• Middleweight

Macklin stopped in third by brilliant Golovkin

Matthew Macklin has now lost there of his last four fights © Getty Images

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Undefeated German middleweight Gennady Golovkin stopped English challenger Matthew Macklin in the third round on Saturday night to successfully defend his WBA and IBO titles.

Golovkin improved to 27-0 with his 24th knockout and 14th in a row, using a left hand to the body to flatten Macklin (29-5) just over a minute into the third. Golovkin dominated the first two rounds, landing several hard combinations.

"It was an easy fight for me," Golovkin said. "I felt great in the ring. He never hurt me. I was very happy with my performance."

Golovkin has made five successful title defenses and has not gone the distance in a fight since June 2008 against Amar Amari in an eight-round bout.

Macklin has lost three of his last four fights -first on a split decision to Felix Sturm in June 2011 for the WBA super-middleweight crown, before dropping another title shot in March 2012 to Sergio Martinez.

"He never really let me get started," Macklin said. "It was a great shot he landed. I tip my hat to him. He's a great champion. He has plenty of clubbing, solid power, and you can feel the weight of every punch he throws."

There was talk after the bout of a potential fight between Golovkin and Martinez, the WBC middleweight champion. Martinez, however, is nursing knee and hand injuries, and isn't expected to resume boxing until 2014.

"I want to fight again very soon," Golovkin said. "I want to fight any belt-holder, any champion, and any top fighter, anywhere.

Another possible opponent for Golovkin is Andre Ward - something that the 31-year-old would like to see made - but a bout with unbeaten welterweight star Floyd Mayweather Jr is what the Kazakh sparrer is dreaming of.

"Right now my focus is on middleweight," Golovkin said. "In the future, yes. I respect Andre. He's the best super-middleweight champion. I think it's a great fight for everybody.

"This [a fight with Mayweather Jr] is my dream. [It's] a big present for me. This is business."

This article first appeared on ESPN.com

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