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Gennady “GGG” Golovkin will be returning to the ring on February 1, 2014, but against who?
The world still awaits.
In a perfect world, he would be lining up to take on lineal champion Sergio Martinez early next year. If he were to win that fight, a unification bout with hard hitting WBO Middleweight Champion, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin for 160-pound supremacy is a fight fans dream.
Sadly, that scenario will only play out in a dream and we have to live with this horrible reality where the “Boxing Cold War” is blocking some great fights.
Luckily, Golovkin is in a division where most of the fighters live on his side of the boxing Berlin Wall.
Realistically, Golovkin should fight his WBA mandatory against Martin Murray. Yet the British fighter, always troubled to fight in the U.S. due to Visa problems, seems a bit skirmish at the idea of fighting the Middleweight boogeyman.
Daniel Geale would be a great showcase fight and he has made it clear he wants to fight the Kazakh star.
Sadly that fight has lost significant luster since Geale lost his IBF Middleweight belt to Darren Barker earlier in the year.
As for Barker, he has his hands full fighting Felix Sturm in Germany early next year. Sturm, who embarrassingly avoided Golovkin when he was a mandatory to such a point where he was stripped of his title, is no way considered an opponent for GGG at this point.
I feel a darkhorse in the running is Willie Nelson. The 6′ 3″ Junior Middleweight was scheduled to move up in weight to fight GGG conquered foe, Matthew Macklin, but pulled out due to an elbow injury. I can see Golovkin vs. Nelson happening in Monaco early next year.
So it comes down to a who should Golovkin fight next, to a who will Golovkin fight next.
He should fight Sergio Martinez, but will sadly be ducked and dodged enough to resort to fighting a fringe contender like Willie Nelson. It will be an exciting one sided affair while it lasts for two or three rounds.
