By Tom Hochbaum: Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin just fought last weekend, but it wasn’t enough. Triple G did was Triple G does: Brutally knockout a highly ranked Middleweight. This time, it was Dominic Wade. The previously undefeated Wade was coming off of an unimpressive decision victory over Sam Soliman.
While Soliman does have a very awkward style that can make it difficult to look sharp against, the fact the Soliman was the biggest test on Wade’s resume should have been an indication that Wade probably was not ready for GGG. However, with #1 ranked challenger Tureano Johnson suffering an injury, the IBF chose to promote Wade to Golovkin’s mandatory.
Golovkin was forced to either vacate the belt, something that he absolutely does not want to do as he has expressed interest multiple times in unifying the Middleweight division, or fight the relatively unknown and untested Wade. If you are a viewer that was upset with the mismatch, blame boxing politics and the IBF, but certainly do not blame Golovkin.
So what’s next? What can we look forward to as fans who clamor to see a big fight with one of the sport’s fastest rising and most exciting stars? Golovkin says he wants a big fight, and he needs one. Every great fighter needs a great opponent to showcase his skills and push him to his limit. Golovkin is no different. We may see even greater boxing ability and scarier power from the Kazakh champion once he feels like he is truly challenged. Trainer Abel Sanchez believes that there is certainly more to see from Golovkin, “I don’t think he’s ever hit someone 100 per cent,” Sanchez said. How do we tap into that potential and as fans get to enjoy the best of the best? Here’s my list of a few potential possibilities, the Top-3 in order of the most appealing for Golovkin and his fans.
1. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
The lineal Middleweight champion claimed that distinction last year by beating Miguel Cotto to claim the WBC Middleweight crown. Alvarez was allowed one voluntary defense of that title by the WBC, only by agreeing that the winner would fight Golovkin. Alvarez chose former Light Welterweight champion Amir Khan, who will be fighting two divisions heavier than he ever has against Canelo on May 7th. Canelo’s last 4 fights (5 if you include next month against Khan) have been held at a catchweight within the Middleweight division of 155 lbs. Alvarez’s promoter Golden Boy may look to steer him clear of Golovkin after Khan or attempt to impose a catchweight stipulation again. The WBC however, SHOULD strip Canelo of the title if he refuses to defend against his mandatory challenger at the full weight limit. If Canelo is stripped and Golovkin becomes the WBC champ, Golovkin’s team would be then willing to negotiate weight for the chance at a Canelo fight as Sanchez explains, “First, he wants to be unified champion and Canelo gives it up, then they can go and negotiate something at a lesser weight. Right now, it’s the principal of the thing for him.” Canelo is a versatile fighter with good power and speed in both hands. The young champion may lack the footwork to outbox Golovkin, but many boxing fans would love to find out. Both sides have reportedly met with Jerry Jones and visited the home of the Cowboys, AT&T Stadium in Texas to discuss a potential fight at the massive venue. If not this September, hopefully soon after boxing fans could be treated to a colossal event that could go a long way in determining the #1 P4P fighter in the sport.
2. Daniel Jacobs
The WBA has said recently that if Canelo refuses to fight his WBC mandatory, then the WBA will order Golovkin to fight Daniel Jacobs. Jacobs is the “regular” WBA champion, while Golovkin is the “super” WBA champion. It is in the best interests of the WBA to eliminate the need for multiple champions, and find out who is the actual champ. This could be a very interesting fight as Jacobs scored a quick 1st round KO over then undefeated Peter Quillin last year in New York. Jacobs has the kind of power that could really make Golovkin think rather than just walking his opponent down and stopping him quickly. Also, Jacobs fights out of New York City, where Golovkin recently sold out Madison Square Garden. The potential is there for a big fight in NYC and maybe even a PPV, however, boxing politics are again in play for this fight. Al Haymon is the manager of Daniel Jacobs and Jacobs typically fights on Showtime or on PBC. Golovkin has an exclusive contract with HBO. Cross-network agreements have been reached before for big fights, but it remains to be seen if that would be a possibility for this bout.
3. Billy Joe Saunders
The WBO Middleweight Champion was recently offered the Golovkin fight, but turned it down claiming he wasn’t offered sufficient monetary compensation. While the offer was reportedly the largest purse of Saunders’ career, he felt that more was due. An argument could be made that Saunders vs Golovkin could be a higher grossing fight if it were to be held at a large 60,000-100,000 seat soccer stadium in the UK over the summer. If both Canelo and Jacobs fights can’t be made, Golovkin would probably be very interested in going to Great Britain to take on Saunders for his WBO belt. The fight would do very well in Europe and it would be another step towards unifying the belts in the Middleweight division.
If plan A, B and C all fall through Golovkin may turn to options outside of his own division. James DeGale and Gilberto Ramirez hold belts at Super Middleweight and both would most likely be willing to fight Golovkin. DeGale is a talented British boxer who would be a real challenge for GGG, but he unfortunately is not a big name here in the US. Ramirez is a very big, young Mexican fighter who recently beat Arthur Abraham to claim the IBF super Middleweight belt. This too would be an extremely difficult fight for Golovkin as Ramirez would have a huge size and reach advantage. Like DeGale, Ramirez is far from a household name, but he does have a decent and developing Mexican fanbase. Ramirez is a lot less experienced than DeGale but both would pose real threats to Golovkin’s undefeated record.
Other options within the Middleweight division include Peter Quillin, Andy Lee, and Tureano Johnson. Quillin poses the same problem that Jacobs does fighting under Haymon, and he is obviously less appealing after being stopped by Jacobs last year. Lee agreed to fight Golovkin previously before the fight was canceled due to the death of Golovkin’s father. Lee possesses one-punch power that could change a fight at any time and he has already shown a willingness to fight Triple G (something not very common). However, he is also coming off of a loss and it would be difficult to convince fans that he would be a real threat to Golovkin. Johnson is a very tough fighter with an exciting style who would’ve fought Golovkin last weekend if it weren’t for his injury. Johnson’s only loss came in a questionable stoppage to Golovkin victim Curtis Stevens. Johnson is far from the big name that Golovkin is looking for but he could provide an interesting and fan-friendly bout with the talented Kazakh champion.
