By Dan Ambrose: Saul Canelo Alvarez could be given an even bigger suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission on April 10, which will make it impossible for him to face middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in a rematch on May 5th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Nevada Commission appears to be getting serious with Alvarez after his two VADA conducted tests last February that showed that he tested positive for the PED clenbuterol. Canelo, 27, has 14 days to go before he finds out on April 10 if the Nevada Commission will be given him a lengthier suspension.
Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler has a lot of options available for GGG to fight on May 5th, starting with Demetrius Andrade, who has already thrown his hat into the ring to step in to replace Canelo. Golovkin says he wants to fight on May 5. Finding someone good enough to fill the date will be hard given that many of the best contenders are already scheduled for fights around that time.
Canelo’s two positive tests put him in hot water with the Nevada Commission for their next meeting on April 10. The Commission can’t ignore those two tests without showing the boxing that they’re willing to do something about it. Canelo says he tested positive from having eaten contaminated meat. Unfortunately that’s an excuse that has been used before, and it’s one that is hard to prove unless the person that tests positive for the drug can show when and where they purchased the contaminated meat. Perhaps Canelo has all that information on hand for his next meeting with the Nevada State Athletic Commission on April 10. Canelo will surprise a lot of fans if he does get cleared by the Commission, but right now it’s not looking good for him.
Golovkin prefers to face Canelo under the best of circumstances, but he’s not the one that will be making the call. The Nevada has to play it by the book with Canelo. If they’re going to be lenient with him, then it’ll be with the argument that the levels of clenbuterol in his system are similar to what one would see from a person that had eaten contaminated meat. But with a lot of boxing fans thinking that the Nevada Commission will clear Canelo no matter what, it’s important that the Commission show that they’re not giving the Mexican star preferential treatment due to the huge money be brings to Las Vegas with the large crowds that flock to the city each time he fights.
These are the options for GGG to fight on May 5:
• Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan – This Irish fighter was recently mentioned as a possibility for Canelo and Golovkin. It’s doubtful that Golovkin his promoter Tom Loeffler would ever seriously consider this fight. O’Sullivan is too much of an unknown for Golovkin to be fighting on May 5. Golovkin needs a big name for that date, and O’Sullivan is not someone that fans in America are familiar with. Golovkin would be better off facing the guys that have beaten O’Sullivan in the past than in facing him on May 5. O’Sullivan has losses to Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr.
• Demetrius Andrade – This former two-time junior middleweight champion has volunteered already to take the fight against Golovkin on May 5. I don’t know how much interest the boxing public would in seeing Golovkin face Andrade. He doesn’t have a fan base to speak of, which is why he’s been passed up by the more popular fighters in the sport.
• Daniel Jacobs – Golovkin already beat Jacobs last year by a 12 round unanimous decision in March 2017. There hasn’t been a demand from the boxing public to see the two of them face each other in a rematch despite their previous fight being a close one. There are a couple of reasons for that. The first reason is Jacobs used a lot of movement in running around the ring to avoid Golovkin’s attacks through most of the fight. Think of how Kell Brook fought Golovkin. That’s how Jacobs fought him. Jacobs was hitting and running, and it wasn’t very exciting to watch. The other reason the boxing public isn’t interested in seeing Golovkin-Jacobs is because the weak opposition Jacobs has fought since then. Jacobs beat bottom fringe contender Luis Arias by a boring 12 round unanimous decision last November in Uniondale, New York. Jacobs has a mismatch, and yet treated Arias like he was a knockout artist. Jacobs is scheduled to fight Maciej Sulecki on April 28 on HBO Boxing after Dark. Sulecki, 28, was picked from the junior middleweight division for Jacobs to fight on April 28. Jermall Charlo has been calling out Jacobs, but he was ignored by his promoter Eddie Hearn. He chose 154 lb. contender Sulecki for Jacobs to fight. The weak match-making that has been done for Jacobs seems like a clear sign that his promoter is trying to make sure he keeps winning long enough to get a rematch with Golovkin. Unfortunately that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Golovkin doesn’t need another runner. He’s faced three runners in a row in Canelo, Jacobs and Kell Brook. If Jacobs wants a rematch with GGG, he’s going to need to earn it by working his way into a mandatory spot and hope he doesn’t move up to 168 before then. Jacobs’ scheduled fight against Sulecki on April 28 means he’s not a good option for Golovkin to face on May 5. Jacobs can’t get back in the ring one week later after his fight with Sulecki to face Golovkin.
• Billy Joe Saunders – This would be a good option for Golovkin on May 5 if Saunders wasn’t injured with a hand problem, and if he wasn’t already scheduled to defend his WBO middleweight title against Martin Murray on June 23. Saunders has already made it clear that he doesn’t want to be the replacement for Canelo to face Golovkin on May 5th. Saunders says he’s a not a replacement opponent. Saunder’s prideful stance removes him from the equation. It’s perhaps not the smartest move for Saunders to take by removing himself as an option for GGG’s next fight on May 5, but this is a guy that has made soft title defenses against David Lemieux, Willie Monroe Jr. and Artur Akavov. Saunders looks like he’s just milking his WBO title. When Saunders does eventually face Golovkin, he’ll be looking to cash out.
• Sergiy Derevyanchenko The unbeaten Derevyanchenko (12-0, 10 KOs) might be the best option for Golovkin to fight of the bunch in terms of the excitement he brings, but I don’t know if this fight can be made or not. Derevyanchenko, 32, fights on Showtime, and getting him on HBO might be a problem. Derevyanchenko is a 2008 Ukrainian Olympian, who now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Derevyanchenko has two recent wins over Dashon Johnson and Tureano Johnson. He looked very good in both fights. Derevyanchenko is already GGG’s IBF mandatory challenger. It would make sense for Golovkin to face him, but it might not be a fight that would interest the casual boxing fans.
• Jermall Charlo – This would be the best opponent for Golovkin to use as a substitute, but he’s already scheduled to fight net month against Hugo Centeno Jr. on April 21. Jermall might have the most talent out of the bunch, but he has a fight scheduled for next month against Centeno. Charlo will likely stick it out because it’s on Showtime and that’s the network he fights on.