” Golovkin said in a statement from K2 Promotions. “From the opening round I was comfortable with the fight and felt good about my power and the pace of the fight. He was a tough opponent but I was never hurt.”
