Team Golovkin: If No Canelo, Saunders at The Top of Our List
By Edward Chaykovsky
WBA/IBO/IBF middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin (34-0, 31KOs) is looking forward to a big year in 2016.
He will make his return on April 23rd in a showdown with IBF mandatory challenger Dominic Wade at The Forum in Los Angeles, California.
Should Golovkin win, his next fight would come in the fall - potentially against the winner of the WBC title fight between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Amir Khan. Golovkin, who also holds the WBC's interim-championship, is the mandatory challenger to Canelo's belt. The Mexican superstar is a huge favorite to win.
Wade was not Golovkin's preferred opponent for April. Golovkin wanted a unification with WBO world champion Billy Joe Saunders (23-0, 12KOs). The two sides were unable to reach an agreement.
Saunders will make the first defense of his title against Max Bursak next month.
If Canelo defeats Khan - and then refuses to face Golovkin - he will be stripped of the title and Golovkin will be made the full champion.
According to Golovkin's promoter, Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, if Canelo falls through - they will immediately place their focus on a unification with Saunders.
In several recent interviews, Saunders has expressed his desire to fight Golovkin in a stadium fight in the UK. Loeffler and Golovkin recently traveled to the UK and there were discussions with West Ham to stage an event at Upton Park or the Olympic Stadium later this year..
"We would still be very interested in a fight there with Saunders," Loeffler said to Sky Sports.
"If [Canelo or Khan] doesn't happen, for whatever reason, then Saunders would be at the top of our list to unify the middleweight division. Gennady is the type of fighter that doesn't care where he fights.
"If the stars align, I could see a scenario where Gennady fights two premiere UK fighters in 2016, who would both be world champions by that point."
