By Steve Kim
Tom Loeffler, promoter for IBO, WBA, WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs), is shaking his head at the recent decisions being made by the International Boxing Federation.
The sanctioning body was pressing Golovkin to make a mandatory defense against Sergey Derevyanchenko.
However, Golovkin had requested an exception in order to make a voluntary defense in the fall - potentially against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in a rematch.
Golovkin had hoped to face Canelo back on May 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
But the fight fell out after Canelo tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol - and then he was suspended for six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
With Canelo out of the mix, Loeffler began discussions with several boxers to replace the Mexican superstar for a voluntary defense.
Eventually, Golovkin went forward on the May date and faced Vanes Martirosyan as a late replacement at the StubHub Center in Carson, California - and it didn't last long as GGG scored a second round TKO.
But, last week the sanctioning body issued an order which stripped Golovkin of his IBF belt for not agreeing to face their number contender, Derevyanchenko, by early August.
Now the organization has mandated a fight between Derevyanchenko and Daniel Jacobs - who are both on board with fighting each other.
And the IBF's most recent move quite frankly irks Loeffler.
"The ordered Jacobs versus Derevyanchenko, the guy who broke their rules, who refused to fight for their title to gain an unfair advantage," said Loeffler, referring to Jacobs refusal to do the second day weigh-in for his bout against Golovkin last year.
"And now the guy who followed all their rules is being stripped. And the guy who didn't fight for their title and broke their rules is ordered for the vacant title.
"It's really contradictory of them."
2023-10-21 06:19:23
