Daniel Geale turns down April 26th, says conflicts with UFC in Australia

http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8794744 Daniel Geale has written to a leading television executive to explain why he has knocked back a fight with Gennady Golovkin and to stress that he definitely wants a crack at the hard-hitting boxer. Former WBA and IBF world middleweight champion Geale fights world-ranked fellow Australian Garth Wood in Sydney on February 19 in his first bout since losing the IBF strap to Englishman Darren Barker last August. Geale wants to prove he isn't "done and dusted" after that loss and is worthy of a shot at another world title. Felix Sturm, who took the title off Barker last December, wants a rematch later this year with Geale, who dethroned the German in 2012. However, another Australian, Sam Soliman, is the mandatory contender. Geale was offered an April 26 HBO TV fight against Kazakhstan's WBA and IBO world champion Golovkin, the man with the best KO percentage of any top-flight fighter. However, he turned it down as the fight would not have been seen in Australia, as the main pay-TV provider is already committed to bringing in a UFC promotion on that date. Geale has written to HBO president Ken Hershman to emphasise he wasn't running scared of unbeaten Golovkin, who has won 26 of his 29 bouts by KO. "Because it's the truth, we weren't ducking him," Geale told AAP. "If they had given us a week later or a week before, it would have been perfect. "But they wouldn't budge on the date and I want the people of Australia to be able to see a fight like that. "Golovkin has built his name up so well, he's stopped pretty much everybody he's been in there with. "I don't want to go over there and do something great and nobody see it." Geale remains confident of beating Golovkin, who defeated him in their amateur days, after watching the champion stop Osumanu Adama, the Ghanaian who took the Australian 12 rounds in a world title bout in Hobart in 2012. Geale is determined to make a statement and impress against Wood to disprove any sceptics who believe his career is on the slide after the Barker loss. "I've got a point to prove now and I've got to show people I'm not done and dusted," Geale said. "A lot of people do think that probably now I've been beaten, that's going to be it. "But I've got to show people that I'm back and better than ever, more hungry." Well...looks like it'll be Lee. Heard HBO turned down Jonak/Kirkland then went back on board with it. I don't know how Aussie t.v works either. Looks like it can't be broadcasted unless it's PPV over there.... Aussie t.v is wierd.

Comments (20)

That is such a pitiful excuse

12y ago

Kagami_Taiga

Make no mistake. This is totally on Geale. There's absolutelyno1 who should be defending him. I still don't wanna see Golovkin/Lee tho.

12y ago

kiaba360

Geale really stepped in some **** with this one. Still, 3G needs good opposition so this match-up could still happen later this year. All this means is that we have to wait til the second half of the year.

12y ago

djif

If he is such a non-entity in Australia that he gets booted for a UFC card what does it matter about being on Australian tv anyway? Someone counted here. Being on PPV is worth ~100k dollars for him.. But he still should pass Wood for that..

12y ago

Daddy_T

how can anybody defend geale here? 1. He gets offered the Monaco fight 2. He turns down the Monaco fight because he wanted HBO 3. He gets offered a HBO fight 4. He turns down the HBO fight because of the date 5 ... and this is the killer ... we have all known the date for F*CKING ages... why was it such a surprise to geale? And who gives a f*ck anyway? If he is such a non-entity in Australia that he gets booted for a UFC card what does it matter about being on Australian tv anyway?

12y ago

brick_wall

Why wouldn't HBO budge on a week later or a week earlier? They probably preferred Lee to get a highlight reel KO over the weak chinned Lee. are you that stupid? if hbo doesn't budge when they have a conflict of schedule with another boxing card at showtime, why would they give way to a ufc card just to satisfy a aussie fighter?:chairshot

12y ago

brick_wall

**** him...he actually insulted boxing with that give way to ufc s.hit. if boxing is not that big in australia what is there for him to worry about? will it really affect his earnings that much? he's going to fight on hbo and will probably be staged in the US and here he is worrying about a ufc date.

12y ago

bojangles1987

Why wouldn't HBO budge on a week later or a week earlier? They probably preferred Lee to get a highlight reel KO over the weak chinned Lee. Geale knew the date when he turned down Monte Carlo because he wanted to fight Golovkin on HBO.

12y ago

djif

It's not Golovkin's fault. You don't get it. It's Golovkin's fault. :cool:

12y ago

PBP

This is a duck to me. He asked for HBO, he got HBO, now HBO isn't good enough. We all knew April 26th was the date months ago so I know he knew as well.

12y ago

Evil_Abed

Geale's promoter, Gary Shaw in January: "They offered us a fight for Monte Carlo, but Geale wants to be on HBO."

12y ago

Evil_Abed

Why wouldn't HBO budge on a week later or a week earlier? They probably preferred Lee to get a highlight reel KO over the weak chinned Lee. Don't be stupid. You know HBO can't budge like that. Fights get delayed and they delay them for months at a time. TV dates can't be casually adjusted for one fighter who's not even the A-side.

12y ago

Daddy_T

Well he better not come out after his next fight and say something like 'I want GGG lets make the fight!' he's been offered the fight TWICE now and has turned it down twice. Damn GGG is the most avoided 160 pound fighter in years, pity martinez, murray, quillin, sturm and Geale don't have the balls to take him on as it would have been nice to see him unify the division before moving up. But now it's starting to look like he may have to move up without having unified 160.

12y ago

MrRolltide91

Sigh........

12y ago

Hougigo

Why wouldn't HBO budge on a week later or a week earlier? They probably preferred Lee to get a highlight reel KO over the weak chinned Lee. Week earlier: Shumenov/Hopkins Week later: Mayweather Golovkin's fault

12y ago

Kev

Why wouldn't HBO budge on a week later or a week earlier? They probably preferred Lee to get a highlight reel KO over the weak chinned Lee.

12y ago

US_Dirk_Killer

Just goes to show not even geales own country likes him

12y ago

MDPopescu

http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8794744 Well...looks like it'll be Lee. Heard HBO turned down Jonak/Kirkland then went back on board with it. I don't know how Aussie t.v works either. Looks like it can't be broadcasted unless it's PPV over there.... Aussie t.v is wierd. ........................................................ (edited)

12y ago

US_Dirk_Killer

This dude got cats scared..... Come on

12y ago

bojangles1987

I think that's what he was waiting for all along. I remember him replying to a question about Golovkin on twitter, and he said late-2014. Didn't we know this specific date all along? Didn't Geale know it when he was talking about wanting Golovkin in April? Is this UFC fight newly scheduled?

12y ago