Abel Sanchez To Saunders: Stop Talking, Call To Fight Golovkin

By Keith Idec

LAS VEGAS – Abel Sanchez has heard and read about all he can stomach from Billy Joe Saunders.

Gennady Golovkin’s trainer is at the point where he doesn’t believe Saunders actually wants to fight Golovkin. The undefeated Saunders has, however, repeatedly stated to the media and posted on social media that he wants to test himself against the Kazakh knockout artist.

England’s Saunders (23-0, 12 KOs) is scheduled to make the first defense of his WBO middleweight title Saturday in Paisley, Scotland.

His scheduled 12-round fight against Russia’s Artur Akavov (16-1, 7 KOs) will be Saunders’ first fight in nearly a year. Saunders hasn’t boxed since he dropped Irishman Andy Lee (34-3-1, 24 KOs) twice in the third round on his way to winning a 12-round majority decision and taking the WBO 160-pound championship from Lee last December 19 in Manchester, England.

Saunders was offered $3 million earlier this year to box Golovkin, according to several published reports. Saunders told multiple outlets he was offered $1.5 million, not $3 million.

Sanchez acknowledged that he doesn’t know if that $3 million offer actually was extended to Saunders.

“I’m not in that department, but that’s what I heard and that’s what was written,” Sanchez said. “But again, that’s Billy Joe Saunders. Tyson Fury had a great career going and had a great, big payday for his next fight [a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko on October 29], and he gave it up [to address alcoholism, drug addiction and depression].

“So I don’t know if Billy Joe is gonna do the same thing, or he’s just talking. So until they’re serious, and stop talking on Facebook and stop talking on Twitter – call Tom Loeffler [Golovkin’s promoter]. Call Tom Loeffler. And just sign a contract. All this talking is not doing anything but enraging us as fight fans.”

Loeffler, managing director for the Klitschko brothers’ K2 Promotions, has been negotiating with Danny Jacobs’ handlers for a March 18 fight at Madison Square Garden. If a bout between Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs), the WBA “super” middleweight champion, and Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs), the WBA world middleweight champion, takes place and Golovkin wins, Sanchez said he would box again in June before pursuing a long-awaited September showdown with Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs).

If negotiations for Golovkin-Jacobs don’t result in that fight being made and Saunders beats Akavov, Saunders could become a potential opponent for Golovkin’s March 18 fight.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.