By Allan Fox: IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin says he’s ready and willing to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. if the 39-year-old superstar chooses to return to the ring in the near future. Golovkin says he thinks he would knockout Mayweather if that fight happens and he’d like to turn the fight into a real “Drama show” if given the chance to fight him.
Golovkin says he would prefer to fight Mayweather than WBC middleweight champion Sail Canelo” Alvarez because Mayweather is the pound for pound champion and he likes that fight much better. Mayweather has sized Golovkin up and says he sees no “special effects” with him and that he’s straight up and down. However, Mayweather hasn’t agreed to take the ultimate plunge by agreeing to step inside the ring with Golovkin.
The Kazakhstan fighter says he would come down to 154 to fight Mayweather if he agreed to fight him. Mayweather fought Csanelo at 152 in 2013, so there shouldn’t be any sticking point in him fighting Golovkin at a couple of pounds heavier than that.
“Absolutely,” said Golovkin when asked by TMZ.com if he thinks he can KO Floyd Mayweather Jr. “I’m ready to fight anybody. I’m champion. This is my dream [to fight Mayweather]. I’m ready for big drama show. Maybe this is possible [to KO Saul “Canelo” Alvarez as well as Mayweather]. This is boxing.”
It’s very likely that Golovkin would have little problems knocking Mayweather out if that fight were to happen. As good as Mayweather is, he can be hit, and we know that Golovkin has one-punch power that can end a fight at a moment’s notice. One slip up by Mayweather and it would be all over.
Mayweather is retired now since his win over Andre Berto last September. It’s up in the air whether Mayweather is going to return to the ring. Right now, he seems to be happily retired from the sport and is said to be making $1 million per month on investments. However, with the way Mayweather is spending his fortune, it’s quite possible he could burn though his fortunate estimated at $400 million and then may need to come back to boxing at some point. Golovkin will obviously be waiting for Mayweather if he does come back.
In response to a question of whether he’d prefer a fight against Canelo or Mayweather, Golovkin said “Floyd. He’s pound for pound champion.”
It’s a no brainer for Golovkin to want the Mayweather fight. It would be a much bigger fight than if he were to fight the guy Mayweather beat in Canelo. Golovkin can get the fight against at any time in the future, but a fight against Mayweather is a once in a lifetime type of affair.
When asked if he wants to see Mayweather fight Manny Pacquiao a second time, Golovkin said “No. It’s not interesting for people. People watched the fight. Yeah, exactly [it was boring],” said Golovkin.
There would be a lot of interest in a second fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much interest as in the first fight because of the fight being so dull. A lot of boxing fans felt ripped off from the lack of action in the fight and the high prices they were charged by the event organizers.
If Mayweather does come back, he would likely take a fight he thinks he could win against someone like Pacquiao or Danny Garcia rather than a fight he would have a good chance of losing against a puncher like Golovkin. Mayweather would have no margin of error against Golovkin due to his big power. Mayweather would need to pitch a shutout by not getting hit at all to have a chance of beating Golovkin.
Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) will be fighting unbeaten Dominic Wade (18-0, 12 KOs) this Saturday night on HBO Championship Boxing from the Forum in Inglewood, California. This fight could lead to a much bigger one for Golovkin against Canelo if the two of them win their next fights.