Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions took some time to speak with Tha Boxing Voice regarding one of his company’s most luminous talents in Gennady Golovkin(31-0, 28KO’s), who currently holds the WBA Super, the interim WBC and the IBO middleweight championships.
Golovkin will defend those belts against Englishman Martin Murray(29-1-1, 12KO’s) on February 22nd in Monte Carlo, Monaco, but what is likely to follow? Golovkin has yet to face a marquee name on his meteoric rise to the top of his division, the absence of which somewhat undermines his legitimacy to some of the most cynical observers of the sport.
A prime candidate for that unenviable position would be WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto(39-4, 32KO’s) who is currently embroiled in the increasingly dull speculation as to who will be Floyd Mayweather’s next opponent on May 2nd, a notion given credence by Cotto’s decision to withdraw from negotiations to face Saul Alvarez on the very same night.
If Cotto decides to withdraw from that situation entirely then a match between himself and Golovkin is a natural at 160 .lb. And has been speculated over since Cotto won his title back in June. But Loeffler denies that their avoidance of one and other up to this point is anything like the saga between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s refusal to reach an agreement to fight.
“Oh, I don’t think so, that just came up [meaning the shouts for Golovkin and Cotto to face each other]. I mean Gennady just won the WBC interim title and so now he is the mandatory for Miguel Cotto. Miguel’s a proven champion in the ring he’s a proven warrior, he always rises to the big challenges.”
‘Always’ is an overstatement here as Cotto has a chequered record when he squares-off against elite opposition; his fights against Floyd and Manny were both entertaining affairs in which he ended up taking a beating, especially so in the Manny bout where he was stopped in the twelfth round wearing a shiny and swollen crimson mask.
That being said Cotto is still a top fighter himself and his name is one worth having on any champion’s resume, something of the like which Loeffler is trying to engineer behind the scenes as Golovkin and his team handle business inside the ring.
“You can’t overlook Martin Murray by any stretch of the imagination. Abel [Sanchez, Golovkin’s trainer] and Gennady are completely focused on that, and it’s my job as the promoter to look forward and continue to plan his career. The formula has been working. I mean in the last two years since he’s been exposed here on US T.V on HBO, he’s become one of the biggest stars in boxing right now and so, even though we can argue and say he hadn’t had that ‘big name’ fight, the formula works.
His exciting style, his knockouts, and his likeable personality and character outside the ring are a great combination, and that’s what draws fans to watch him fight.”
With his public relations team so on-point, all Golovkin needs to seal his position as the premier middleweight on the planet is Miguel Cotto’s name on his ledger along with the Puerto Rican’s WBC belt around his waist. After that, only Andy Lee and Jermain Tayor [Which was Stripped ]with their respective WBO and IBF straps will stand in the way of full unification, which would elevate Golovkin to another level entirely.
