{"id":57492,"date":"2016-01-08T00:09:54","date_gmt":"2016-01-08T05:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=57492"},"modified":"2016-01-08T00:09:54","modified_gmt":"2016-01-08T05:09:54","slug":"new-year-same-groundhogs-day-for-gennady-golovkin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=57492","title":{"rendered":"New Year & Same Groundhog\u2019s Day for Gennady Golovkin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GGG\"<\/a>By Jesse \u201cNew School\u201d Wright<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Gennady Golovkin, the new year brings a new chapter of the same old story. For a guy whose mission statement is simply \u201cAll the belts,\u201d things have once again gotten overly complicated. He\u2019s already been denied a shot at the WBC championship held by Canelo Alvarez in favor of each fighter having another fight to build publicity first. Now Golovkin is taking the practical route by starting negotiations for a unification bout with recently crowned WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest here; this deal may have been dead before it even started. Golovkin has so much heat that just mentioning his name will build a fighter\u2019s reputation. Here are two points for Billy Joe Saunders to consider<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong><\/em> Don\u2019t fight for a belt that represents you as the best if you aren\u2019t willing to defend it against the best. That belt is meant for champions which means you have to beat everyone to be entitled to it.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong><\/em> It\u2019s going to hurt your reputation to start negotiations and not finish them. It would\u2019ve been better to avoid Golovkin like the plague than to flirt with the notion of actually fighting him.
\nThese tactics of fighters playing keep away with championship belts are terrible for the sport of boxing. What\u2019s worse is it\u2019s confusing. I don\u2019t blame casual sports fans who find it hard to follow boxing. Could you imagine if the Golden State Warriors were in the NBA playoffs and just decided that they didn\u2019t want to play the Clippers so they just skipped over them? It\u2019s the same thing in boxing as it is a sport with an infinite playoff system.<\/p>\n

Saunders made a remark that there is more money in a Chris Eubank, JR. rematch than a Golovkin fight. Perhaps if they were to have an all England fight in a stadium, there would be more money at the gate due to the venue being larger and both fighters drawing out their fans. That would probably explain why Saunders said he would accept less on the up front split if they fought in England. There\u2019s some home cooking in it for Saunders, but it\u2019s also a bigger short and long term financial gain if he showcases to his own fan base.<\/p>\n

Golovkin should pounce on the option to concede home ring advantage in order to lure Saunders in to the ring. It\u2019s a win situation for Golovkin. The draw at the gate of a venue such as Wembley Stadium would be massive. It makes sense financially, but it also gives Golovkin an opportunity to expand his fan base which he has always done when fighting in new towns, states, or in this case, countries. What\u2019s most important, it might be the only way to acquire the belt he claims to cherish so much. If the Saunders camp is just bluffing through these negotiations, which is highly likely, then this is just going to be another of many wild goose chases of boxing. However, if the venue of the potential fight is the make or break bargaining point, we can all pack our bags for London in April because this fight will be on.<\/p>\n

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