By Corey Erdman
Gennady Golovkin has been one of the most dominant fighters of his era thus far. As of yet, there hasn't been a middleweight in the world that has been able to challenge him.
In fact, the biggest challenges have fallen on the shoulders of his braintrust, trainer Abel Sanchez and promoter Tom Loeffler, in actually finding willing opponents.
Though they've found one for next weekend, Dominic Wade, the boxing public would certainly like to see GGG share the ring with a more reputable foe. Although Golovkin himself has maintained his trademark cordial demeanor, Sanchez in particular has become increasingly vocal in recent months, drawing the ire of fighters such as Andre Ward.
“I've been vocal only because when you call us out or say that Gennady is not fighting the elite, when you come and use his name for publicity, I think we have to respond,” said Sanchez. “Guys always say I want to fight Golovkin, just not next. We've made offers to just about everybody and we've been turned down.”
Needless to say, there isn't a lineup of fighters clamouring to get in the ring with Golovkin at the moment. Whatever length that line is, Wade was pushed to the front of it by virtue of a mandatory status imparted by the IBF.
To Wade's credit, it was a fight he could have easily avoided for various reasons. Mainly, his advisor, Al Haymon, does not typically deal with HBO, where the fight will be broadcast. Many fights have fallen through for that very reason.
But according to Loeffler, negotiations in this case were a breeze.
“Unlike the other champions in the middleweight division, there was no hesitation whatsoever. I've known Tom Brown for a long time, and once he was named the mandatory challenger by the IBF, we made the deal in a week,” said Leoffler. “Dominic can turn the boxing world on its head. If he defeats Gennady, he becomes the top dog in the middleweight division, and atop the sport.”
Golovkin himself has stood firm in his desire to unify all of the middleweight titles. He currently holds the IBF, IBO and WBA versions, and a victory over Wade would net him an interim version from the WBC as well. Left to collect are Daniel Jacobs' WBO strap, and of course, Canelo Alvarez's lineal title as well.
“We have to give David Lemieux a lot of credit--he's the only champion willing to get in the ring with Gennady so far,” said Loeffler. “It's hard to unify when the other champions don't want to fight Gennady.”
Corey Erdman is a boxing writer and commentator based in Toronto, ON. Follow him on Twitter @corey_erdman.