Poster by Liam Brady Media
The big news that dominated Tuesday, February 2, 2016 was the announcement that Canelo Alvarez will be facing Amir Khan on May 7.
But Tuesday also provided us with some other interesting info as Dan Rafael of ESPN.com confirmed via Twitter that Gennady Golovkin‘s (34-0, 31 KOs) next fight date and opponent are set–although the news definitely slid under the radar.
I’m told that Golovkin-Wade is agreed to and approved by HBO. April 23, likely at the Forum in LA. #boxing
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) February 2, 2016
Golovkin will be facing undefeated IBF mandatory challenger, Dominic Wade (18-0, 12 KOs) of Largo, MD on April 23 on HBO.
Wade, who is signed with Al Haymon, moved into the mandatory slot after No. 1 contender Tureano Johnson was injured.
Golovkin will be stepping into the ring for the first time since demolishing former IBF title holder, David Lemieux, back in October of 2015.
Wade is coming off the biggest win of his young career, a 10-round split decision victory over 42-year-old Sam Soliman in June of 2015.
Wade–who along with Oscar De La Hoya holds the record for the second most National Silver Gloves championship with five–is not a household name by any stretch of the imagination, but he does have a lot of ability.
Whether or not he can pose a serious challenge for Golovkin at this point in his career remains to be seen.
Update 2/10/16:
Earlier today, Gennady Golovkin announced via Twitter that his fight with Wade is officially on.
It's official, I'll be squaring off with @_DomoWade at @TheForum on April 23rd. Use #GolovkinWade to discuss. pic.twitter.com/6C77RNrPYC
— Gennady Golovkin (@GGGBoxing) February 10, 2016
The fight will take place on place at The Forum in Inglewood, CA on April 23.
According to Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene, representatives from the IBF confirmed that they received signed contracts on Wednesday.
What are your thoughts regarding Golovkin versus Wade?
