This past weekend I got a chance to sit down with Wladimir Klitschko’s and Gennady Golovkin’s promotor, Tom Loeffler, to speak on some topics such as Golovkin’s upcoming fight with Willie Monroe Jr, his possible upcoming fights in the fall. I also spoke with him about Klitschko’s future after his recent win over Bryant Jennings. That future looks to include an upcoming fight with Tyson Fury, as well as a possible fight with the WBC Heavyweight Champion, Deontay Wilder.
I first touched on Gennady Golovkin and when we can expect to see him back in the ring after he faces Willie Monroe Jr. on May 16th. Loeffler said, “It depends on how the fight unfolds, he’s the mandatory for Cotto, but the rough estimate would be again in the fall, maybe October is a good estimate.” Golovkin normally likes to fight 3-4 times a year so as long as he comes out of his fights not hurt, he should be back in normally 3-4 months.
Then I asked if it’s been frustrating trying to get Golovkin a big fight with a big name. Loeffler replied, “They are definitely avoiding him. Cotto is obligated to fight him. That was the whole purpose of fighting Rubio to get the interim championship. Chavez hadn’t signed last year; now he’s lost to Fonfara so that a little frustrating on that side. There are still a few opportunities though, the winner of Lemieux and N’Dam, Andy Lee is still a champion, Carl Froch is a big name, and Canelo is fighting also, so we’re definitely optimistic that we’ll get a big name opponent to get in the ring with him in the fall.”
The big question from a lot of fans was “Why Willie Monroe?”
“This was Gennady’s decision. There were a few names to choose from and Gennady wanted Monroe. Willie Monroe has a very unconventional style. He is faster and presents a lot more movement that Gennady has seen in his pro career, not necessarily in his amateur career as he has faced a lot of southpaws in his amateur career but in the professionals he definitely brings a certain style with him” said Loeffler.
Since Loeffler and Golovkin said previously that he would come down to 154 for a fight against Floyd Mayweather, I asked if he would do the same for a fight with Miguel Cotto.
Loeffler responded, “It depends on Cotto. It’s for the middleweight championship. Everyone that Cotto has talked with he has negotiated that with, and we are flexible. We were flexible on that with Chavez trying to get that fight made, financially and with the weight. So it if comes to a fight with Miguel Cotto I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”
Then of course the question regarding a fight with Ward had to be asked. Loeffler response was, “Andre’s been out of the ring a long time, and his team has made it clear that he wants a couple fight 1st. It’s understandable for that. It just really depends If he gets his momentum back. He’s fought and beat a lot of good fighters in the super-six tournament. The problem is that was a long time ago. So Gennady has really heated up since that time and the only way it seems like if a fight with Andre can work is if it’s a PPV, so the financials have to work. It would definitely be a great style matchup and a great fight between two undefeated guys that would be very interesting for the boxing fans.”
Then we moved onto the topic of Wladimir Klitschko. I asked if he wants to have more fights in the US. Loeffler said, “Sure, if the fight makes sense. This fight made sense because Bryant Jennings is undefeated. He’s from Philadelphia. The Garden was interested in having Wladimir back against an undefeated American fighter. Jennings is ranked #1 in the WBC and HBO was also very interested. So if there’s a situation with a marketable opponent, absolutely Wladimir would come back to the States.
I brought up the name Deontay Wilder and if that’s a possible matchup for a future fight in the US. Loeffler seemed to like the possible matchup saying, “Deontay Wilder is very interesting for Wladimir. He wants to unify all the belts. I think that would be a huge fight. Deontay being undefeated and just winning the title that his brother used to have. He could never fight for the title because Vitali had it, now Deontay has it. Deontay is a very marketable guy, he’s got a very electric personality, and he has gained a lot of fans. I think if he keeps winning that would be a mega fight for the sport of boxing.” I also spoke with Deontay regarding this possible fight and both sides say that it is much more likely for 2016.
Then I asked about Tyson Fury. He is the man that Wladimir will be in negotiations to fight next.
“He’s the mandatory for Wladimir and he’s also very popular in the UK and a self-promoter. He’s big guy and a big puncher so that would be a great fight too. That fight would probably be in the fall, probably in Europe. Fury would sell out tickets in the UK and Wladimir sells out soccer stadiums in Germany, so it would be a very big fight over there in Europe.”
It seems as if business in the Heavyweight division is about to pick up. With a Klitschko-Fury matchup next up later this year and then a possible Klitschko-Wilder matchup for next year, the heavyweight division may be back on the rise. As much as boxing has gone to the lighter weights of 140, 147, and 154, nothing captures the attention of a casual fan more than the heavyweight division. So with that said, boxing maybe in line for a good year.
