BoxRec

"The fight with Canelo is the only thing on our minds, we are going to concentrate on that fight. If we do not do well, then it doesn't matter what we think right now. We have to prove that Golovkin is the best middleweight in the world. And if we do and the fight is good - there can be a rematch," Sanchez told ESPN Deportes.

"These fights are the ones we need. We have not had a Vazquez-Marquez, Barrera-Morales, Marquez-Pacquiao [in a long time]. If we can have a rematch, we would welcome that. But if not, I think Golovkin already did what he had to do at that weight, and we would raise the possibility of climbing up to 168 pounds,"

The rematch will happen only if the 1st fight is controversial and of course the PPV's are high. Oscar loves big numbers and crooked judges... and powder.

GGG isn't anywhere near big enough to dominate at 168 the same way he has done at 160. 168 isn't as deep in talent as it used to be so he could probably scrap out a few ins and pick up a title or two but he won't get things his own way.

He struggled with Jacobs who is a big middle. I wouldn't mind seeing Jacobs at 168 as well.

One of the main reasons being cited for Golovkin's flat-refusal to prove his long-term boasts that he is able to compete against and also beat the very best fighter's in their natural habitat, ranging from 154lbs to 175lbs, was GGG's apparent ambitions to not only unify the middleweight division, but to also technically "break" Bernard Hopkins' title defence record... but if Abel Sanchez's claims are correct, he'll abandon both goals for no apparent reason?

It makes a mockery of all the hardcore die-hard GGG fans that went to outrageous lengths to defend Golovkin's honour against those attacking his moderately dire resume, using the reasons cited by Team GGG as their sole defence, which now appears to be insincere claims.

To be honest, I want GGG to remain at 160lbs and unify the division, technically "break" Hopkins' title defence record and also engage in high-profile fights against the likes of Daniel Jacobs and Chris Eubank Jr.

Gennady Golovkin is very close to achieving Hall-of-Famer status, but he might not be considered a dead-cert first-ballot entry into that prestigious club if he makes the jump to 168lbs to compete in a weight division where the talent pool is particularly shallow and the best fighters are mostly anonymous.

That being said, based on the recent photos we've seen of him, he appeared quite heavy (superficially appearing "bigger" than Sergey Kovalev), whilst also possessing a fleshy midriff... so perhaps Gennady is at an age where he's struggling to continuously lose so much weight to make 160lbs, especially according to the IBF's strict rules?

I really can't think of any other reason for Abel Sanchez's motivation for GGG to abandon his middleweight throne (unless Gennady gets dominated by Canelo, which is highly-unlikely)?

Yeah I think he's seek and tired to make 160 lbs and he'd move up in weight if no Canelo rematch. GGG vs CEJ / Groves in UK would do good numbers. If G beats Canelo then moves up and beats someone like Groves, IMO he has done enough.

Enlightened-One wrote:One of the main reasons being cited for Golovkin's flat-refusal to prove his long-term boasts that he is able to compete against and also beat the very best fighter's in their natural habitat, ranging from 154lbs to 175lbs, was GGG's apparent ambitions to not only unify the middleweight division, but to also technically "break" Bernard Hopkins' title defence record... but if Abel Sanchez's claims are correct, he'll abandon both goals for no apparent reason?

It makes a mockery of all the hardcore die-hard GGG fans that went to outrageous lengths to defend Golovkin's honour against those attacking his moderately dire resume, using the reasons cited by Team GGG as their sole defence, which now appears to be insincere claims.

To be honest, I want GGG to remain at 160lbs and unify the division, technically "break" Hopkins' title defence record and also engage in high-profile fights against the likes of Daniel Jacobs and Chris Eubank Jr.

Gennady Golovkin is very close to achieving Hall-of-Famer status, but he might not be considered a dead-cert first-ballot entry into that prestigious club if he makes the jump to 168lbs to compete in a weight division where the talent pool is particularly shallow and the best fighters are mostly anonymous.

That being said, based on the recent photos we've seen of him, he appeared quite heavy (superficially appearing "bigger" than Sergey Kovalev), whilst also possessing a fleshy midriff... so perhaps Gennady is at an age where he's struggling to continuously lose so much weight to make 160lbs, especially according to the IBF's strict rules?

I really can't think of any other reason for Abel Sanchez's motivation for GGG to abandon his middleweight throne (unless Gennady gets dominated by Canelo, which is highly-unlikely)?

If he beats Canelo, he is a HOFer. He already beat Jacobs and I don't know why he would waste his time trying to deal with Eubank. A Charlo fight would be interesting, but that is it, and I wouldn't expect him to stay at 160 for that fight. Fights against Degale and Ramirez are both more interesting and easier to make, plus would offer the opportunity to win a belt in another weight class.

I'd be more interested in a Charlo fight than any fight at 168. I've had him pegged as ggg's toughest challenge for a few years.

He should grab the remaining belt from BJS/Khurt and then fight Charlo if Jermall/Haymon agree to that.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:I'd be more interested in a Charlo fight than any fight at 168. I've had him pegged as ggg's toughest challenge for a few years.

If not this match up, Jacobs/Charlo would be fantastic!

Impractical Poster wrote:

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:I'd be more interested in a Charlo fight than any fight at 168. I've had him pegged as ggg's toughest challenge for a few years.

If not this match up, Jacobs/Charlo would be fantastic!

That would be a good fight but ain't gonna happen too soon.

jockpunk wrote:

Enlightened-One wrote:One of the main reasons being cited for Golovkin's flat-refusal to prove his long-term boasts that he is able to compete against and also beat the very best fighter's in their natural habitat, ranging from 154lbs to 175lbs, was GGG's apparent ambitions to not only unify the middleweight division, but to also technically "break" Bernard Hopkins' title defence record... but if Abel Sanchez's claims are correct, he'll abandon both goals for no apparent reason?

It makes a mockery of all the hardcore die-hard GGG fans that went to outrageous lengths to defend Golovkin's honour against those attacking his moderately dire resume, using the reasons cited by Team GGG as their sole defence, which now appears to be insincere claims.

To be honest, I want GGG to remain at 160lbs and unify the division, technically "break" Hopkins' title defence record and also engage in high-profile fights against the likes of Daniel Jacobs and Chris Eubank Jr.

Gennady Golovkin is very close to achieving Hall-of-Famer status, but he might not be considered a dead-cert first-ballot entry into that prestigious club if he makes the jump to 168lbs to compete in a weight division where the talent pool is particularly shallow and the best fighters are mostly anonymous.

That being said, based on the recent photos we've seen of him, he appeared quite heavy (superficially appearing "bigger" than Sergey Kovalev), whilst also possessing a fleshy midriff... so perhaps Gennady is at an age where he's struggling to continuously lose so much weight to make 160lbs, especially according to the IBF's strict rules?

I really can't think of any other reason for Abel Sanchez's motivation for GGG to abandon his middleweight throne (unless Gennady gets dominated by Canelo, which is highly-unlikely)?

If he beats Canelo, he is a HOFer. He already beat Jacobs and I don't know why he would waste his time trying to deal with Eubank. A Charlo fight would be interesting, but that is it, and I wouldn't expect him to stay at 160 for that fight. Fights against Degale and Ramirez are both more interesting and easier to make, plus would offer the opportunity to win a belt in another weight class.

A fight against Eubank Jr. would likely provide GGG his second largest payday of his career and he'd be facing an aggressive teak-tough hungry young lion who possesses a deeply-impressive work-rate.

GGG previously stated that legacy was more important for him than paydays, so it doesn't make sense for him to abandon the 160lbs weight division at such a late stage of his career when he's so close to unifying all the titles and breaking records.

If Golovkin abandons those ambitions now (for no apparent reason), then he deserves to receive an enormous amount of criticism for many misleading the boxing community for several boasts/claims he's made that he has flatly-refused to prove/achieve.