IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) is one title away from unifying the entire division at 160-pounds.
Once that goal is achieved or even abandoned, Golovkin may pursue the idea of capturing a world title at super middleweight - which is eight pounds north.
One of the top fighters at the weight, WBA super middleweight champion George Groves, believes the undefeated fighter should remain at 160-pounds - and avoid, if possible, a move up.
Groves, who is the number one seed in the World Boxing Super Series' super middleweight tournament and faces Jamie Cox later tonight, says Golovkin is just too small.
After watching Golovkin's fights against Daniel Jacobs in March and Canelo Alvarez in September, the London fighter saw right away that GGG is going to have some serious issues if he goes to 168-pounds.
Groves is very familiar with Golovkin - as the two have sparred in the past. He feels that Golovkin's big advantages, like being able to take a punch to give a punch, and his level of power, will be diminished at the higher weight. Also, Groves believes the upper-tier fighter sat 168 will be able to handle Golovkin's power a lot better than the current crop at 160.
“I think certainly [Canelo] Alvarez is too small and Golovkin is too small. What [Golovkin] does well, he’s getting on a bit but he’s got so much power. He’ll lose an edge to the power coming up. The big guys that he’s fought lately, he hasn’t quite had the success with, like [Danny] Jacobs," Groves told Boxing News.
"So it’s like anything: the bigger you are, the better you are at absorbing a shot. He’s going to fight big super middleweights, 13 plus stone, his power isn’t going to be the same. He doesn’t need to. He’s a big name at middleweight, there’s enough fights out there for him at middleweight. If I was him I’d stay there."
