By Dan Ambrose: IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez has his doubts whether WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) and his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions will negotiate a fight with Golovkin to fight him next. However, Sanchez isn’t worried if the Canelo-Golovkin fight doesn’t take place next, because he believes that Golovkin has a lot of other options available to him besides just Canelo.
Sanchez says Golovkin can fight his IBF mandatory challenger Tureano Johnson, the winner of the Billy Joe Saunders vs. Andy Lee fight for the WBO title, or WBA “regular” middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs.
Sanchez said to ESPN Deportes that he would “not be surprised” if Canelo and his promoters failed to negotiate the fight with Golovkin. “Right now there is a mandatory fight for Golovkin against Tureano Johnson, his IBF mandatory challenger, and Daniel Jacobs just beat Peter Quillin. He [Jacobs] is with [adviser] Al Haymon. I don’t know if we can negotiate with him.[WBO middleweight champion] Andy Lee is also having a big fight with Billy Joe Saunders [on December 19th], so there are possibilities. Canelo is not the only one,” Sanchez said.
Canelo might not be the only one out there for Golovkin to face, but he’s the one with the WBC middleweight title that Golovkin wants to capture. If the World Boxing Council allows Canelo to hold onto the WBC title without fighting Golovkin next, then we’ll likely see Golovkin facing his IBF mandatory challenger Tureano Johnson next. It’s extremely doubtful that the winner of the Andy Lee vs. Billy Joe Saunders fight will agree to fight Golovkin next. I don’t see that happening.
I know that Andy Lee has talked about possibly being interested in fighting Golovkin, but when push comes to shove, I don’t think he’ll take the fight. Lee can make good money milking his WBO title and he doesn’t need to face a destroyer like Golovkin and get knocked out. Golovkin can also forger about a fight against Daniel Jacobs, because that’s not a doable fight. Jacobs is with adviser Al Haymon, and he’s a guy known for having his fighters face opposition that they have a very good chance of beating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC_IVHCgpqc
I don’t think Haymon is going to give a green light to letting Jacobs fight someone that would likely KO him like Golovkin, even though the money would be very good for a fight between them. Haymon needs to consider putting Jacobs in with Golovkin, because Jacobs will soon be facing the winner of the Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Gary O’Sullivan fight, and Jacobs could lose if it’s Eubank Jr. that he winds up facing. I think Jacobs would make more money fighting Golovkin than he would against Eubank Jr. For that reason, Haymon needs to consider putting Jacobs in with Golovkin as soon as possible.
“With that time [eight weeks] is enough to prepare,” Sanchez said about Golovkin needing only eight weeks to get ready for the 25-year-old Canelo. “He [Golovkin] always comes in 170 or 169 pounds at the camp, so no problem. He’s a professional fighter,” Sanchez said.
Canelo can be ready in eight weeks for the Golovkin fight as well, but I think Canelo will come in above 170lbs though. We’re probably looking at the 180s for Canelo, or even more if the fight has a weight limit of 160lbs. I don’t think Canelo will ever agree to fight Golovkin above the 155lb catch-weight division that Canelo has created.
If the WBC tries to force Canelo into fighting at 155lbs for the weigh-in limit, I think Canelo will drag his feet, and vacate the WBC title rather than face Golovkin at the normal weight of 160lbs for the middleweight division. But just for the sake of argument, I think Canelo would come in even heavier after rehydrating if he were to agree to 160.
Thus far, Golovkin hasn’t said anything about giving Canelo’s camp the 155lb catch-weight that they want. However, it’s always possible that the weight will be agreed upon behind closed doors. If Golovkin gives in to Canelo’s team’s wishes for a fight below the 160lb weight limit, then it could open the door for Canelo’s other fights as the WBC middleweight champion to be conducted at a catch-weight of 155lbs if he’s able to beat Golovkin.
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