By Rick Reeno

In an earlier article on BoxingScene.com - Sampson Lewkowicz, the adviser to WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, stated that IBO/WBA champ Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24KOs) needs to face a dangerous opponent like Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18KOs). Golovkin is scheduled to return on an HBO televised date of November 2, and Stevens has been mentioned as a possible candidate.

Since moving down to the middleweight division, Stevens has displayed deadly power. He crushed Saul Roman in the first round on Saturday night, and he immediately called for a fight with Golovkin. Martinez is still recovering from his win over Martin Murray in April. He suffered several injuries during the fight and won't return to action until the first quarter of 2014.

According to Lewkowicz, Golovkin needs to focus on fighting "fresh opponents" instead of targeting the fighters who Martinez beat.

"He needs to fight someone like Stevens, because fighting junior middleweights and beating the same guys who Martinez already beat will do nothing for him. Fighting someone like Stevens will take Golovkin to the next level, and put him in the right direction on making the fight with Martinez an event worthy of pay-per-view. He needs to fight someone fresh instead of wanting to fight everyone that Martinez already beat," Lewkowicz told BoxingScene.com.

Abel Sanchez, the trainer of Golovkin, was amused by the comments.

"First of all, I think we have to acknowledge what Martinez has done in his career. He's fought some great fights and he's given a lot to the sport. But Martinez, a year and a half ago or little longer than that, was calling out [Julio Cesar] Chavez left and right because he needed Chavez. Until he fought Chavez, Martinez was not the star that Sampson feels he is right now," Sanchez told BoxingScene.com.

"As far as fighting Stevens, I feel that Stevens is not ready. I would rather fight someone like [Peter] Quilin or Chavez. But if we fight Chavez, then Sampson will say that he was used up because Martinez already beat him. Everyone we fight, they are all credible opponents. I think Stevens is a lot easier than Macklin. I think it's not so much about his chin - he's still too green."

When asked to explain further with respect to Stevens being too green for Golovkin, Sanchez broke it down.

"He's a plodder. George Foreman was the same way earlier in his career, until he learned how to throw his punches and position his punches and put together his punches to a certain spot. And I think the same thing will happen with Stevens [that he will get better with time]. Right now he's just a plodder who throws his punches in an area and hopes they land. It's a like a guy closing his eyes, throwing a shot and hopes it lands and then boom the guy is out," Sanchez said.

"I don't think he understands what a puncher is. Golovkin is going to hit you with a shot that doesn't seem like it's a hard shot but it's got placement, technique, position, good balance and that's why the punches are so effective and so hard. Stevens is not that kind of puncher."

"He's heavy handed, but its all force from weight and body mass. It's a plodding kind of style that knocks these guys out. It's not because he's a sharp puncher like Golovkin is, or like Tito Trinidad was or Valero was - those are punchers and those are guys who can crack. I think Stevens can become that kind of puncher in time, but if [HBO] approves him then we'll fight him next."

Golovkin's promoter Tom Loeffler, the managing director of K2 Promotions, finds the Stevens fight intriguing and admits the entire team was caught off-guard when Stevens began demanding a fight with Golovkin. In most cases, fighters are demanding to stay away from Golovkin.

"We offered Martin Murray more money than he got paid for Martinez and he turned it down. Before the argument was that Golovkin wasn't marketable and he brought no money, but now we're overpaying opponents and [they still keep turning him down]. Stevens is so outspoken. It seems that everybody is running away from Gennady and he was running towards him. We'll see if they really want the fight or if he was just saying that," Loeffler said to BoxingScene.com.

"Its an interesting matchup. You have two big punchers and that always seems to create a lot of interest. He really came on our radar screen because he was so vocal in calling Gennady out. I was getting asked about him and that's how he came on our radar. It's not like we picked him and said this is who we've got to fight...it just happened. He were kind of happy with someone actually wanting to fight Gennady."

"He's a guy coming from super middleweight to middleweight. He looks big, fit and strong and very muscular. It will be interesting from that perspective. I saw some tweets where Stevens said that he would kill Golovkin. Stevens is a colorful fighter and I think it would be an interesting promotion."

Golovkin's next fight is being targeted for The Theater in Madison Square Garden. Golovkin made his debut at the venue in January, when he stopped Gabe Rosado. Loeffler wants to continue building Golovkin's popularity with the large Eastern European community in New York City.

"There is a large Russian population there in New York. With New York being the media capital, if he is successful there it will be reported all over the world and that's really the goal," Loeffler said.