Gennadiy Golovkin returning to 160, still undecided about opponent says Tom Loeffler

By Boxing News - 11/08/2022 - Comments

By Jim Calfa: Gennadiy Golovkin’s manager Tom Loeffler says GGG will be returning to the 160-lb division for his next fight, but he hasn’t yet decided who he’ll face next.

#1 WBA contender Michael Zerafa recently mentioned the possibility of him facing Golovkin (42-2-1, 37 KOs) next, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

There are a small handful of fighters in the 160-lb division that Golovkin could fight to create interest and keep his popularity high. However, it’s unlikely he’ll bother facing them.

Golovkin lost his last fight to Canelo Alvarez last September, and he didn’t look very good in that contest. The general consensus is from boxing fans that the 40-year-old Golovkin looked his age and then some.

Golovkin’s options:

  • Erislandy Lara
  • Michael Zerafa
  • Esquiva Falcao

If Golovkin wanted to please his fans, he’d arrange a deal for him to face WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo or Janibek Alimkhanuly. Those are the most interesting names that Golovkin could fight at 160, but the chances of him facing either of those guys are slim.

“He hasn’t made his decision yet about what he’s going to do. He is going to go back down to 160, so we’re just waiting for everything to shake out and decide which direction he’s going to go in at 160,” said Tom Loeffler to Fighthype about Gennadiy Golovkin’s plans for his next fight.

The WBA wants Golovkin to face secondary 160-lb champion Erislandy Lara, whereas the IBF has ordered him to defend against his mandatory Esquiva Falcao. Those would be tough fights for Golovkin with the way he looked in his loss to Canelo.

It’s believed that Golovkin won’t take a risky fight for his next outing because he’ll focus on getting an easy payday against a gimme opponent. That means you can rule out Lara and Falcao because they would have a good shot at beating Golovkin at this late stage of his career.

Zerafa is the likely one Golovkin will face next, but there will be a huge backlash from fans if that turns out to be the case. The reason is that Golovkin has faced only one highly talented fighter in the last four years in Canelo, and he lost that fight.

U.S boxing fans have likely never heard of Zerafa, so the interest won’t be there. However, Australian fans will love the idea of Golovkin fighting Zerafa over there, and it can make money.

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