In the aftermath of Gennady Golovkin’s close, majority decision loss to fellow middleweight colossus Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, fans of the sport are left wondering: what’s next for the Kazakh powerhouse?
After a set of extremely tight – and in some quarters, controversial – scorecards, a trilogy between the pair would seem to be the next logical step, with both men emerging from the bout with their reputations very much intact.
Though the bout was fiercely contested throughout, the perceived harsh treatment received by Golovkin in their first meeting – a contentious draw in September 2017 – has left fans decrying the weekend’s result as a robbery – leaving the door open for a third instalment in 2019.
However, should a third fight between the pair not take place the winner of the upcoming Jacobs-Derevyanchenko (IBF) and Saunders-Andrade (WBO) World middleweight title bouts would also present an interesting proposition for ‘GGG’.
With a match-up against Britain’s Billy Joe Saunders having been mooted for some time, and American Danny Jacobs’ willingness to gain revenge for his March 2016 defeat to Golovkin, either would be a marketable venture – however, would be devoid of the mega-money purse gained by fighting ‘Canelo’.
Facing he winner of Jacobs-Derevyanchenko would also afford Golovkin the opportunity to regain the one belt he did not lose in the ring this past weekend – the IBF title that he was forced to vacate in May of this year.
While Jacobs has gone on record with his desire for another shot at ‘GGG’, the chance to unify against the division’s money-man Alvarez could be seen as the savvier business move at this juncture of his career: leaving Golovkin to potentially pursue the winner of Saunders-Andrade.
Should the winner of that bout turn out to be Saunders, it would once again link the two men together, with potential clashes between them heavily-rumoured over the years. As recently as June of this year, it had been reported that Saunders would face Golovkin, before the rematch with Canelo was made for September.
After declaring in a recent interview with Boxing Social he would be prepared to face the winner of Canelo-GGG II, it would remain to be seen whether Saunders would be willing to step into the ring with a now belt-less Golovkin.
With the 36-year-old already struggling to tempt the division’s best fighters into the ring – even when in possession of three of the four recognised World titles – it may now prove impossible to do so without the lure of a big-money payday.
Though there are certainly options for Golovkin to consider, a trilogy fight with Canelo remains by far the most likely of outcomes. With trainer Abel Sanchez and Golovkin himself already declaring their interest in a third fight, boxing fans – especially those in disagreement with Saturday’s outcome – wait with bated breath on an announcement…
Article by: Andi Purewal
Follow Andi on Twitter at: @AndiPurewal