My Completely Left-Of-Center Top Ten List For 2017 - #4

You knew you'd see this next fighter's name up here on this list. Sure, this list may be of the left-of-center variety, but it's not an incompetent one. Alcoholics Anonymous has a great saying, which goes that it's okay to be crazy, but not okay to be insane. I'd like to see this list as crazy, perhaps, but certainly not insane. You'd have to be completely nuts, though, not to place Gennady Golovkin on any serious rundown of top fighters. That's why he holds this year's #4 spot.

Golovkin faced the high end variety of opposition this year. Some are saying his skills have waned or that he's getting old. Those two things may be true - but I tend to think one isn't apt to look so good facing Daniel Jacobs as one is facing Sean from the internet. Funny thing about Jacobs, I felt he actually beat Golovkin. GGG, however, went on to face Canelo Alvarez and look great in doing so. Had Jacobs moved on to equally impressive competition, he too might be on his list (though I think Jacobs may well be avoided by big names and up and comers at this point).

So yes, the power punching skill set from Kazakhstan sits comfortably close to the top of this year's list. One step above Canelo, in fact, whose only other opponent in 2017 was a way over his head Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. GGG and Canelo should meet again 2018, but I worry it will be more of the same - boxing's powers that be sticking with their meal ticket Canelo no-matter what.That's too bad for Golovkin, and for Canelo, as well, as he's earning the reputation of being a member of a protected class of superstar athlete.

Ultimately, however, close or unfair loses don't matter. Just Google the names Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler, and Manny Pacquiao if you don't believe me. Sometimes hard work well done manages to ride above the moment. Just ask Golovin,

A quick aside: The middleweight division is in such an interesting place right now, that there's numerous fighters not mentioned on this list who might ultimately emerge as king, Jacobs and Billy Joe Saunders being only two.