Golovkin to decide next opponent this week says Sanchez

By Sean Jones

Boxingnews24.com

Trainer Abel Sanchez said Gennady Golovkin and his team will sit down this week and decide on who his next opponent will be when he returns to the ring for his first fight of a three-year deal with DAZN in June. According to Sanchez, they have decided on an opponent yet.

As of now, rumors are flying that Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KO) will be fighting either Brandon Adams or Kamil Szeremeta. Both fighters are ranked in the top five at middleweight, and Golovkin can’t go wrong fighting either of them. The criticism from the boxing public on social media has been high when Adam and Szeremeta’s names were floated. By now, Sanchez, Golovkin and promoter Tom Loeffler likely are aware of the disinterest from the boxing fans in seeing GGG fight Adams or Szeremeta. The fans want to see Golovkin challenge WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade, who is unbeaten at 27-0, and well respected by fans. Andrade is also a slick southpaw that could give any fighter in the middleweight division problems.

“We’re getting together probably at the end of this week, and we’ll find out when it’s going to be and against who,” trainer Abel Sanchez said to Villanfy Media about Golovkin’s next fight. “We haven’t really decided.”

The argument against matching Golovkin against Andrade is it’s an ideal time for that type of fight to be made. Golovkin is coming off of a loss to Canelo, as well as a long layoff. With a big money trilogy fight likely to take place in September against Alvarez, it would be risky for GGG to fight Andrade in June. Golovkin needs a good opponent, but not someone with a left-handed stance, who will likely be using a lot of movement the entire fight. It’s hard to look good against a fighter that is running. For that reason and because of Andrade’s southpaw stance, he’s not a great option for GGG’s next fight.

“2012, September 1st, we begged and pleaded and cried to HBO to put us on,” Sanchez said. “It just so happens that two guys got hurt, and we were put on by mistake. He did well. In his short career, I think we’ve done very well by him, and he’s been promoted exceptionally well. He’s at the top of his game. He’s made his country very proud, and he’s made up very proud to work with him,” Sanchez said.

In Golovkins first fight on HBO in 2012, he defeated Grzegorz Proksa by a fifth round knockout in a dominating performance. Golovkin knocked the slick Proksa down three times in the fight before it was halted in the fifth. going into that fight, Proksa was coming off of an eighth round knockout win over Kerry Hope. Proksa had beaten Sebastian Sylvester by a third round stoppage in October 2010. Proksa made Sylvester look bad in beating him, and sent him into retirement. Golovkin never let Proksa use any of his slick boxing skills against him by focusing on throwing body shots. That was one of the few fights GGG has had as a pro were he targeted his opponent’s midsection, and it worked well.

“He’s always been a very physical guy,” Sanchez said about Golovkin. “These guys come in and want to test him, and it’s impossible to test a young man that’s unlike any other that I’ve ever worked with. He’s not only strong and strong willed, but he knows his balance. When he was trying to pick him [heavyweight Malik Scott] up when he was wrestling, it shows he knows all about his body and his balance and Malik didn’t,”Sanchez said.