ESPN.com's Dan Rafael is reporting that undefeated Largo, MD middleweight Dominic "Lights Out" Wade could be next in line to face one of the top boxers in the sport -- "Triple G" Gennady Golovkin.
Rafael points out that Golovkin, who holds the IBF and WBA middleweight titles and another of the best in the business -- Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the WBC champion -- have decided they will not face each other in the bout most boxing fans want to see until September at the earliest. So each boxer will take interim contests.
Golovkin, who has a bout slated for April 23 on HBO, did make an offer to face the WBO champion, Billy Joe Saunders. However, Saunders is reportedly asking too much to make the bout happen.
So, Golovkin, whose goal is to unify all the middleweight titles, must make his mandatory IBF title defense, which was originally slated to be against the number one challenger -- Tureano Johnson of Georgia. However, Johnson has a shoulder injury and will not be ready by April. The IBF has decided to go down its rankings and -- since there is no number two contender (don't ask why) -- Wade is next in line as he is ranked third.
The IBF has told Rafael that Wade has accepted the mandatory position and negotiations are underway. Wade (18-0, 12 KO's) is coming off the biggest win of his career, a 10-round split decision over former world champion Sam Soliman on June 26 in Shelton, WA.
Rafael mentions another interesting aspect of this story -- Wade is one of the many Beltway Boxers either advised or managed by Al Haymon. HBO Sports's former president Ken Hershman banned all Haymon boxers from the network two years ago. Hershman's second-in-command, Peter Nelson, now runs HBO Sports and all indications point to a Golovkin-Wade bout taking place on the network.
"The IBF has decided to go down its rankings and -- since there is no number two contender (don't ask why)"
ReplyDeleteOnly in boxing.