Golovkin vs Macklin results: Gennady Golovkin marches on, scores KO-3 win

Tonight we were supposed to learn whether or not Gennady Golovkin had been overhyped, as he faced off with career-best challenger Matthew Macklin. One-word answer: Nnnnnope.

Golovkin (27-0, 24 KO) shook Macklin (29-5, 20 KO) on several shots through the first two rounds and change before ending it quickly and viciously with a crushing body shot that put Macklin down for the 10-count in round three, making his best opponent to date look as overmatched and underpowered as everyone else has been so far.

After the fight, Golovkin said it was a "regular fight" for him, and there's really no arguing with that based on the evidence we saw tonight. Macklin is a very tough, solid fighter who has more than held his own with the likes of Sergio Martinez and Felix Sturm, not exactly bums. Against Golovkin, he looked positively feeble.

Take a deep breath and really consider this: Based on this fight and what we saw from Sergio Martinez earlier this year against Martin Murray, do you really still have Sergio No. 1 in the division, or is that more a function of him being the "real" champion at 160? In other words, do you really consider Martinez, at this very moment, a better fighter than Golovkin?