Undefeated IBO and WBA Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin (30-0) is having trouble setting his next fight. He is coming off a July 26th destruction of Australian Daniel Geale, and in 2013 he went 4-0 earning many ‘Fighter of the Year’ awards. His bludgeoning style has led to 27 stoppages in 30 outings, and he has been in the top 10 ‘Pound for Pound’ lists out there for about a year. Golovkin is looking for a big name opponent and a big money fight for his next outing. There has been talk of ‘Triple G’ taking on Miguel Cotto, fresh off his WBC Middleweight title win over Sergio Martinez. Cotto however, may not materialize because Golovkin and his promoters will likely not be able to match the package Cotto gets in other offers. If they did meet, Golovkin would come in the favorite against Cotto, mainly because Cotto is seen to be at his maximum size and has been a long time climbing to middleweight, while Golovkin has been there a long time and he has considered fights at Light Heavyweight. If Gennady goes up in weight, there is Andre Ward sitting right there. Ward, another denizen of the ‘Pound for Pound’ lists, has been inactive and is embroiled in a bitter lawsuit with his management team, so he may not be available. Ward is the one fighter who would probably be favored over Golovkin at the books. Golovkin’s name has also been linked to a match with second generation Mexican star Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. That match would also involve heading to Super Middleweight, but Golovkin would be favored at the books in that fight. More and more it appears that Golovkin will take on veteran Marco Antonio Rubio. Rubio, (59-6, 51 KOs) has won 6 fights in a row since losing to Chavez Jr in February of 2012, and he holds an interim WBC Middleweight Title, so Golovkin may opt to collect belts while he waits for a big money fight to materialize. In his six recent wins, Rubio has 5 stoppages, so he remains dangerous to get a stoppage. ‘El Veneno’ will have to reach into his bag of tricks and be the cagey veteran to have a chance in this one, as engaging Golovkin in a war of attrition is not likely to go the 34 year old’s way. It should be remembered that Rubio himself has been stopped 3 times in his career. As the match does not entail Golovkin leaving the Middleweight class that he dominates, look for him to be a massive favorite at the books when it is announced.
