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By Cliff Rold - There’s something missing at Middleweight.
Titlist Gennady Golovkin is a growing star. Miguel Cotto is one of the game’s biggest draws and history’s champion. Canelo Alvarez might be on his way.
None of that is bad. It’s a start.
There’s still something missing.
For all his star appeal, there is no shaking the feeling that Alvarez might already be as good as he’s going to get. Cotto isn’t really a Middleweight. Golovkin has no rivals. As the man perceived by many as the very best 160 lbs. has to offer, some depth would be helpful. One-man shows get old.
Even one-man shows as entertaining as Golovkin’s can be.
A decided lack of depth and limited clash at the top of the class leaves room for someone new to add intrigue.
Enter the man who Peter Quillin’s team decided would be better off ducking and sitting on the couch then fighting.
At least that’s the way it can be promoted.
Whatever bigger board moves were made in the decision, Quillin deciding to turn down a surprisingly high purse bid from Roc Nation has opened the door for Russia’s Matt Korobov (24-0, 14 KO) to face Andy Lee (33-2, 23 KO) for the now vacant WBO Middleweight belt. Their bout comes on the HBO undercard of Timothy Bradley-Diego Chaves this Saturday (10 PM EST).
Can Korobov be the something that’s missing?
Or is Korobov fated to be another Muhammad Abdullaev?
Abdullaev had the pedigree when he turned professional as a Jr. Welterweight: a two-time Olympian, 1999 World Amateur Champion, and 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist. On the road to glory in 2000, he defeated Miguel Cotto, Kelson Pinto, and Ricardo Williams Jr.
He never quite turned the corner in the punch-for-pay ranks. He was shocked in his eleventh pro fight by Emmanuel Clottey. Five fights later, he got a crack at a 140 lb. title. Cotto gained revenge against his former amateur rival with an impressive stoppage. In his very next outing, then-future Jr. Welterweight titlist Andriy Kotelnik won a decision over Abdullaev. [Click Here To Read More]
Titlist Gennady Golovkin is a growing star. Miguel Cotto is one of the game’s biggest draws and history’s champion. Canelo Alvarez might be on his way.
None of that is bad. It’s a start.
There’s still something missing.
For all his star appeal, there is no shaking the feeling that Alvarez might already be as good as he’s going to get. Cotto isn’t really a Middleweight. Golovkin has no rivals. As the man perceived by many as the very best 160 lbs. has to offer, some depth would be helpful. One-man shows get old.
Even one-man shows as entertaining as Golovkin’s can be.
A decided lack of depth and limited clash at the top of the class leaves room for someone new to add intrigue.
Enter the man who Peter Quillin’s team decided would be better off ducking and sitting on the couch then fighting.
At least that’s the way it can be promoted.
Whatever bigger board moves were made in the decision, Quillin deciding to turn down a surprisingly high purse bid from Roc Nation has opened the door for Russia’s Matt Korobov (24-0, 14 KO) to face Andy Lee (33-2, 23 KO) for the now vacant WBO Middleweight belt. Their bout comes on the HBO undercard of Timothy Bradley-Diego Chaves this Saturday (10 PM EST).
Can Korobov be the something that’s missing?
Or is Korobov fated to be another Muhammad Abdullaev?
Abdullaev had the pedigree when he turned professional as a Jr. Welterweight: a two-time Olympian, 1999 World Amateur Champion, and 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist. On the road to glory in 2000, he defeated Miguel Cotto, Kelson Pinto, and Ricardo Williams Jr.
He never quite turned the corner in the punch-for-pay ranks. He was shocked in his eleventh pro fight by Emmanuel Clottey. Five fights later, he got a crack at a 140 lb. title. Cotto gained revenge against his former amateur rival with an impressive stoppage. In his very next outing, then-future Jr. Welterweight titlist Andriy Kotelnik won a decision over Abdullaev. [Click Here To Read More]
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