De La Hoya gives us his word GGG-Canelo happens next year; Canelo could face Chavez Junior first

De La Hoya gives us his word GGG-Canelo happens next year; Canelo could face Chavez Junior first

Oscar De La Hoya was a guest on “First Take” last night – and guess what the topic of conversation was? Yes, that still in-the-works super-fight all of boxing wants to see: Gennady Golovkin Vs. Canelo Alvarez. And, in response to being asked if the fight will happen in 2017, the Golden Boy head gave us his word no less that, yes, it will happen in September of next year.

“Canelo truly is a ’54-pounder. I mean, he is,” De La Hoya said. “He can make the weight no problem, and Canelo and I and the team have that for 2017 he will move up to middleweight, full-fledged middleweight, and fight the middleweight champions of the world, and that’s including Triple-G. At 160, that’s it. You have my word, and Canelo is not afraid of Triple-G. September, we’re hoping he signs the contract and it will happen.”

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WBC orders 4-man tourney to pick Golovkin mandatory / Briedis vs Huck

WBC orders 4-man tourney to pick Golovkin mandatory / Briedis vs Huck

The World Boxing Council completed the third day of its 54th annual convention today at the Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Florida.

Opening the morning session, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said, “The WBC has seen a decline in interest in amateur boxing around the world and the current practice by AIBA to threaten the integrity of amateur boxing. We have many persons in this room who have, one way or another, participated in making efforts to provide a platform for amateur boxers.

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Gennady Golovkin goes into the record books: Guinness Book of Records recognise GGG as having the highest KO percentage in middleweight championship history

Gennady Golovkin goes into the record books: Guinness Book of Records recognise GGG as having the highest KO percentage in middleweight championship history

World middleweight king Gennady Golovkin picked up three awards at the annual WBC convention in Hollywood, the most prestigious possibly being the distinction of being recognised by The Guinness Book of Records as having THE highest KO percentage in the history of middleweight world championship boxing.

GGG, who fought just twice this year, also picked up two WBC awards – one for Event of The Year, for his dominant stoppage victory over Kell Brook in September, the other, a special award, for being Most Dominant Boxer. The place he now occupies in the prestigious Guinness Book of Records arguably made GGG feel most proud though.

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WBA: seven-day deadline for Golovkin and Jacobs to make a deal, purse bids after that if no deal reached

WBA: seven-day deadline for Golovkin and Jacobs to make a deal, purse bids after that if no deal reached

It’s proven far longer than initially expected for the middleweight title fight between world ruler Gennady Golovkin and secondary WBA middleweight champ Danny Jacobs to get done, but it looks like the new working date of March 18 will see the fight take place. As Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reports, the WBA sent a letter to both teams this week, informing them that they now have seven days in which to come together with a deal – if no deal is reached the fight will go to purse bids.

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Carl Froch puts an end to all Gennady Golovkin fight talk: “It’s not happening”

Carl Froch puts an end to all Gennady Golovkin fight talk: “It's not happening”

With rumour and talk continuing to circulate suggesting former super-middleweight king Carl Froch could be on the verge of ending his over two-year retirement to face reigning middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, it has taken Froch himself to end such talk. It’s not going to happen, not now, not ever.

Writing a piece for Sky Sports web site, “The Cobra” said he has not even spoken with either Tom Loeffler or Eddie Hearn and that although he feels he could beat GGG as he is just too big for him, he is not going to end his retirement for such a fight.

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Will Gennady Golovkin ever get his defining fight?

Will Gennady Golovkin ever get his defining fight?

Is Gennady Golovkin a great middleweight, worthy of being ranked alongside the special ones such as Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, Bernard Hopkins and, perhaps the best of the lot, Sugar Ray Robinson? No, he isn’t – – but he might be one day.

There is no denying GGG’s qualities: his withering punching power, his accuracy, his ability at cutting the ring down on anyone he fights and his speed and punch variety. Indeed, Golovkin seems to have it all – except for one thing: a defining fight. Golovkin is so desperate to bank himself a career-definer, he (or his team) are even looking to lure a 39 year-old Carl Froch out of retirement. GGG has also spoken of his willingness to go up or down in weight in search of that one sparkling win all the greats seems to have on their resume.

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Froch-Golovkin Super-Fight! Could it still happen?

Froch-Golovkin Super-Fight! Could it still happen?

If the fight actually took place, how many fight fans would tune in, and pay to do so? It’s a guaranteed great fight that might actually have a small chance of getting made: Gennady Golovkin-Carl Froch! Wow, yes, wow. Yes, super-middleweight warrior and former champ Carl Froch is retired, but, as the saying, the adage, goes – they all come back.

And, according to GGG promoter Tom Loeffler, there is a possibility – just a small one – that “The Cobra” might be enticed to come back to fight the feared middleweight king. Speaking with IFL TV in Monaco at the Ortiz-Scott card, Loeffler said, with a smile (or maybe a mischievous grin) that he and Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn are working on a GGG-Froch match-up. This is a match-up that can only be described as a potential super-fight, one that millions of fans would cheerfully pay to see unfold it it was made a reality.

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James DeGale: “My mega-fight would be against Golovkin!”

James DeGale: “My mega-fight would be against Golovkin!”

You can add super-middleweight champ James DeGale to the list of big names who want to fight feared middleweight king Gennady Golovkin. Southpaw DeGale, like GGG a former amateur standout, is the IBF 168-pound champion – and he will next face WBC super-middleweight champ Badou Jack in a big unification fight in January – but he sees GGG moving up one day.

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Pacquiao-Golovkin! “That’s the biggest joke,” says Bob Arum – “How could anyone think I’d put Manny in with that beast!”

Pacquiao-Golovkin! “That's the biggest joke,” says Bob Arum - “How could anyone think I'd put Manny in with that beast!”

We’ve seen crazy, even unthinkable fights become reality in the sport of boxing, and just recently we’ve seen some shockers come off (see Canelo-Khan and Golovkin-Brook – both fights coming out of nowhere and causing genuine surprise and stun when first announced). But the recent article that appeared suggesting how promoter Bob Arum was seriously thinking about putting Manny Pacquiao in with middleweight king Gennady Golovkin has been totally discredited – by Arum himself.

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The Tactical Calm of Gennady Golovkin

The Tactical Calm of Gennady Golovkin

When fight fans hear or read the name Gennady Golovkin, immediately the first word that comes up in mind, whether consciously or subconsciously, is “monster” or another suitable synonym no doubt. Hailed as the most dominant prizefighter in today’s Middleweight division, there is an atmosphere to his matches and a very rare type of dominance in his performance which convince people that yes, though GGG hasn’t fought the right kind of competition to call him great, most fans know he is great.

I’m sure fight fans who enjoy the technical works of precision, timing and patience found in the careers of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Guillermo Rigondeaux, and Pernell Whitaker can appreciate GGG’s performance against David Lemieux. Am I saying that GGG is a technical boxer? Obviously not anywhere near the same degree as the three aforementioned boxing grandmasters, but nonetheless GGG understood he couldn’t go about his conventional overwhelming forward pursuit against Lemieux, who himself has been considered a devastating puncher himself with ferocious in-fighting.

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