By Miguel Rivera
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, the World Boxing Association has refused to sanction the upcoming fight between their champion Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs) and challenger Kell Brook (36-0, 25KOs).
The contest takes place on September 10th from the O2 Arena in London. Golovkin's IBF, IBO and WBC middleweight belts will be at stake.
Golovkin, who is the sanctioning body's "super" champion at the weight, has defending the WBA belt 16 times.
The sanctioning body is concerned about the safety of Brook, the IBF champion at the welterweight limit of 147. Brook is moving up by two weight divisions and thirteen pounds to meet Golovkin at 160. Golovkin has battered and stopped his last 22 opponents. Brook is regarded by most experts as a massive underdog.
Brook's countryman, Amir Khan, made a similar move in May. He moved up from 147 to a catch-weight of 155, to challenge Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez for the WBC middleweight belt. Canelo needed a single punch in the sixth round to viciously knock Khan out. Many experts fear Brook will suffer the same fate.
Golvokin's promoter, Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, was surprised by the WBA's ruling - because they sanctioned Adrien Broner to jump from 135 to 147 for a fight with then champion Paulie Malignaggi, and they sanctioned a fight where Roy Jones Jr. jumped up from 175 to 200-plus for a fight with champion John Ruiz, who weighed 226-pounds for the fight [Jones was 193 at the weighin].
"Somehow the WBA thought it was too dangerous for a welterweight to move up to middleweight to fight the biggest puncher in boxing. I guess that is a compliment to GGG as they sanctioned Broner moving up two divisions to fight Paulie and Roy Jones moving up two divisions to fight John Ruiz for WBA titles, and Kell Brook is undefeated and considered a top pound-for-pound boxer," Loeffler told ESPN Deportes.
Should Golovkin win, the WBA will order him to make a mandatory defense against Daniel Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs), who returns on Friday night in a rematch against Sergio Mora (28-4-2, 9 KOs) in Reading, Pennsylvania.
