By Dan Ambrose: It looks like the much anticipated unification fight between WBC middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin might not be happening anytime soon unfortunately.
The two sides are locked away in negotiations for the fight, and according to fight news, one of the proposels being talked about is for the fight to marinate more so that it can grow. The idea is for Golovkin and Canelo to have another three fights to let the fight build to become a bigger fighter.
As part of the marinating idea, Golovkin would fight WBA World middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs, while Canelo faces David Lemieux or Curtis Stevens next. Who comes after those guys is anyone’s guess. I guess if Canelo fights Stevens next, he would then face Lemieux after that if those are the types of opposition that Golden Boy is going to be picking from for Canelo.
It would be a step up for Canelo from his last fight against welterweight Amir Khan. It would also be a step up for Canelo from his fights against the past their best fighters James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo. Lemieux and Stevens would be potentially tough fights for Canelo if he winds up getting hit by them. Golovkin rarely got hit in his wins over Stevens and Lemieux. He knocked them out easily. It might not be so easy for Canelo because his defense is far inferior to that of Golovkin.
It sounds good in theory about the Canelo vs. Golovkin idea of letting the fight marginate, but what happens in three fights from now when the fight is no bigger than it is now. Will another proposal be thrown out there for Canelo and Golovkin to fight three more additional tune-up fights to let the fight marinate?
It works for Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions to let the fight against the 34-year-old Golovkin marinate because he’s only going to be older by the time that the fight does take place. If the two of them do face each other in three fight’s time, Golovkin will be 35-year-old against the 26-year-old Canelo. There aren’t too many middleweights still fighting at a high level at 35. There have been some during the history of the sport that have still been able to fight at a high level at 35, but not a lot.
If Golovkin’s main focus is just on money rather than on winning titles and being the top dog in the 160lb division, then he should agree to let the fight with Canelo marinate for another one to five years. But if he cares more about the sport and unifying the titles at 160, then he needs to tell Golden Boy to forget about letting the fight marinate any longer.
Golovkin has already waited since 2014 for his fight for the WBC title. There’s no point in waiting any longer. Canelo needs to give Golovkin his WBC belt, and go on with his career fighting Golvokin’s leftovers in Stevens and Lemieux. That would be the way that I would do it if I were Golovkin. I think he’s being strung along by Golden Boy and Canelo until he’s old and gray before they do agree to give him the fight.