Gennady Golovkin vs. Kell Brook: Winner, Recap and Reaction

A rousing, entertaining middleweight fight between Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) and Kell Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) ended in a shocking but not altogether unexpected fashion, as Brook's trainer, Dominic Ingle, threw in the white towel in the fifth round to save his battered fighter from further damage and hand Golovkin a TKO victory at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday.

Bad Left Hook felt it was the right decision: 

HBO commentator and boxer Roy Jones Jr. apparently saw this result coming, per HBO's Max Kellerman: 

Brook admitted after the bout that Golovkin damaged his right eye, per Sky Sports Boxing: 

Brook, who courageously moved up two weight classes to challenge for Golovkin's WBC, IBF and IBO middleweight titles, was arguably the most talented fighter Golovkin had ever faced in the ring. His class showed through the first four rounds, as he drew blood from the 34-year-old Kazakh and landed several crushing blows. 

Golovkin, accustomed to simply walking through punches on his way to easy stoppage victories (23 in a row now), looked visibly frustrated at times. He swung wildly on occasion and took a few rare steps back during the action. However, his power was too much for Brook, and a barrage of punches in the fifth that went unchallenged by the Sheffield man forced Ingle to stop the fight. 

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It's not the first time the fearsome power of Golovkin has moved a trainer to throw in the towel and save his fighter from suffering irreparable damage. Per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, Golovkin put such a thorough beating on Gabriel Rosado in 2013 that his trainer, Billy Briscoe, came into the ring and threw in a towel.

While Ingle's decision may have been the right one for Brook's health, it certainly came as a disappointment to the fans at the O2 Arena and those watching around the world, as it was an entertaining back-and-forth battle through four rounds.

Brook looked shaken halfway through the first round, wobbling on a crunching left hook to the head from Golovkin with his back up against the ropes. For a brief moment, it appeared the 30-year-old Brook wouldn't be able to withstand the mythic power of Golovkin for very long.

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But unlike so many fighters before him, Brook didn't crumble, didn't retreat. He steadied himself and rocked Golovkin with a couple of hard right-handed shots late in the round, further riling up an already frenzied crowd. 

Brook's speed and creative punching helped him put together a fantastic second round. An impressive right uppercut stunned the Kazakh fighter, and blood started trickling from his nose after a few more well-timed punches.

It was a position few, if any, had seen Golovkin in before. Bad Left Hook's Tom Craze noted it was rare for someone to have success like that against Triple G: 

Golovkin's predatory instincts served him well in the third and fourth, as he cut off the ring for Brook and landed some heavy shots on the ropes.

There was still plenty in this for the Englishman, as he slipped a few wild shots from Golovkin and genuinely frustrated the titleholder.

ESPN Boxing noted Brook was hurting after four rounds:

"

.@GGGBoxing's left hand is doing some damage on @SpecialKBrook's right eye. Brook also bleeding from the nose in Round 4.

— ESPN Boxing (@ESPNBoxing) September 10, 2016"

The fifth saw Golovkin come charging out of the gate, perhaps sensing that he could end Brook even if he had to take a few shots on the way in. While Brook didn't look too dazed after an early flurry to the head and body, Ingle saw something in his fighter that he didn't like.

Indeed, as the seconds ticked away and Golovkin kept coming forward, Brook's hands started to hang by his sides, with only his head movement saving him from eating every shot. There's only so much punishment one can take from Golovkin. 

Brook deserves eternal credit for taking on this massively challenging fight, a bout so many in the middleweight division have actively avoided.

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A champion at the welterweight level, he carried his extra pounds well against Golovkin, and his speed and accuracy remained mostly intact. Unfortunately for him, much more than a few good counters and great ring IQ is needed to defeat Golovkin. 

After this bout, one has to wonder where Golovkin's next challenge will come from. This fall was supposed to be the season for a megafight with Canelo Alvarez, but the latter essentially backed out and is now facing Liam Smith at super welterweight. 

While many are still hoping Golovkin-Alvarez materializes sometime in 2017, Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole felt Golovkin might've dashed those chances by calling out another fighter after the bout: 

Another potential opponent is Daniel Jacobs, who called out Golovkin after knocking out Sergio Mora on Friday.

“I want to prove to the world that I’m the best middleweight. If GGG gets the victory tomorrow, that’s who we want," he said, per USA Today's Mike Coppinger.

Jacobs is the regular WBA middleweight champ, while Golovkin has the WBA Super version of the title. Jacobs took a step back in competition in facing Mora for a second time, but he looked brilliant with a first-round KO win over Peter Quillin in December.