By Scott Gilfoid: IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and his promoter Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions have reportedly started negotiations to fight at West Ham’s Stadium in the UK against one of the following British fighters: James DeGale, Billy Joe Saunders or Chris Eubank Jr.

Just which one of the three will get the fight is unknown. Of the three, DeGale has appeared to be the most willing to fight Golovkin. Eubank Jr. and his father Chris Eubank Sr. have talked in recently about wanting to take the fight with Golovkin within a year and a half.

It’s questionable whether they would want to rush things unless they’re starting to have cold feet about the idea of facing WBA “regular” middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs. That’s a fight that Eubank Jr. will likely lose. If he’s going to lose to somebody, it’s better that he loses to the fighter that is considered to be the best in the 160lb division in Golovkin rather than Jacobs.

“[Eubank Jnr] would be the perfect scenario because he’s a self-promoter who stirs the pot,” Loeffler said to skysports.com. “We made an offer [to fight Saunders] and they didn’t turn it down, they just wanted a couple of defences to build up a future fight. DeGale is another big fight in the UK.”

It doesn’t sound like a fight against Saunders would be one that would be happening anytime son. The same thing with a fight against DeGale. That’s a fight that Loeffler says could happen at the end of 2016. However, the only way that fight takes place is if the Golovkin vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fight doesn’t happen, because those two would presumably be fighting in September on the Mexican holiday in that month.

“If they don’t make a big local fight for Eubank then that could potentially be big, but the one that makes the most sense just because he’s the champion would be a unification fight with [WBO champion] Saunders,” Loeffler said.

No way on earth do I see Saunders taking the fight against Golovkin in 2016. That’s just not going to happen. Heck, I can’t even see Saunders facing Golovkin in 2017. I think we’ll see Saunders chomping at the bit to face Golovkin after Saunders gets beaten and loses his WBO title by one of the contenders in the division. Once that happens, Saunders will be needy and likely very desperate. He’ll have nothing to lose at that point and likely look to get a payday title shot against Golovkin. I suppose the fight will still be worth it for Golovkin. I mean, it’s not as if he’s going to get a unification match against Canelo. I don’t see that happening in this lifetime.

If any of the British fighters are going to face Golovkin in 2016, I believe it’ll be Eubank Jr. He seems pretty fearless, and he has a lot to gain by taking the fight. Even if he were to lose the fight, he’d still pick up a lot of fans in the UK in the same way that Carl Froch won fans in the UK after getting whipped by Andre Ward in 2011 in the Super Six tournament. It’s a no-lose situation for Eubank Jr. if he faces Golovkin. It would make him a big name in the UK even if he loses, which obviously will be the case.