Sergio Martinez: Golovkin vs. Canelo Not Likely For 4 To 5 Years

By Carlos Boogs

Former two division world champion Sergio Martinez does not expect a fight to take place in 2017 between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin.

Earlier this year, the World Boxing Council ordered Canelo to make mandatory defense of the WBC middleweight title against Golovkin in the upcoming fall. Canelo (47-1-1, 33KOs) made a decision to vacate the title, which the WBC handed over to Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs).

Canelo has since announced his return to the junior middleweight division, where he will challenge WBO world champion Liam Smith on September 17th. Canelo's last five fights have taken place at a catch-weight of 155-pounds.

Martinez does not see that fight happening for at least four to five years, when Golovkin is closer to 40-years-old. The two camps have a "verbal agreement" to fight next September, but Martinez does not see that happening.

"I don't know why he [vacated the title]. But I can tell you that the fight will never happen. For the very least it won't happen in the next 4-5 years. It won't happen because it's not convenient for Golden Boy," Martinez told Fighthub.

"I feel boxers do want to fight each other, but what happens is promoters want to protect their boxers, and that's logical. It seems logical to me."

Canelo was last in the ring on May 7th. He brutally knocked out Amir Khan in six rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight had a lot of critics up in arms, because Khan was a welterweight moving up by eight pounds to face Canelo at 155. Following the loss, Khan announced that he was returning to 147.

One month earlier, Golovkin retained his WBA/IBO/IBF middleweight titles with an easy second round stoppage of mandatory challenger Dominic Wade at The Forum in Los Angeles. He is being positioned to return on a date in November, potentially across the ocean in the UK against British champion Chris Eubank Jr.