Bleacher: Unwillingness to Fight Gennady Golovkin Has Created a Middleweight Mess

Canelo is young, he wants to fight GGG, but Oscar won't let him) because he knows)... :) I can't put all of the blame on Oscar. If Canelo truly wanted the Golovkin fight he would demand it. Canelo clearly doesn't want the fight and his ridiculous contradictory comments prove that.

Those saying move up to 168, why? There's nothing compelling there, plus in just one fight with saunders, thats 160 wrapped up. He should get the lineal title now that canelo has jumped back out of the division. I'd like to see the lara fight, I'd have liked any of the MW or at least JMW be in this next fight rather than brook, because it does look bad. But stop it with the bull'ish of moving up, to be this close to locking out the division, one belt remaining, ffs.

Is it really a mess though? GGG is the clear champion of the division by pretty much any standard except for the (in this case completely devalued and unreliable) lineal title.

I honestly want him to try unify smw and try lhw later on. I actually think it's a 50/50 fight against ward or kov but I can't blame him for his goal. After his career is over I'm sure there gonna be a lot of what ifs. I can't see him ever going to 175. Dude keeps himself in shape. I don't see him going any higher than 168. I'm not even saying he should abandon 160 ], just go to 168 to make a fight we want to see rather than a fight like Brrok where all but the diehard GGG fans think the fight is a forgone conclusion.

Good article, more inside. Source: BleacherReport More like unwillingness of WBA to enforce their rules has created a middleweight mess. If you get of that lame title the MW division is what boxing is all about. One champion with all the relevant belts.

I personally had Bradley has no. 1 welter after pac retired but the ring, along with just about every major boxing news website and journalist had Brook as number one. If ur a boxing fan u would know that. It was never a secret. Second, you clearly haven't read my post and you keep bringing up the move to 168 without answering the points I made about that move being entirely unfeasible in September. So there's no point in carrying this on. They were all answered in previous posts. Why are you and others limiting the pool of fighters at 168 from which to choose?

I can't guarantee anything. Why such a drastic extreme in your question? I would think its better for fans to see GGG fight a top 20 SMW then a top 10 WW or JMW because a GGG KO win would be less likely, which should mean the fight is has more drama and is thus more entertaining. which would you prefer-top 15 SMW or top 10 WW/JMW? yes i saw that thread and responded it is ridiculous to criticize GGG for that. I get it-some people are going to kill GGG no matter what. (I don't care and have posted why several times). I honestly want him to try unify smw and try lhw later on. I actually think it's a 50/50 fight against ward or kov but I can't blame him for his goal. After his career is over I'm sure there gonna be a lot of what ifs.

I agree with this and I feel sympathy for Canelo. He has been horribly badly advised by Oscar and maybe his by own trainer too. If they weren't ready to fight GGG, at 160, they should have advised Canelo to hand back the WBC title as soon as he won it from Cotto. Defending against Khan then relinquishing the title after that was maybe the worst PR decision in the history of the sport. I also understand De La Hoya -- he only has Canelo to date.

Does moving up guarantee he gets fights? Would you rather him fight s top ten guy at mw jmw or the 50th guy at smw? This is why I don't like when people criticize him for not moving up because it's no guarantee he gets the fight he wants. And even if he does he's still going to get criticize because smw is filled with crap boxers. Did you not see the thread where team ggg likely to fight Ramirez next year? It was still a ****storm about him cherry picking the easiest guy at smw. Doesn't matter what he does he's still gonna get hate on. I can't guarantee anything. Why such a drastic extreme in your question? I would think its better for fans to see GGG fight a top 20 SMW then a top 10 WW or JMW because a GGG KO win would be less likely, which should mean the fight is has more drama and is thus more entertaining. which would you prefer-top 15 SMW or top 10 WW/JMW? yes i saw that thread and responded it is ridiculous to criticize GGG for that. I get it-some people are going to kill GGG no matter what. (I don't care and have posted why several times).

because in the 168 division degale and jack had been in the works of unifying. gilberto ramirez is hurt.the wba with sturm,chadinov,and de carlois is a mess. theres your answer:bottle: OK, so those are the only 168lb boxers in the whole world? There are more than 7 guys GGG can fight, right?

no Brook wasn't. He was a top 3 WW, no better than Thurman or Bradley. Please do not lmake up stuff to justify this because you like GGG. The article makes the same point I and others have for months-no one meaningful at 160 will fight GGG. So he has 2 options: 1. Stay at 160 and fight J/LMW and WW moving up or 2. Go to 168 to make fights. I can see why a GGG diehard fan would choose #!. You should be able to see why others would choose #2. Ideally, MW's will step up. Does moving up guarantee he gets fights? Would you rather him fight s top ten guy at mw jmw or the 50th guy at smw? This is why I don't like when people criticize him for not moving up because it's no guarantee he gets the fight he wants. And even if he does he's still going to get criticize because smw is filled with crap boxers. Did you not see the thread where team ggg likely to fight Ramirez next year? It was still a ****storm about him cherry picking the easiest guy at smw. Doesn't matter what he does he's still gonna get hate on.

no Brook wasn't. He was a top 3 WW, no better than Thurman or Bradley. Please do not lmake up stuff to justify this because you like GGG. The article makes the same point I and others have for months-no one meaningful at 160 will fight GGG. So he has 2 options: 1. Stay at 160 and fight J/LMW and WW moving up or 2. Go to 168 to make fights. I can see why a GGG diehard fan would choose #!. You should be able to see why others would choose #2. Ideally, MW's will step up. I personally had Bradley has no. 1 welter after pac retired but the ring, along with just about every major boxing news website and journalist had Brook as number one. If ur a boxing fan u would know that. It was never a secret. Second, you clearly haven't read my post and you keep bringing up the move to 168 without answering the points I made about that move being entirely unfeasible in September. So there's no point in carrying this on.

Fair article. The only problem is GGG has done the same thing in the past that the article criticizes others for-putting money ahead of challenge. My only other problem with the article is it says he is fighting a WW because no other MW is going to fight him. I guess for the GGG fans that is one way to look at it. For those not GGG diehards, he is fighting a WW rather than going up to 168 since its clear no one in the division will fight him. We can't blame GGG for not being able to find a MW to fight him. However, knowing this reality, why is he still staying at 160 rather than going to 168 to find quality opposition?because in the 168 division degale and jack had been in the works of unifying. gilberto ramirez is hurt.the wba with sturm,chadinov,and de carlois is a mess. theres your answer:bottle:

Canelo is young, he wants to fight GGG, but Oscar won't let him) because he knows)... :) I agree with this and I feel sympathy for Canelo. He has been horribly badly advised by Oscar and maybe his by own trainer too. If they weren't ready to fight GGG, at 160, they should have advised Canelo to hand back the WBC title as soon as he won it from Cotto. Defending against Khan then relinquishing the title after that was maybe the worst PR decision in the history of the sport.

Middleweight is by far the worst division in boxing. Everyone not only blatantly ducks the best fighter in the division, they also duck each other. Has there been a more cowardly division in the history of the sport? It's an even worse example of what heavyweight went through for years where hypejobs were built up without fighting each other just so they could be fed to Wlad. Difference being Wlad got the chance to beat the best and prove he was the man, where Golovkin has been refused that chance.

This whole idea that ggg could just move up to 168 whenever is over looking the state of boxing. The divisions two best names will fight each other, so degale and Jack would not be viable opponents. There's groves but his future is uncertain and he doesn't have a belt. Who else? The new champion ramirez? Highly unlikely considering they'll want to build that brand for a while and a ggg fight is too risky. Plus all this takes months and months of negotiations. Which moves us to the next very pertinent point: negotiations had already been underway for months between ggg and eubank. Those negotiations themselves were a result of canelo turning down his post khan obligations of facing ggg. So this left an easy negotiation path through hearn for a Brook fight, in the designated September date, plus ppv for ggg. When you have at least 3 middleweights turning down the fight and a move to 168 without an opponent you end up with a Brook type opponent. Which still isn't bad as before the fight Brook was regarded as the best 147 pounder on the planet. no Brook wasn't. He was a top 3 WW, no better than Thurman or Bradley. Please do not lmake up stuff to justify this because you like GGG. The article makes the same point I and others have for months-no one meaningful at 160 will fight GGG. So he has 2 options: 1. Stay at 160 and fight J/LMW and WW moving up or 2. Go to 168 to make fights. I can see why a GGG diehard fan would choose #!. You should be able to see why others would choose #2. Ideally, MW's will step up.

If Canelo would stop draining himself and face GGG at 160, maybe he would be strong and powerful enough to have a real chance of winning? Here's a taste of what we should have been looking forward to seeing very soon ... Canelo is young, he wants to fight GGG, but Oscar won't let him) because he knows)... :)

When was this? Ward? I mean that fight was on the table for about 7 seconds it sounded like & lets be honest no one has or should have much confidence in RN doing good business in boxing so who knows if that fight was ever really makeable. And even if we count Ward there are still far far more guys who've opted out at various stages vs GGG from the pure talk stages to further down the line that I can forgive the guy for doing it once. As far as name brand guys they aren't wrong. And at GGG's age I can't blame him all that much for going for name brand guys vs the Tureano Johnson's or other guys who would have likely filled in for Brook if Brook hadn't stood up. I mean they were already trying to get Eubank who's a not ready for prime time player in my opinion, but does have some name brand appeal. This is the issue I'm really super split on & is the really tough issue. GGG has made his name at 160. He's got the biggest active name in the game who's proudly avoiding him at this point & he has been close to making fights with big names at 160 more than any other weight & thats where most of the best paying fights are at for him. And then we got the 168 option, which gives GGG a 2nd division to dominate, but the reality is what exactly is there to dominate? What are the big fights that look anything like the big fights at 160? And if he moves up even for a fight or two does that lower his chances even more of enticing Canelo or even Jacobs or BJS or Eubank? Should he even move up at all for a Ramirez or hold out for a Froch or for Ward to come calling again maybe? Or what if he's not able to handle that weight as much as he or some fans think & he catches an L or just looks bad? Does that completely devalue him or get the fights he wants than? Then again if everyone is so scared to fight him there is some **** or get off the pot logic in play as well & maybe he should just move up & forget about the Canelo fight or 160 entirely? **** man idek tbh, but I can see the lack of drive to move up to a who gives a f#ck division when they have been super close to getting the big fights while at 160. I think there are reasons to both stay and to go up to 168. IMO it comes down to if you believe GGG can get fights at 160. From where I sit, the guys he wants are asking for paydays that can't be met unless GGG takes a miniscule amount, which as the name he isn't going to do nor should have to. SO how about going up and fighting bigger men in fights that aren't sure KO's. I think its better for all of us to see a GGG fight where the outcome isn't a foregone conclusion against a huge underdog.

why do people believe that 168 is some magical promised land stocked full of credible, willing opponents? Besides Degale (who is tied up with Jack and then a mando) and possibly Ramirez (who is currently injured), who exactly is there at 168 that is so compelling? The Dirrells? Abraham? Sturm? And what makes you think those fights would be any easier to make than Canelo, Saunders or Eubank? Sturm and his crooked former promoter are the reason GGG could only call himself the WBA "regular" champion for 4 and a half years, rather than THE WBA Champion, which is clearly what he should have become after beating Nilson Tapia back in 2010.

Fair article. The only problem is GGG has done the same thing in the past that the article criticizes others for-putting money ahead of challenge. My only other problem with the article is it says he is fighting a WW because no other MW is going to fight him. I guess for the GGG fans that is one way to look at it. For those not GGG diehards, he is fighting a WW rather than going up to 168 since its clear no one in the division will fight him. We can't blame GGG for not being able to find a MW to fight him. However, knowing this reality, why is he still staying at 160 rather than going to 168 to find quality opposition? This whole idea that ggg could just move up to 168 whenever is over looking the state of boxing. The divisions two best names will fight each other, so degale and Jack would not be viable opponents. There's groves but his future is uncertain and he doesn't have a belt. Who else? The new champion ramirez? Highly unlikely considering they'll want to build that brand for a while and a ggg fight is too risky. Plus all this takes months and months of negotiations. Which moves us to the next very pertinent point: negotiations had already been underway for months between ggg and eubank. Those negotiations themselves were a result of canelo turning down his post khan obligations of facing ggg. So this left an easy negotiation path through hearn for a Brook fight, in the designated September date, plus ppv for ggg. When you have at least 3 middleweights turning down the fight and a move to 168 without an opponent you end up with a Brook type opponent. Which still isn't bad as before the fight Brook was regarded as the best 147 pounder on the planet.