What’s next for Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin? Canelo on the horizon with Eubank and Charlo scores to settle
Gennadiy Golovkin made light of his advancing years with a destructive ninth-round stoppage of Ryota Murata on Saturday.
Golovkin came through some tricky early moments against a relentless opponent to turn up the heat and stop the WBA middleweight champion with a peach of a right hand.
Fighting a day after his 40th birthday and following a 16-month absence from the ring, it made GGG a unified champion at 160lbs once more, adding Murata’s belt to his IBF strap.
That was a mere subplot at Saitama’s Super Arena, however, with victory upholding Golovkin’s side of the bargain when it comes to sealing a third fight with pound-for-pound king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
The bitter rivals are set to meet this September, providing Alvarez comes through his showdown with WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol unscathed next month.
Here, The Sporting News assesses that superfight and some of the other potential options on the table for Golovkin in what looks likely to be the home stretch of his career.
Canelo vs. GGG III – the fight boxing wants to see
Long-awaited bouts often don’t live up to the hype, but the first meeting between Golovkin and Canelo in September 2017 was spectacular.
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The same was true when they met 12 months later.
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Golovkin’s desire to do it again is obvious. The first fight, which many observers felt he won, was controversially scored a draw. The return was closer but he was once again aggrieved to see things fall Canelo’s way.
The problem is that the Mexican superstar has gone from strength to strength since, overcoming unbeaten champions Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant to become the undisputed champion at super-middleweight.
Who wants the trilogy then? 🍿#GGGMurata pic.twitter.com/Xd31c6Gh1Q
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 9, 2022
That is going to mean a first venture to 168lbs in his career for Golovkin and, even through he would be an underdog, the fight would once again capture the world’s attention.
All roads appear to lead to Canelo, but what if he is beaten or injured against Bivol or there is an unexpected stumbling block as negotiations are tied up?
Caleb Plant and John Ryder – getting used to super-middleweight
If, for whatever reason there was to be a delay to Golovkin getting back in the ring with Canelo, he could use the time to acclimatise to the bigger weight division.
Plant lost his unbeaten record against Alvarez last time out but remains one of the leading lights at super-middleweight.
It would be a tough assignment for GGG but would attract plenty of attention in the US and Plant’s 12 knockouts from 21 wins marks him out as a solid but not devastating puncher.
Another option at 168lbs would be John Ryder. The Briton is gunning for a big fight after his career-best win over Danny Jacobs earlier this year. He is rumoured to have been earmarked as a Canelo opponent for early 2023, so would surely jump at the chance to take on GGG.
Chris Eubank Jr – London calling
Ryder is not the only British boxing in the middle and super-middleweight divisions who could appear on Golovkin’s radar.
The outspoken Chris Eubank Jr has frequently spoken of his desire to face GGG but a deal to bring the two together at the O2 Arena collapsed in 2016.
Then IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook jumped up two weight classes to step in and was stopped in five rounds with a broken orbital bone after an all-action fight.
As it happens, in this sport of repeated storylines and narratives, Eubank and Brook are currently in negotiations over a catchweight contest after the latter settled his grudge with Amir Khan.
The winner to face Golovkin? Stranger things have happened. Eubank would be favourite on account of his size and being the younger man. His capacity to operate at either 160lbs or 168lbs could appeal to GGG.
Jermall Charlo – Unifying at middleweight
Perhaps the obvious avenue to explore if the Canelo fight doesn’t get over the line is to continue unifying in the division Golovkin has dominated for more than a decade.
Having added the WBA belt to his IBF crown, the WBC and WBO remain out of Golovkin’s control.
Demitrius Andrade holds the WBO crown but steps up to super-middleweight next month to contest the organisation’s interim world title against Zach Parker.
If the 160lbs WBO belt becomes available, that brings rising Mexican star Jaime Munguia into the equation, but the more established Jermall Charlo holds the WBC crown and will defend against Maciej Sulecki in June.
Charlo has been in Golovkin’s orbit for some time and has called out the future Hall of Famer. If Canelo can’t happen for some reason, it is probably the biggest fight out there for GGG and victory over Charlo would certainly enhance his already incredible legacy.