This past Saturday, middleweight king Gennady Golovkin explained that he was eager to have a unification bout with WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders. Golovkin feels a bout with Saunders, who holds the last middleweight title, is more important than a mega-fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
Golovkin made his debut on UK soil and stopped Kell Brook in five rounds at the O2 Arena in London to retain the WBC/IBO/WBA/IBF middleweight belts. Afterwards, he called for Saunders.
"First of all Billy Joe Saunders, and then Canelo," Golovkin said. "My goal is to hold all the belts in the middleweight division. I would like Billy Joe Saunders first of all because he has the WBO belt. I would absolutely come back to the UK to fight. Absolutely I love the UK, I'm a big fan of London."
Of course Golovkin may have to wait on that fight, according to his promoter Tom Loeffler - because the WBA has ordered the hard puncher to make a mandatory defense against Daniel Jacobs in 120 days. If Jacobs falls out, that would give them the opening needed to fight Saunders - who himself will fight on October 29.
"We tried to make that (Saunders) fight before in the UK and it didn't go very far. Maybe they will see the reaction and there will be more of an incentive to get in the ring. Gennady is open to fight anyone. The WBA [ordered] a mandatory with Danny Jacobs, so we will see how that goes. Hopefully we can make it," Loeffler said.
Saunders watched Golovkin's victory over Brook and he picked up on a lot of flaws that he believes will see him to victory when the time comes.
"I give all credit to Kell Brook as a welterweight willing to move up to take on a boxer like Golovkin and for his bravery in the fight. As a full middleweight myself, I believe I saw flaws in Triple G which I can exploit. I know it will be a tough, difficult fight but the time has to come to find out how much I have in me," Saunders told Daily Mail.