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Could Madison Square Garden be losing a Cotto and gaining a Golovkin?
Could Barclays Center be acquiring a Cotto?
As two of boxing’s biggest stars plot their next moves, the city’s two largest arenas could be the beneficiaries of some interesting changes.
Gennady Golovkin is having a hard time attracting a proven superstar to test his skills against.
But he has no shortage of venues competing for his services - and that includes the Madison Square Garden Company, which will host Golovkin for the fourth time since 2013 when the baby-faced knockout artist faces Willie Monroe Jr. Saturday on HBO at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., which the Garden acquired in 2012 and has spent millions to restore.
His three other fights have been at MSG in the city.
“We have a great relationship with both Gennady and Tom Loeffler,” Joel Fisher, executive vice president of MSG Sports said in an emailed statement to the Daily News. “He is the sports fastest rising star.”
It’s that cozy relationship with the Garden that compelled Golovkin promoter, Loeffler of K2 Promotions, to suggest that Golovkin (32-0, 29 knockouts) could soon become the new face of MSG boxing in the same way that Cotto once made the Garden a second home.
“That looks like the direction that it’s heading,” Loeffler told the News of making the Garden’s various properties his new hub, with Golovkin, the WBA middleweight champion, bouncing between New York and California depending on the opponent. “I know they definitely want Gennady to continue to come back.”
Barclays Center and Nets CEO Brett Yormark said he and Loeffler have had casual talks over Golovkin, who has knocked out 19 straight opponents, coming to Brooklyn.
But Yormark downplayed those discussions.
“If he was interested in fighting here, I’d be happy to entertain it,” Yormark said.
Yormark was more effusive about his desire to make Barclays Center the new home of Cotto, who is promoted by Roc Nation Sports, a company whose president is Yormark’s twin brother, Michael.
With Miguel Cotto, 34, fighting for the first time at Barclays Center on June 6 against Daniel Geale, an opportunity exists to convert Cotto, the WBC middleweight champion, from a Garden loyalist to a Barclays’ boxer, Yormark believes.
“Listen, we were thrilled when my brother called me and said we’d love to come to the Barclays Center,” Yormark told the News. “Cotto has historically called MSG his home. But he was willing to do something different this time and for us it was validation that we’re doing some good things over here. Hopefully, they have a great experience and Cotto will want to fight here again and want to call Barclays his home. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure he has a great experience.”
Cotto has fought at the Garden nine times previously, including last June when he destroyed former middleweight kingpin Sergio Martinez, knocking him down three times in the first round.
But he signed with Roc Nation Sports in March, spurning Top Rank, which has a close relationship with the Garden, and charting a new course with his career.
Lauren Menache, a spokesperson for Roc Nation Sports, said that Cotto was exploring his venues on a fight-by-fight basis and wasn’t necessarily tied into any of them.
A Garden source said that Cotto is not fighting at MSG in part because the Garden couldn’t accommodate a June 6 date with the venue reserving the day in case the Rangers make the Stanley Cup finals.
The source said he’s confident that Cotto will return to the Garden after June 6.
“Miguel Cotto and the Garden have a great relationship,” he said. “We just didn’t have the date they wanted.”
In a twist, if Cotto and Golovkin should face one another - Golovkin is Cotto’s mandatory challenger to his WBC title - it’s anyone’s guess which arena (or state) will get the fight.
Could Madison Square Garden be losing a Cotto and gaining a Golovkin?
Could Barclays Center be acquiring a Cotto?
As two of boxing’s biggest stars plot their next moves, the city’s two largest arenas could be the beneficiaries of some interesting changes.
Gennady Golovkin is having a hard time attracting a proven superstar to test his skills against.
But he has no shortage of venues competing for his services - and that includes the Madison Square Garden Company, which will host Golovkin for the fourth time since 2013 when the baby-faced knockout artist faces Willie Monroe Jr. Saturday on HBO at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., which the Garden acquired in 2012 and has spent millions to restore.
His three other fights have been at MSG in the city.
“We have a great relationship with both Gennady and Tom Loeffler,” Joel Fisher, executive vice president of MSG Sports said in an emailed statement to the Daily News. “He is the sports fastest rising star.”
It’s that cozy relationship with the Garden that compelled Golovkin promoter, Loeffler of K2 Promotions, to suggest that Golovkin (32-0, 29 knockouts) could soon become the new face of MSG boxing in the same way that Cotto once made the Garden a second home.
“That looks like the direction that it’s heading,” Loeffler told the News of making the Garden’s various properties his new hub, with Golovkin, the WBA middleweight champion, bouncing between New York and California depending on the opponent. “I know they definitely want Gennady to continue to come back.”
Barclays Center and Nets CEO Brett Yormark said he and Loeffler have had casual talks over Golovkin, who has knocked out 19 straight opponents, coming to Brooklyn.
But Yormark downplayed those discussions.
“If he was interested in fighting here, I’d be happy to entertain it,” Yormark said.
Yormark was more effusive about his desire to make Barclays Center the new home of Cotto, who is promoted by Roc Nation Sports, a company whose president is Yormark’s twin brother, Michael.
With Miguel Cotto, 34, fighting for the first time at Barclays Center on June 6 against Daniel Geale, an opportunity exists to convert Cotto, the WBC middleweight champion, from a Garden loyalist to a Barclays’ boxer, Yormark believes.
“Listen, we were thrilled when my brother called me and said we’d love to come to the Barclays Center,” Yormark told the News. “Cotto has historically called MSG his home. But he was willing to do something different this time and for us it was validation that we’re doing some good things over here. Hopefully, they have a great experience and Cotto will want to fight here again and want to call Barclays his home. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure he has a great experience.”
Cotto has fought at the Garden nine times previously, including last June when he destroyed former middleweight kingpin Sergio Martinez, knocking him down three times in the first round.
But he signed with Roc Nation Sports in March, spurning Top Rank, which has a close relationship with the Garden, and charting a new course with his career.
Lauren Menache, a spokesperson for Roc Nation Sports, said that Cotto was exploring his venues on a fight-by-fight basis and wasn’t necessarily tied into any of them.
A Garden source said that Cotto is not fighting at MSG in part because the Garden couldn’t accommodate a June 6 date with the venue reserving the day in case the Rangers make the Stanley Cup finals.
The source said he’s confident that Cotto will return to the Garden after June 6.
“Miguel Cotto and the Garden have a great relationship,” he said. “We just didn’t have the date they wanted.”
In a twist, if Cotto and Golovkin should face one another - Golovkin is Cotto’s mandatory challenger to his WBC title - it’s anyone’s guess which arena (or state) will get the fight.
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