Golovkin to return on HBO in February in Monte Carlo

By Mike Coppinger

CARSON, Calif. -- When WBA/IBO/WBC interim-middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28KOs) fought in Monte Carlo this past February, HBO wasn't there to televise.

GGG stopped Osumano Adama in the eighth round, but most Americans weren't able to see it, and there was a public outcry.

That won't happen again.

K2 managing director Tom Loeffler announced at the post-fight news conference Saturday that when Golovkin likely fights again in February in Monte Carlo, HBO will indeed televise live.

"HBO is absolutely committed 100 percent," Loeffler said. "When HBO couldn't work out the production issues for his fight against Adama, they had such a huge backlash. ... They said they've never gotten such a big reaction from fight fans so upset they weren't able to work out the production details.

"It wasn't that they didn't want to show the fight. HBO was committed to showing the fight, they wanted to send over 27 people from the production side. It was just the facility didn't hold it. Now we've made the arrangements where it will be definitely shown live regardless of who the opponent is."

Loeffler said that GGG won't fight in Monte Carlo if a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. can be salvaged.

Follow Mike Coppinger on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger