Think of a boxer from the former Eastern Bloc and the stereotypical images that come to mind are probably of an icy, distant athlete — and those are some reasons why American audiences have been slow to embrace them. The stoic and dominating Klitschko brothers from Ukraine control boxing's heavyweight division, but their popularity is so slight in the U.S. that they now fight mostly in Europe. Enter Gennady Golovkin, 31, the World Boxing Assn. middleweight champion from Kazakhstan who has been a destructive force in the sport as a pro (26-0, 23 knockouts) after a 350-fight, Olympic silver-medalist amateur career. What differs with Golovkin is his charm, his aggressive bob-and-weave...
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