A Wish List for 2015

floyd5325By Spencer Brown: Perhaps the greatest moment in sport is the opening bell of a bona fide super-fight. Months of frenzied anticipation and excitement culminate in this one moment: the waiting is over, and the truth, amidst all the bluster, will finally reveal itself. Here are 5 fights that, in no particular order, will hopefully provide that special moment in 2015.

Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao

A blindingly obvious pick, but excitement is mounting that after years of talk, the two greatest fighters of their generation will finally meet in the ring in 2015. The protracted wrangling from both camps over the years has reflected poorly on the sport – how do you explain to non-boxing fans that the fight might not happen because of arguments over money, random blood and urine testing, rival television networks, rival promotion companies and a guy called Bob Arum? The greatest and purest sport known to man is reduced to a messy, bickering soap opera.

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Golovkin still interested in Froch fight

golovkin8By Scott Gilfoid: While IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) has shown little interest in wanting to mix it up with WBA Super World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs) in what would be a huge mega-fight, Golovkin is still very much interested in facing the 37-year-old Froch if he’s game.

Golovkin says he’d fight Froch in either the UK or Las Vegas, Nevada, although he prefers Vegas as the venue for the fight.

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Martin Murray will need the perfect fight to beat Golovkin

murray88By Scott Gilfoid: After hanging around for seven years as a pro and failing twice in two previous world title shots, Britain’s Martin Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs) will be getting a third title shot two months from now against what many boxing fans see as the best fighter in the 160 pound division in WBA Super World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs) on February 21st at the Salle des etoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Some fans would say that the 32-year-old Murray doesn’t deserve another world title shot. After all, he was beaten just last year by former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, and since then Murray has three wins over pedestrian opposition in Ishmael Tetteh, Max Bursak and Domenico Spada.

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Golovkin-Murray winner will be mandatory challenger to Cotto-Canelo winner

golovkin433By Dan Ambrose: A win for WBA World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs) in his next fight against #1 WBC Martin Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs) on February 21st will set Golovkin up as the WBC mandatory challenger to the winner of the proposed fight between WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs) and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) on May 2nd.

This would then put the Cotto-Canelo winner in a situation where they’ll need to decide whether it’s worth it or not to be the WBC 160 pound champion when they would soon be forced to defend their strap against a real middleweight in Golovkin.

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End of 2014 Analysis

golovkinBy Robert “Big Moe” Elmore: I can’t speak for anyone else, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the fights that 2014 gave us. There were a few stinkers and a few that I thought that were not pay per view worthy. Nonetheless, they happened and I look forward to 2015. There were those who lost their lives in the ring and some were hospitalized this year. It has to be a little disheartening to those families who support their husbands, sit ring side, let them go off for weeks on end only to see their hard work and dedication be shattered with a series of punches or a single punch.

Along those same lines, we have seen fighters train hard; put the time in only to be cheated by the judges. This is why I would never call any boxer a coward or greedy for trying to get the most money possible every time they fight.

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Golovkin getting ready for Martin Murray fight

Big Bear Lake, CA (December 16, 2014) Following a world wind International Press Tour with stops in Monte Carlo, Astana, London and Mexico City, WBA/IBO and WBC ‘Interim’ Middleweight World Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN has opened training camp in Big Bear Lake, California for his upcoming world title defense against two-time world title challenger MARTIN MURRAY, the WBC’s #1 ranked middleweight.

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Lara wants Golovkin, Mayweather and Cotto in 2015

By Dan Ambrose: After recently beating Ishe Smith and Austin Trout and being arguably robbed in his fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, WBA World junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) says he’s interested in fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr, Miguel Cotto and Gennady Golovkin in 2015.

Just which one of these three will say yes to a fight against the southpaw Lara is the big question. It’s quite possible that Lara scared away all three of them with his performance against Canelo.

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Lemieux: I’m not afraid of Golovkin

lemieux1By Dan Ambrose: #2 WBC, #5 IBF, #8 WBO middleweight contender David Lemieux (33-2, 31 KOs) did his part last Saturday in stopping the always tough Gabriel Rosado (21-9, 13 KOs) in the 10th round of a back and forth fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Referee Steve Willis halted the fight with Rosado, 28, still on his feet and fighting back in the 10th. You can make a strong argument that the fight deserved to continue on because Rosado was definitely still fighting back at the time of the stoppage. But ignoring the controversial ending, Lemieux said he’s open to fighting Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto and Peter Quillin. Lemieux specifically said that he’s not afraid to fight Golovkin, and that he only wants to fight the best.

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Reviewing the pound for pound picture

floyd93By James Sexton: It was a long time ago that the ‘pound for pound’ rankings were created to put Ray Robinson’s performances and achievements into perspective. Today, Ring magazine, (owned by Golden Boy Promotions) and many other sporting writers and websites use the formula to keep track of the most decorated athletes in the sport.

After the success of boxing in 2013, 2014 has seemed like a lackluster year and many find their lists are starting to take a different shape for the first time in a while.

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Golovkin-Murray: Martin in nearly impossible situation on 2/21

golovkin4By Scott Gilfoid: #1 WBC, #3 IBF middleweight contender Martin Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs) has twice fought for world titles in the past three years, and twice he’s come up empty.

In two months from now, Murray, 32, will be getting a third shot at a world title against arguably the best fighter in the 160 pound division in WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28 KOs).

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