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According to a representative of Golovkin to this Khazak news website:
"Astana can host a bigger event than just another boxing night. This is a historical moment. The potential bout itself would have already been recorded in the annals of world's boxing, as it would be first unification bout for the title of ultimate world champion in 10 years. One step remains until Gennady Golovkin's cherished dream comes true. The title of an ultimate world champion means a hall of fame, honor and respect. It is recognition of all merits our boxer has. And he wants to take this step at home, in front of his compatriots, especially that this year is most suitable for this.
There are still a lot of rumors. The fate of the battle has not been defined yet. Any statements by third parties regarding this are nothing more than a self-PR. Team GGG did their best, but the boxing night is still in question, mainly because of the organizational moments from the Kazakh side", Utesheva said.
So the fight announcement is not being delayed by Golden Boy Promotions complaining about Golovkin fighting in June, but by issues with the venue. Unfortunately, the last line of the article seems to be a poor translation, but it seems that the Astana EXPO people arranging the fight are the ones causing a delay. This jives with statements from Saunders people that the financials are all agreed to.
It is interesting the first paragraph seems targeted to reminding the EXPO organizers how historical this fight would be. One wonders if the organizers had second thoughts about the amount of money they were promising, not unlike the Pacquiao-Khan situation.
If the money fell through, the fight would have to occur in Madison Square Garden or the UK. Unfortunately, Billy Joe Saunders has almost no fan base, and it would probably not be a big fight in the UK. Another problem is that this fight was going to be free HBO, but without the EXPO money, Saunders would probably have to agree to take less of a pay day, and even to get that money, they would probably have to do the fight on PPV. And there is just not much time to get the fight done at another venue if the Astana EXPO leaves Golovkin holding the bag.
I am glad that they are not waiting on Canelo or responding to the threats of Golden Boy Promotions. Hopefully the Astana Expo details get worked out soon.
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