Golovkin Felt Cotto Was Undersized in Canelo Clash

By Carlos Boogs

IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) sat ringside last month at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and watched Saul Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) capture the WBC middleweight championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over veteran Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

Golovkin is the WBC's mandatory challenger to Canelo's title. The two sides reached an agreement where they will take interim-fights before facing each other in the coming year.

Cotto's trainer, Freddie Roach, complained that Canelo put on nearly 30-pounds by the time of the fight. The fight was held at a catch-weight of 155. Golovkin also felt Cotto was a lot smaller.

"I saw Canelo as much bigger, much stronger......different power. He's a middleweight and Miguel is not a middleweight," Golovkin told HBO.

The big issue is making a fight between Canelo and Golovkin is the catch-weight. Canelo wants a catch-weight of 155. Golovkin, per the rules of the WBC, wants the full limit of 160. There is a fear that a weight dispute might crumble any potential discussions for a fight next fall. If Canelo refuses to defend the belt against Golovkin for any reason, then the WBC will strip him and make Golovkin the full champion.

"155 pounds, 153 or 152, this is a second question. First of all, he has the belt in the middleweight division...middleweight division is 160. He want to do business, then okay of course. This is the second question," Golovkin said.