Boxing News: Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin Barely Breaks Sweat Against Marco Antonio Rubio

WATCH - A slow motion replay of @GGGBoxing's 2nd round KO vs. Rubio - http://t.co/IO0gMj6jLG

— HBOboxing (@HBOboxing) October 19, 2014

Virtually everybody in the boxing world expected Gennady Golovkin to topple tough Mexican slugger Marco Antonio Rubio at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Most of those same people believed “GGG” would knock him out. Those people were right.

Golovkin barely broke a sweat against the rugged knockout artist on his way to a sizzling second round KO, giving him 18 consecutive stoppages along the way. Rubio tried his best to stand and bang with the powerful Kazakhstani bomber, but his attempts weren’t enough because early on in the second round, Rubio (59-7-1, 52 KOs) was looking up at referee Jack Riess.

Rubio was felled by a scorching right uppercut after a left hand. The punch caused Rubio to sag into the ropes, allowing Golovkin to unload until Rubio was flat on his back. Rubio barely beat the count and when he got up, he half-heartedly protested that he couldn’t hear Riess’ count.

Golovkin took his time in finding the openings Rubio gave him and once he did, the fight was over. Golovkin delivered an array of powerful punches to the head and body but Rubio took them all well until the end. Rubio stood toe-to-toe with Golovkin and appeared to want to prove that he could dispel the mythical invincibility of the popular Russian mauler. As it turned out, Rubio’s charges weren’t enough.

“I like to fight. I love this,” Golovkin said after the fight. “It is my style and it’s what I know … He is a tough guy, but [it was] not enough.”

The official time of the knockout came at 1:19 of the second round, allowing Golovkin to retain his middleweight world title and keep his professional ledger flawless. Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs) said after the fight that he wants to compete only with the best and that includes the likes of Miguel Cotto, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Canelo Alvarez, the latter of which the most likely candidate.

Walters Scores Sensational Knockout of Donaire

WATCH - Donaire hits the deck in Rnd 6 and doesn't get back up. Walters earns the win with this KO - http://t.co/w7F5mMjEUE #TweetReplay

— HBOboxing (@HBOboxing) October 19, 2014

Nonito Donaire was once regarded as the future of boxing. With his ferocious punching power laying waste to many an opponent, Donaire was hailed as the man to possibly carry the torch from Manny Pacquiao.

As it turned out, Donaire had a few stumbling blocks along the way and though he captured world titles in five different weight divisions, he never quite became the mega star that so many had expected. After Saturday night, his career as an upper echelon fighter may be coming to an end.

Undefeated Jamaican bomber Nicholas Walters was not intimidated by Donaire’s aura or his power and decided to slug with his foe. But his decision to stand and bang with one of the most feared little men in boxing wasn’t without caution; he jabbed his way on the inside and kept “The Filipino Flash” off-balance. When the opportunities presented themselves, Walters unloaded.

Donaire was rocked badly late in the third and was ruled down when his glove touched the canvas; a vicious right uppercut did the job. But when Donaire cleared his head, Walters kept pressing the attack behind the jab and eventually ended the contest with one shot in the sixth, retaining his WBA featherweight title.

After Donaire missed a wild left hook with mere seconds remaining in the stanza, Walters blasted the former champ with a perfect counter right hand. Donaire (33-3, 21 KOs) crumbled to the canvas face first and barely got to his feet before referee Raul Caiz counted him out. The official time of the knockout came at 2:59 of the sixth, giving Walters (25-0, 21 KOs) by far the biggest win of his career.