Two days after Gennady Golovkin’s destruction of Matthew Macklin in the US, fight fans across the world are already putting up their fight wish lists of who they want to see Golovkin in next with or in the near future. It should not be a surprise that the top of the list is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Golovkin ended British fighter Macklin’s dreams in the third round with a lethal left blow to the body that sent Macklin down and cowering as if he had been hit by a Magnum. This is the same Matthew Macklin that gave Sergio Martinez a fair bit of trouble last year when he managed to put him on the canvas but was eventually outgunned in the eleventh.
Golovkin appears to do everything right, getting the most basic fundamentals correctly, something a lot of boxers fail to do. He cuts the ring off well, so good that you would think that he was handcuffed to his opponents. His shot selection is almost perfect and he isn’t afraid to take a punch or two to deliver his own bombs.
After defeating Macklin, Golovkin said that fighting Mayweather would be the ultimate dream for him. But would Mayweather want to fight him? Before anyone jumps to conclusions, this article is not about to take the “Mayweather is a coward” route. On the contrary, I don’t think he is. People forget that Mayweather is a promoter as well as a boxer and he chooses his opponents based on how many dollars they can bring to the table. So, the question is can Golovkin bring in the type of money that the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez can? Right now that is a big question. I believe his fan base is still growing. And that is going to take some time, perhaps a couple of years. And by then Mayweather could be retired. What many people fail to realise is that Floyd’s contract for six fights is only *up to.* He does not have to fulfill all six fights if he does not want to and he could retire after the Alvarez showdown if he wanted. Although I have a strong hunch that he will actually fight all six.
Fighting Mayweather might be the main dream for Golovkin, as it is for many other champions and challengers, but there is a deep pool of opposition. Moving up to 168lb to fight Carl Froch has been discussed by Eddie Hearn, promoter of the IBF and WBA champion. Sergio Martinez is taking some time off to let his body recover but that fight will always be there as long as him and Golovkin are active. Miguel Cotto needs a big win to get back in the mix and his style would most likely gel well with Golovkin’s. And, of course, there is Saul Alvarez, although a fight with Golovkin is most likely more probable if he loses to Mayweather.
Whoever it is, it is almost firmly guaranteed that the future of Gennady Golovkin’s is bright so long as he does not end up living in Paul Williams’ shadow. That is, become the fighter that everybody does not want to fight.
