Daniel Geale: Important To HBO’s Middleweight Landscape

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When IBF middleweight titlist Daniel Geale (29-1, 15KOs) meets the IBF’s number 3 ranked middleweight Darren Barker (25-1, 16KOs) it will be immersed in a night of firsts. It will be the first time a boxing event is held at the Revel Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which will simultaneously mark the first time that Geale has competed on US soil. It will also be Geale’s debut on HBO and his first time on a major US network.

Geale defied the odds back in September of 2012 when he defeated Felix Sturm in Sturm’s backyard of Germany — a country where Sturm had previously enjoyed being on the winning side of some close and controversial decisions — and Geale’s stock has risen to enormous heights since that moment. But Geale knew then that he would need to close in on the US market in order to take full advantage of his potential and he’s been talking about this very moment ever since.

“I’m so excited to be making my US debut, I think it’s the next best step for me right now. Fighting in the US has been on my radar for the past year or two, and now I get to fight in front of the great US fans on the greatest boxing network in the US against a truly worthy opponent,” Geale said.

Barker is indeed a worthy opponent and one who stood tough to a much fresher version of Sergio Martinez, at least compared to the one we’ve seen lately.

“[Barker] is a top rated fighter amongst 160 pounders, but in the middleweight division that’s saying a lot because the entire division is dangerous. A guy in the top 10 at middleweight would be top 3-4 in almost any other division,” Geale said.

But it isn’t the barometer that makes this weekend’s Boxing After Dark main event so special, after all what does it matter if Barker had the tougher go at Martinez then say, Martin Murray, what does Geale have to benefit from that assumption?

The middleweight division is a very important division for the state of boxing right now, especially for HBO. With current star Sergio Martinez on his way out and potential star Gennady Golovkin on his way up, anyone at the top of the division stands to benefit from some lucrative dates on the network. Not to mention the possibility of becoming an eventual foe for super middleweight Andre Ward who is plagued with a lack of competition right now.

Macklin, Murray, and Barker have all had the opportunity to break on to HBO through Martinez, but all of them came up short.

Every one of these overseas fighters have had their chance and not one of them has been able to break real ground, perhaps there is still a chance for Macklin to make some case, but he is not far from being depleted in the grand scheme of things. Geale is in a position to strike and strike hard, and the residual effects of an impressive American debut could go a long way with creating a real brand, capable of being both lucrative and historically relevant.

Saturday is a much bigger night than HBO’s second-tier programming strategy (BAD) would reflect because while this isn’t a World Championship Boxing broadcast, the truth is the main event could produce an unplanned star that wasn’t previously paid for through cushy TV dates or promoter compensation.

When I really think of it, I could see Daniel Geale getting in the ring with either Martinez or Golovkin before Martinez and Golovkin share a ring with each other. A Martinez fight is definitely something Geale would sign off on and even though there has been some reluctance to make a Golovkin fight, I think HBO can offer up the necessary benefactors to make it happen.

With Martinez’s last outing in mind, I think that a solid performance from Geale will offer up some consideration for him being the unofficial best middleweight in the world, or at least in the discussion with Golovkin. Geale’s US handler, Gary Shaw, seems to feel the same way.

“This division is so good that everywhere you look you see tough fights, but Daniel could’ve taken an easier fight, there are easier fights out there compared to Barker but Daniel wanted this fight. The winner will be in a position to be considered the best middleweight out there,” Shaw said.