By Jake Donovan
A single, undisputed champion is easy enough for fans to identify as “the man,” but with the collection of belts often also comes a collection of mandatory title challenges.
Gennady Golovkin is in a unique situation, having already satisfied one mandatory challenge and with another on hold until negotiations are completed – or killed -for his own due title shot. The unbeaten, unified middleweight titlist also presently serves as the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim beltholder and mandatory contender to World middleweight king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
A pairing between Alvarez and Golovkin has been discussed since last November, when the World middleweight championship officially changed hands. Alvarez (47-1-1, 33KOs) claimed a 12-round decision over Miguel Cotto, but with the feat also inheriting Golovkin as his next-in-line title challenger.
An agreement was made for both boxers to assume an interim bout, with the condition that negotiations would be completed within 15 days following the completion of the latter bout. Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs) slaughtered overmatched mandatory contender Dominic Wade last April at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., while Alvarez officially christened the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a one-punch 6th round knockout of Amir Khan last weekend.
Negotiations have officially begun between camps, with the WBC officially notifying both camps on Monday of the 30-day free period. Should a deal not be reached by May 24, a purse bid hearing will be held to determine the right to promote what many experts view as the biggest fight to be made among active boxers today.
The fight is so big that even the other sanctioning bodies are willing to step aside.
Golovkin satisfied his International Boxing Federation (IBF) mandatory with the aforementioned win over Wade. The International Boxing Organization (IBO) is as non-intrusive as they come in regards to alphabet organization interference. That just leaves the World Boxing Association (WBA), for whom Golovkin is recognized as the “Super” champ in the middleweight division.
Waiting in the wings is his mandatory challenger, WBA “Regular” titlist Daniel Jacobs, whose team has been conspicuously silent from the moment the Brooklyn boxer’s name officially entered the mix. Perhaps, then, it works out that the WBA is willing to sit back until May 24 – or confirmation that Alvarez-Golovkin is not next.
"The WBA will not interfere in the Golovkin-Canelo negotiations because that is the fight the fans want," WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza promised, in a statement through his verified social media account. "However, should they not reach an agreement (the) WBA mandatory fight for Golovkin will be against Jacobs."
Should Alvarez’ team opt against allowing the wildly popular superstar from Mexico to next face Golovkin, he will have to in turn hand over the WBC middleweight title. That would leave Golovkin with all but the World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight title. However, it would also force a mandatory challenger with Jacobs.
For now, the primary focus for all parties involved is an Alvarez-Golovkin superfight materializing in September.
“Contact has been made and negotiations are underway,” Tom Loeffler, managing director of K2 Promotions confirmed in a brief statement to BoxingScene.com, emphasizing that the fight will not be negotiated through the media.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Follow his shiny new Twitter account: @JakeNDaBox_v2
