Dominant Golovkin crushes Rubio

It was his 18th consecutive win by knockout and his 28th in 31 pro fights, adding the interim WBC belt to the WBA title he previously held.

Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole reported: "Rubio took a little of the shine from Golovkin by putting forth a horrid effort. He missed the 160-pound middleweight limit at Friday's weigh-in and though he had two hours, he didn't try to make it. Then he ballooned up to 181 pounds after rehydrating and seemed to move in slow motion during the fight."

Iole added that Golovkin connected on 45 of the 99 punches he threw, including an uppercut that badly hurt Rubio before finishing him off with a powerful right that landed on the forehead, leading referee Jack Reiss to count him out.

"This is exactly the fight I wanted," Golovkin said. "Rubio came forward and fought like a true Mexican. I felt good when I hit with the left hand. The uppercut, I wanted to use and I'm glad it was the defining punch of the fight."