TWO DAYS after his stoppage win over Kell Brook on September 10, Gennady Golovkin was ordered by the WBA to fight Danny Jacobs next.
‘GGG’ – who holds the WBC and IBF titles as well as the WBA belt – has made it clear his immediate priority is a fight with Canelo Alvarez, though a hand injury the Mexican suffered during his recent win over Liam Smith will sideline him for the remainder of the year.
Incidentally, that could pave the way for Golovkin to fight Jacobs later this year due to HBO’s schedule. The broadcasters had December 10 penciled in for Canelo’s next fight, with Golovkin’s scheduled to air a few weeks later.
However with Canelo out of action until 2017, Golovkin is now likely to fill the December 10 date against a solid name, which Jacobs most certainly is.
The WBA gave both sides 30 days to come to a deal, meaning their deadline is October 10, with the fight going to purse bids if no agreement is reached.
Golovkin’s promoter, Tom Loeffler, wasted no time after the Brook win and is in talks with Jacobs’ people. Though Jacobs is aligned with Al Haymon’s stable and boxes under the Premier Boxing Champions umbrella, he has frequently discussed his desire to face Golovkin.
PBC only had two dates confirmed for the rest of the year and several Haymon fighters have boxed on networks outside of those they usually deal with, such as NBC and CBS.
Golovkin’s other main option was WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders – who Loeffler claims has already turned down offers to face his man. Saunders will defend his title on the Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko undercard on October 29 against an unnamed opponent, so is likely out of the running to fight Golovkin this year.
Given that he has not fought since winning the title from Andy Lee last December, Saunders claims he needs a warm-up fight before taking on someone like Golovkin.
