By Miguel Rivera
WBA/WBC/IBO/IBF middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs) is confused on why Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (47-1-1, 33KOs) made a decision to drop down to 154-pounds.
A few weeks ago, both sides reached a verbal agreement to fight each other in September 2017. Canelo's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, said the boxer needed more time to gradually build his body to the middleweight limit.
Golovkin's team was shocked when a few days later Canelo announced that he was dropping in weight to fight WBO 154-pound champion Liam Smith of the UK.
Earlier in the year, Canelo was ordered by the World Boxing Council to defend his 160-pound title against Golovkin, who was the mandatory challenger.
The sanctioning body allowed each fighter to take an interim-bout with the understanding that they would face each other in the fall.
Following May's knockout of Amir Khan at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Canelo invited Golovkin to the ring and then accepted his challenge by stating, live on HBO, that "Mexicans don't f*** around."
Now it appears the two fighters are going in separate directions for the time being, with Golovkin defending his belts against IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook on September 10 at the O2 Arena in London.
Golovkin says he is ready to fight Canelo at any time.
"I don't know what will happen with Canelo [in the future]. If he wants [to fight] I'll be ready. He and his team decided to go to a lower division, I don't know the reasons. I am willing to fight him. The only one who can improve or affect his image is him, not me," Golovkin said. "I'm ready to fight. If their promoters come to my promoters and I like the idea, then of course I will be there. I want to face the best."
"They are making their own decisions. I don't know why he decided to leave the title, but his promoter knows what is best for his needs. When he wants to fight, I'm ready."
