GGG’S BIG MOVE
Which leaves Billy Joe Saunders plotting a new course
Gennady Golovkin takes aim at a trilogy with Canelo Alvarez
MIDDLEWEIGHT Gennady Golovkin plans to see out the rest of his career with a new broadcaster, the DAZN streaming service.
The former world champion has not boxed since his defeat last September to Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas but will have his comeback bout in June.
The Kazakh, who will turn 37 in April, has signed a six-fight, three-year deal with the platform that will, in all likelihood, lead him to a third fight with his great rival Canelo.
“I hope I can do six fights. I feel great right now but I hope I can six fights,” Golovkin said. “We learned about many things [against Canelo] which we can use in a third fight to make it more interesting and more spectacular than the first two fights.
“Of course this was an important point for me, this fight with Canelo. But right now what we want to do is have the most important fights in boxing… That’s what I want to do right now.”
Golovkin’s own promotional company, GGG Promotions will stage two bills in 2020 and two in 2021 that will also be broadcast on DAZN.
Alvarez will box Danny Jacobs on May 4 in unification for the WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight world titles, a key fight on DAZN. “I expect to have four or five landmark events in the rest of this year,” said DAZN Group Executive Chairman John Skipper. ““This [signing Golovkin] took a long time because this is a lifetime decision. This is a moment in boxing. I think things are changing. I think what we’re going to be able to do is bring the best fights back to fans and Gennady wanted to be a part of that.
“We’re going to focus on those fights and then see what happens.”
A man increasingly sidelined in the middleweight division is former WBO champion
Billy Joe Saunders. As we went to press, reports indicated that Saunders could be about to sign a deal with Top Rank and ESPN, alongside longterm promoter, Frank Warren.
The Briton vacated his world title as he sought to resolve an anti-doping violation last year but is eyeing a move up to super-middleweight for a future world title shot. “I need big challenges. The Golovkin fight I signed for but didn’t happen then Canelo wasn’t interested. I was sort of moping around a little bit, looking for one of those big fights when I should have just sat down and said, ‘Who are you putting in front of me? Let’s get them out of the way.’ I think my mind wandered off from boxing a little bit,” Saunders said.
Callum Smith, the WBA supermiddleweight champion, had caught his attention. “I think he’s a good fighter, a great fighter. He won the Super Series and proved himself by stopping George Groves and beating him well. But styles make fights and my style is not good for him. If I had an easy style I would’ve been in with Golovkin and Canelo by now. But my style is not suited to many and I think I have the style to beat him,” Saunders reflected.
“My style can be bad for business for them who want opponents who are all-action and want to stand in front of Canelo and get lumps knocked off them. But I’m not really about that, I’ve always had it drummed into me since I was a kid that it’s about hit and not get hit.”
“If that doesn’t suit their Mexican style then I’m not going to change it for them. I’ll prove I’m the best if you give me the chance,” he added. “My team and myself have just opened a new door and started a new chapter. We can go back down to middleweight if the fights present themselves there. There’s [Chris] Eubank, and I’m sure Callum Smith is not afraid of fighting anyone.”
‘WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT CANELO IN THOSE TWO FIGHTS’