Gennady Golovkin Stops Curtis Stevens After the Eighth in an Absolute War at MSG

Gennady Golovkin's express train to the top of the middleweight division kept rumbling down the tracks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, and unfortunately for Curtis Stevens, he was on the tracks when it got there.

Golovkin (28-0, 25 KO) dropped Stevens with a crushing shot in the second round, and finally pounded him into submission at the end of the eighth in a bout that was surprisingly competitive and dramatic from start to finish.

With the referee taking careful watch at the end of the night round, Stevens corner finally saw enough and saved their fighter from further punishment. With the victory, Golovkin retained the WBA Middleweight Championship and scored his 15th consecutive knockout victory.

Stevens (25-4, 18 KO) stuck to his gameplan, and he refused to back down against the Kazakh's fearful assault. He landed several of his signature left-hooks, and even appeared to rock Golovkin on a few occasions. But in the end, he simply couldn't stand up the the firepower of the champion.

His stock should not be diminished by what was certainly a gutsy, and determined performance in the face of an opponent, who on this night, was simply overwhelming.