Loeffler: We Still Want Golovkin-Chavez, Can’t Force It
by David P. Greisman
Shortly after Gennady Golovkin stopped Daniel Geale in three rounds, the middleweight titleholer was asked about a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who he had previously been expected to face this month. Except Chavez Jr. opted against the fight, citing issues with the offer he’d received from his promoter, Top Rank.
And so Golovkin’s answer was, well, that he wasn’t the one to ask.
“This question not for me,” Golovkin said at the post-fight press conference. “I’m ready. I’m ready 100 percent. I want this fight. I want this fight. I need this fight. Just I understand my situation. Just maybe I need time for great show, for biggest fight. Just time. Give me time.”
His promoter, Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, then expanded on what Golovkin said:
“That’s really more of a question for Chavez,” Loeffler said. “I know Bob Arum put a big guarantee in front of him, and also put a guarantee in case he lost. And Chavez didn’t sign the contract. We don’t know all the intricacies of that promotional deal. We know there was a lot of money on the table.”
Here’s a May article from BoxingScene.com detailing some of the situation: https://www.boxingscene.com/arum-reacts-chavez-jrs-manager-details-situation--77899
“When he [Golovkin] says it’s not his time, what he means is he can’t force the fight to happen. I can’t force the fight to happen,” Loeffler said. “The other fighter has to sign the contract. So what he means by saying that is he’s going to go step by step. If Chavez won’t sign and [Miguel] Cotto won’t fight, we have a renewed commitment from HBO that they’re going to keep him very active, give him dates.”
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