Has Golovkin overplayed his hand?

I have to say I was surprised by Canelo vacating. Not that I thought he would actually fight Golovkin in September, but I did think GBP would try to pressure the WBC into another delay. I do believe Saul wants the fight, but I am also pretty sure DLH doesn’t, at least not in 2016. So, with a second gifted title that didn’t require a single punch to be thrown for, what is next for Team G & Loeffler? The obvious choices are Saunders and Jacobs, and in that order if you are a fight fan. But, it may not play out that way. Saunders holds the lone major belt not in Gennady’s possession. This would seem to be the hands down next thing for him, unless you actually believe the fight with Canelo is still possible for this year. I do not. I do not believe GBP will allow a fight in 2016 without a 155 lb catchweight, and I do not believe Golovkin will agree to that catchweigh under any circumstances. I also think that there will be some blowback on the part of GBP for putting them in the position of having to vacate, and that now they may very well avoid a fight (and the gift of a huge payday) with lil g for a few years. So, on to Saunders. But, there are some things that may throw a wrench into the Saunders fight being made as well. First and foremost, it is not likely to be a very lucrative match for Loeffler & Co. The only carrot here is the belt Golovkin doesn’t have. Yes, there is a scenario where it can do good box office, but that still doesn’t necessarily bode well for the bottom line. That scenario is if the fight is held in Britain. But, holding it there (or anywhere else for that matter) is now going to cost Loeffler and Co a lot more than the 1.5 million Saunders is reported to have turned down previously. Billy Joe is reported to have been talking about a $6.5 million dollar payday, and this was before he became the lone belt not in Golovkin’s possession. Now that he is the last obstacle to “undisputed”, you can bet that the price has gone up. And Saunders has options. A rematch with Eubank will do great in the UK. And do not be shocked if BJS is also on Canelo’s short list of opponents, especially if Saul plans to take fights to get ready for an eventual showdown with the Kazakh. And there are other folks who will take a shot at the WBA belt, if only to line up a shot with either Golovkin or Canelo, one or both of whom are certain to come calling for it. Then there is Jacobs. In my opinion, this will be the next fight for Gennady. It is an easy fight to make now that Haymon fighters are back on HBO. And with Jacobs having accepted 1.5 to fight Quillin last year, he would seem to be the more economical option for Loeffler as well. But, make no mistake, Jacobs is probably the much more dangerous fight. And, Jacobs is also the WBA mandatory for Golovkin if no Canelo fight is made. However, my guess is that since they have yet to get the huge payday from a Canelo fight, you may not see this one soon either. My prediction? You will not see Golovkin fight either of the guys that logically make the most sense for him to fight in September. Nor will you see a fight with a guy like Lara. What you will most likely see is more of the same- him biding his time again while he waits for a huge payday fight to appear. But, it may not be forthcoming anytime soon. He may just have to look upwards of 160 for that big fight after all.