A week removed from the WBAโs ruling on the official purse split, the potential match between Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) and Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) has been shelved, at least until 2017.
The two sides had been neck-deep in negotiations for a December clash, which would have settled the argument as to who is the worldโs best middleweight.
โI donโt think 12/10 is happening,โ said Jacobsโ trainer Andre Rozier to Boxing News. โNot enough time. Itโs a great fight. It needs the proper seasoning.โ
With the WBA mandating the match, and both fighters wanting to compete once more before the end of the year, it was looking as if the fight was actually going to get made. K2 Promotions, which represents Golovkin, even had New Yorkโs Madison Square Garden reserved as the potential venue.
โWe havenโt really even started to gear up (for training) and weโre talking about six weeks to get it all together,โ add Rozier in an interview RingTV.com. โHonestly, from my standpoint, I wouldnโt let him fight on Dec. 10. Thatโs just the bottom line.โ
Jacobsโ formal request to the WBA for a 60-40 split, versus the standard 75-25 for the champion, seemed to slow down the negotiation but, as recently as last week, Loeffler seemed hopeful that both sides would find common ground before the fight went to purse bid.
โRight now, thereโs a throne and Golovkin sits on it,โ said Jacobs to Boxing News just days before Golovkin-Brook. โThatโs where I want to be at. Heโs looking impressive every fight and heโs fighting regularly and that is a big advantage to have. Do I think I can beat him? Of course, I can beat him but Iโve got to go into that fight at 100 per cent knowing I can beat himโฆItโs a fight Iโd take in 2017 and Iโd be confident in myself if it came off.โ
With Jacobs out of the picture for December, will Golovkin fight once more in 2016?
โNo,โ said Loeffler to Boxing News. โWeโre focused on getting the mandatory out of the way with the WBA. So, heโs going to wait until he fights Jacobs.โ