Golovkin vs. Stevens: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

It wasn't as easy as most of his other fights, but Gennady Golovkin once again put forth a dominant effort, this time defeating hard-hitting Curtis Stevens via eighth-round TKO.

As ESPN's Dan Rafael pointed out, the victory extended an incredibly impressive streak:

Golovkin improved to 28-0 with the transcendent, unstoppable performance, while Stevens dropped to 25-4.

It was a machine-like effort from the extremely dangerous middleweight champion, as he put "Showtime" on the canvas part-way through the second round and continued to tee off on the challenger before the fight was called after the conclusion of the seventh round.

Despite the defeat, you have to give credit to Stevens.

It appeared as though this one was going to end rather quickly. After a jab-filled first round for Golovkin, the champ landed two massive left hooks in the second to knock Stevens down and leave him with a look of bewilderment, per Sports Illustrated's Bryan Armen Graham:

But Stevens held tough. 

With most of the Madison Square Garden crowd behind the New York native, he fought hard in the fourth and fifth rounds, showing some impressive heart to land some good shots.

He took a beating but still fought admirably and managed to impress many onlookers, including ESPN's Brian Campbell:

Nevertheless, Golovkin was simply on another level. 

He continually forced Stevens into the ropes where he teed off and showcased his immense power. The win may not have happened as quick as some of his other knockouts, but it was a relentless, dominant effort as he dismantled Stevens over time. 

Compubox gives us one of the many impressive stats that sums up the onslaught:

With the win, GGG's legend continues to grow. 

At least among common boxing fans, the Kazakhstan international isn't extremely well known. But as he continues to obliterate his opponents and add to one of the most intimidating knockout percentage rates of all time, he gains popularity. 

After the fight, he mentioned Sergio Martinez, the current WBC Middleweight champion, as a possible next opponent.