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Golovkin stops Rubio in 2nd, defends WBA title

By WTOP Staff

GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Gennady Golovkin climbed into the outdoor ring with an exuberant sellout crowd chanting his name. Just a few minutes later, the middleweight champion stepped down with yet another dramatic win.

Golovkin is right at home in Southern California, and the savvy fight fans in his adopted home got exactly what they craved from the biggest knockout artist in boxing.

Golovkin stopped Marco Antonio Rubio in the second round Saturday night, defending his WBA 160-pound title with his 18th consecutive stoppage victory.

Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs) punctuated his brief West Coast debut with a crushing left hand to the forehead. Rubio tumbled to the canvas and couldn’t get his wits together in time, the fight ending 1:19 into the second round.

“I liked the fight,” Golovkin said. “Rubio, he does not step back. He is a good fighter. I respect him. It was a very hard punch.”

The flourish of Golovkin’s final blows rocked StubHub Center, which was packed to standing-room-only capacity with fans of the Kazakh-born, California-trained middleweight who has become one of the sport’s most charismatic stars. The crowd of 9,323 — easily the largest turnout for a boxing event at the outdoor stadium — chanted “Triple G!” and leaped to its feet for the stoppage.

“Those cheers were not only for the fighter, but for the person he has shown to be,” said Abel Sanchez, Golovkin’s trainer.

Golovkin battered Rubio (59-7-1) throughout his 12th title defense, hurting Rubio earlier in the second round with a right hand and a left uppercut. Rubio briefly complained that the knockout punch was illegal, although television replays clearly contradicted him.

“I felt I hurt him with the left hand, and the uppercut was when he was very badly hurt,” Golovkin said. “I knew I had him. … I was happy he came forward. He fought Mexican style, and he tried to hurt me, but my power was too much for him tonight.”

Golovkin won Rubio’s WBC interim belt, which means the winner of WBC champion Miguel Cotto’s likely upcoming bout with Canelo Alvarez must either fight Golovkin or vacate the title.

Golovkin understandably has trouble attracting the world’s biggest 160-pound names, so he hopes to clean out the division by winning every belt.

“He’ll fight anyone, whoever we can get in the ring,” promoter Tom Loeffler said.

Before any fight with Cotto or Canelo, Golovkin intends to fight in Europe in February — although he would shelve those plans if Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. would agree to a pay-per-view bout.

Rubio missed weight for the fight on Friday by nearly 2 pounds, costing him the chance to fight for both titles. He entered the ring weighing 181 pounds, but Golovkin floored him with the same relentless style that has been too much for every middleweight opponent to date.

“Gennady is a great champion,” Rubio said. “He hit me hard, but it’s not the hardest I’ve been hit. I came to fight, to put on a good show. I got up, but the referee decided to stop it.”

Golovkin landed 28 power punches in just over four minutes of ring time against Rubio.

Golovkin has trained in Southern California with Sanchez for the past four years, and the Germany-based fighter is contemplating a full-time move to Los Angeles. After starting his U.S. career with five fights on the East Coast, he debuted in California with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ logo on his left hip.

He also took an extra-long ring walk through the crowd, and thousands of Mexican-American fans clearly were cheering for Golovkin instead of the Mexican Rubio.

The fight was a validation of Golovkin’s rising status and the latest highlight in his surge to the top of the middleweight division. Golovkin’s pro career foundered until he signed with the Klitschko brothers’ promotional company in early 2012, but the 32-year-old has been making up for those lost years with a busy schedule and a relentless series of knockouts.

Golovkin made his U.S. debut just over two years ago, gathering savvy fans and HBO’s promotional might with each spectacular stoppage.

“He’s collecting belts,” Loeffler said. “He wants to show he’s a super champion, and 2015 will be a huge year for him.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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