Golovkin vs. Brook Is Not a WBA Title Fight

The Championships Committee of the World Boxing Association has notified representatives of WBA Super World middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs), the undefeated knockout artist from Los Angeles by way of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, that “Triple G” must, under the rules of the WBA, request special permission from the sanctioning body before getting into the ring with IBF welterweight champion Kell “Special K” Brook (36-0, 25 KOs), from Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, on September 10.

The mandatory challenger for Golovkin’s 160-pound title is WBA World middleweight champion Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs), who hails from Brooklyn, New York, and has held that title since stopping Jarrod Fletcher in 2014.

“The Championships Committee and the Presidency have not agreed to sanction this bout as a title fight because Brook has never fought as a middleweight,” said WBA president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza. “The intent of the organization is to try to protect the integrity and health of the fighters. We do not oppose the fight, per se. But the rules of the organization stipulate that Golovkin and/or his representatives must request special permission in advance to fight Brook. Under the circumstances, if Golovkin were to lose to Kell Brook, the title would become vacant and would not end up in the hands of the British pugilist.”

The notification to request special permission was sent to the team of Gennady Golovkin because the WBA only learned of the completion of the GGG-Brook negotiations when the fight was announced at a press conference, prior to and without the approval of the Championships Committee.