Every sanctioning body is pretty flexible with the mandatory process, and how the 'leading available contender' is defined. Promoters can petition for an opponent to classify as a qualifying mandatory even if they are not in the sanctioning bodies' top 10 or 15, and just needs justification, usually network commitments etc are enough, but any application is entertained and their committee decides yay or nay.
The IBF has a specific exemption for unification bouts too, so Saunders counts......but Cotto would have to be negotiated.
Don't know for sure but Canelo may have been negotiated as a qualifying mandatory by all the sanctioning bodies for example (might be why he put all the belts up), in which case no mandos due right now.
Only way we ever know for sure is when the sanctioning bodies make an announcement.
No he won't. He pays them a lot of sanctioning fees because he is very active. There is no way they'd kill that golden goose unless they were forced to.
Just can't see it happening. There is enough unfinished business at 160 to keep Golovkin fully occupied until he retires (WBO belt, rematches Canelo and Jacobs, Charlo, Dervyanchenko - if he even makes it that far).
Back when he was desperate for that marquis name Ward was a possibility, but he's had that in Canelo now.
But YOU'RE STILL MISSING THE POINT. It isn't just a business move. Cotto is a Hall of Famer. Having Cotto's name on GGG's resume makes GGG's resume look better. Its not just a money fight. Its a legacy fight.
Yup fairly SOP, eg Canelo getting Mosley and Cotto, on his resume, Khan - Barrera, Garcia - Morales, etc.
They usually do it earlier in their careers though to establish some sort of false credibility, so a slight difference there.
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