Lara has a knack for......

[Porter's Dad]

There's a group of sensible, intelligent GGG fans on here who seem to generally agree with this^, the idea that his career is winding down and he's probably interested in family, cementing a future, etc. That's absolutely respectable. Sergio did it

I doubt think that's happening at all. Not yet anyway. I think that's doing him a disservice, the idea that he is carefully navigating his career. There is absolutely no need to do so, he still blows out everyone at 160 and under.

He absolutely needs better fights but how long are people going to pretend he isn't being ducked by a whole host of middleweights? The only fighter he ducked was Ward, who was in a division above which he (Golovkin) STILL hasn't fought in.

People on this site really need to start being honest about Golovkin. Not to glorify his greatness but guys like Canelo, Saunders, Jacobs, Eubanks will do everything but sign to fight him.

[Redd Foxx]

He absolutely needs better fights but how long are people going to pretend he isn't being ducked by a whole host of middleweights?

Nobody is doing that anymore. Maybe 2 guys, but even GGG detractors know that there's 2 relevant middleweights right now; Saunders, who is ducking. And, Jacobs, who is likely fighting him next.

Neither of those guys is going to change his legacy. I think he could clean up 168 and be very impressive as 2 division champ. Even if 168 isn't impressive, dominating 2 divisions is an undeniably great accomplishment. Sanchez pretended they they fight for titles at SMW but then backtracked. I think it would be a good move but he wants a more conservative career path, and that's respectable. I'm not going to pretend that the guy is taking risks though. Come on.

[_Maxi]

you're dumb enough to cite a UK fight as an accomplishment for Golovkin yet you strategically not list the PPV of Alvarez vs Lara, including all those autographs that flooded Lara during the heatup.

Link me some videos of fans savaging Golovkin for autographs

again, #48 bandwagonism ala hashtag 'reaching'

Ah, you were simply trolling, I thought you were not.

Canelo-Lara sold 300k but that was because of Canelo. That's why Lara got only a 1 million purse.

[_Maxi]

Nobody is doing that anymore. Maybe 2 guys, but even GGG detractors know that there's 2 relevant middleweights right now; Saunders, who is ducking. And, Jacobs, who is likely fighting him next.

Neither of those guys is going to change his legacy. I think he could clean up 168 and be very impressive as 2 division champ. Even if 168 isn't impressive, dominating 2 divisions is an undeniably great accomplishment. Sanchez pretended they they fight for titles at SMW but then backtracked. I think it would be a good move but he wants a more conservative career path, and that's respectable. I'm not going to pretend that the guy is taking risks though. Come on.

Explain how Canelo didn't duck him for two years now.

[Redd Foxx]

Explain how Canelo didn't duck him for two years now.

Canelo never made the commitment to be a true MW, he only dicked around at Caneloweight to hang onto the belts. The dude just fought at JMW so why would I include him in a discussion of current MWs?. How can you not understand this??? Seriously. This is really basic stuff guy.

[j0zef]

Nobody is doing that anymore. Maybe 2 guys, but even GGG detractors know that there's 2 relevant middleweights right now; Saunders, who is ducking. And, Jacobs, who is likely fighting him next.

Neither of those guys is going to change his legacy. I think he could clean up 168 and be very impressive as 2 division champ. Even if 168 isn't impressive, dominating 2 divisions is an undeniably great accomplishment. Sanchez pretended they they fight for titles at SMW but then backtracked. I think it would be a good move but he wants a more conservative career path, and that's respectable. I'm not going to pretend that the guy is taking risks though. Come on.

The best fighter at 160 or 168 is Canelo. He's head and shoulders above anyone in either of those divisions. IMO Canelo could beat most people at those 2 classes.

I'm completely against him moving up to 168 for 2 reasons. One, whenever he moves up to SMW, that fight with Canelo is off the table. Not because it's hard to come back, which it is, but because Golden Boy would point to Golovkin's weight class and say "nope, he's too big for us". It's a permanent move that needs to be discussed after next fall, when Canelo situation is resolved, one way or another. If Canelo says "maybe in 2018", Golovkin needs to say "Thanks for the belt, and I'm not waiting for you another second".

Two, I completely disagree with you that it would be a "great accomplishment". SMW offers nothing to anyone right now. It has 3 fighters that are not impressive (DeGale, Jack and AA) and 2 fighters that are too young (Callum & Gilberto - for the record, I'd love to watch Golovkin fight one of them, just because they're so much taller than him.) His legacy would read "he moved up and fought a bunch of nobodies, who cares?"

Three, SMW has quite a few Haymon-backed fighters. No matter how many times people bring up Wade, the fact is that there is little precedence to Haymon guys fighting on HBO so far. We don't know if those fights are easy to make. It's a risk moving up to 168. He could get there, fight a top10 guy, then have no biters for a year.


If I was him, my plan would be to:
-Do his best to unify the MW and fight Canelo by the end of 2017 (say.. ~4 fights)
-After that, no matter what happens, take a tuneup/fight at 168 in early 2018, maybe against Gilberto Ramirez.
-Take another 168 fight in Summer 2018
-Take a true tuneup (~top20 guy) at LHW in Fall of 2018
-Spring 2019, right before his 37th birthday, fight a top3 LHW - whether that means Ward, Kovalev, Gvozdyk or Beterbiev.
-Fall 2019 - stay busy at LHW against another ~top20 guy.
-Finally Spring 2020 - fight another Top3 LHW.

That's how I would manage him. Depending on how he does in that timeline, that's somewhere between a solid to an ATG resume. If he loses to Canelo, Gilberto, and ~3 LHW fights, that's a dare-to-be-great, HOF resume. If he somehow is able to beat every single one of those guys, that's an easy ATG resume. I'd expect him to lose at a couple of fights and finish his career at 45-2.

Damn that was a long post. Pardon me.

[Lester Tutor]

Ah, you were simply trolling, I thought you were not.

Canelo-Lara sold 300k but that was because of Canelo. That's why Lara got only a 1 million purse.

How many fights has Brook staged in the USA? How many televized US bouts does Lara have over Brook? Why a 147 punder?

These simple questions just murk your circle theories bro.

[Porter's Dad]

Nobody is doing that anymore. Maybe 2 guys, but even GGG detractors know that there's 2 relevant middleweights right now; Saunders, who is ducking. And, Jacobs, who is likely fighting him next.

Neither of those guys is going to change his legacy. I think he could clean up 168 and be very impressive as 2 division champ. Even if 168 isn't impressive, dominating 2 divisions is an undeniably great accomplishment. Sanchez pretended they they fight for titles at SMW but then backtracked. I think it would be a good move but he wants a more conservative career path, and that's respectable. I'm not going to pretend that the guy is taking risks though. Come on.

"Nobody is doing that anymore." Oh really? Has Jacobs signed? Or does he, as the MANDATORY CHALLENGER, want life changing money to be persuaded to sign for the fight? As for Saunders.....c'mon. He's one of the most laughable champions out there. Let's see if he ever takes the fight. I somehow doubt it.

"'I'm not going to pretend that the guy is taking risks though."

You don't have to. I don't think he is either. He is just clinically ruling the MW division. He wants to unify, he wants to beat the MW record, he wants to fight Canelo, he makes 160 without problem. I have no issue with him staying at 160 now until he's achieved his goals. But let's not call it winding down his career. People act like Pac and May moved up to achieve greatness, and not cos there were big money fights up there. MW is a historic division, and there's not a huge fight at 168 - just more intriguing fights, purely cos he will be fighting bigger guys.

[Redd Foxx]

The best fighter at 160 or 168 is Canelo. He's head and shoulders above anyone in either of those divisions. IMO Canelo could beat most people at those 2 classes.

I'm completely against him moving up to 168 for 2 reasons. One, whenever he moves up to SMW, that fight with Canelo is off the table. Not because it's hard to come back, which it is, but because Golden Boy would point to Golovkin's weight class and say "nope, he's too big for us". It's a permanent move that needs to be discussed after next fall, when Canelo situation is resolved, one way or another. If Canelo says "maybe in 2018", Golovkin needs to say "Thanks for the belt, and I'm not waiting for you another second".

Two, I completely disagree with you that it would be a "great accomplishment". SMW offers nothing to anyone right now. It has 3 fighters that are not impressive (DeGale, Jack and AA) and 2 fighters that are too young (Callum & Gilberto - for the record, I'd love to watch Golovkin fight one of them, just because they're so much taller than him.) His legacy would read "he moved up and fought a bunch of nobodies, who cares?"

Three, SMW has quite a few Haymon-backed fighters. No matter how many times people bring up Wade, the fact is that there is little precedence to Haymon guys fighting on HBO so far. We don't know if those fights are easy to make. It's a risk moving up to 168. He could get there, fight a top10 guy, then have no biters for a year.


If I was him, my plan would be to:
-Do his best to unify the MW and fight Canelo by the end of 2017 (say.. ~4 fights)
-After that, no matter what happens, take a tuneup/fight at 168 in early 2018, maybe against Gilberto Ramirez.
-Take another 168 fight in Summer 2018
-Take a true tuneup (~top20 guy) at LHW in Fall of 2018
-Spring 2019, right before his 37th birthday, fight a top3 LHW - whether that means Ward, Kovalev, Gvozdyk or Beterbiev.
-Fall 2019 - stay busy at LHW against another ~top20 guy.
-Finally Spring 2020 - fight another Top3 LHW.

That's how I would manage him. Depending on how he does in that timeline, that's somewhere between a solid to an ATG resume. If he loses to Canelo, Gilberto, and ~3 LHW fights, that's a dare-to-be-great, HOF resume. If he somehow is able to beat every single one of those guys, that's an easy ATG resume. I'd expect him to lose at a couple of fights and finish his career at 45-2.

Damn that was a long post. Pardon me.

I would agree with a lot of that if I thought Canelo was anywhere near fighting Golovkin. I think the guy himself would do it tomorrow if prompted, but Oscar is going to orchestrate this one carefully and slowly. If Canelo was an option at 160 in the next year, or even year and a half, absolutely, finish your business at 160 and wait on Canelo. I just don't see the Canelo fight being available for 2 years at this rate so I would send Golovkin in a different direction.

Like I say though, you make a lot of sound points otherwise and I'd go a similar path if I thought a Canelo fight would soon be available.

[Redd Foxx]

"Nobody is doing that anymore." Oh really? Has Jacobs signed? Or does he, as the MANDATORY CHALLENGER, want life changing money to be persuaded to sign for the fight? As for Saunders.....c'mon. He's one of the most laughable champions out there. Let's see if he ever takes the fight. I somehow doubt it.

You misunderstood. You said, "...how long are people going to pretend he isn't being ducked by a whole host of middleweights?"
To which I said that people aren't doing that anymore (the fans aren't saying that anymore). The idea that people at 160 were ducking him used to be debatable. It isn't anymore. Everyone knows Saunders is ducking and Jacobs might be (we'll know for sure in the next few days).