By Francisco Salazar
Just a few weeks ago, there was a great deal of anticipation from the boxing world that a proposed showdown between Gennady Golovkin and Carl Froch would take place.
With each passing day though, it looks highly unlikely those two fighters will meet later this fall. Or anytime soon for that matter.
So who will Golovkin face in the fall, sometime in mid to late September?
It is looking like Froch may not be that person, according to K2 Promotions’ Managing Director Tom Loeffler.
“From what I’ve been told, Froch has not even spoken with (promoter) Eddie Hearn,” Loeffler told BoxingScene.com.
With Froch looking like he is out of the picture, there are many fighters Golovkin could face.
Aside from holding the WBA middleweight title, Golovkin is also the interim WBC middleweight titleholder. Miguel Cotto is the regular WBC middleweight titleholder and is obligated to fight Golovkin, according to numerous declarations made by the Mauricio Sulaiman, the head of the sanctioning body.
Instead of fighting Golovkin, Cotto will likely fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez sometime later this year. Loeffler made it clear they want the rules to be enforced regarding the WBC title.
“We’ve made it very clear that we’re chasing the WBC belt, not Cotto,” said Loeffler. “Cotto has the WBC middleweight belt, but is he really a middleweight? He weighed in under 154 pounds (against Daniel Geale on June 6). If he doesn’t want to defend against Gennady, then he could vacate the title so he could fight Canelo.”
So no Froch or Cotto. Or Canelo in the immediate future. Where does that leave Golovkin?
Loeffler offered a few alternatives.
“We’ll be watching the Hassan N’Dam-David Lemieux fight (this Saturday). That would be a very viable option for us.”
N’Dam & Lemieux are fighting for the vacant IBF middleweight title.
A fight against WBO middleweight titleholder Andy Lee will not take place anytime soon as he has to fill his mandatory against Billy Joe Saunders, which reportedly will take place on September 6.
Would Golovkin fight someone like Willie Monroe, a contender whom Golovkin defeated in his last bout on May 15? That is another possibility, according to Loeffer.
“Anything is possible, but Gennady’s popularity has skyrocketed. He’s become well-known where he is now selling out venues. There were over 12,000 fans in attendance at The Forum.”
“Gennady’s objective is to unify the titles at 160 pounds. That has been his goal and will remain so for the time being.”
Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing