By Miguel Rivera
Former middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) is still the biggest network free agent in the sport.
The once-beaten boxer has held discussions with ESPN, DAZN and Premier Boxing Champions.
In September, Golovkin suffered the first defeat of his career when he lost a twelve round majority decision to Canelo Alvarez at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their first bout, which took place in September 2017, ended in a controversial twelve round split draw.
That contest was carried by HBO Pay-Per-View.
A few months later, HBO shocked the industry by announcing their decision to drop boxing after 45 years of televising the sport.
Some expect Golovkin to go over to DAZN, since the streaming service signed a five year deal with Canelo.
But a third fight with Canelo is not going to influence Golovkin's decision, according to the boxer's head trainer Abel Sanchez.
"Gennady has talked to everyone and he will decide after Christmas and New Years. He will speak with his lawyer and his family to see what is the best option," said Sanchez to ESPN Deportes.
"I'm sure he'll make the best decision and I don't think necessarily that a third fight with Canelo will make him sign with a certain network. If the third fight is going to be made, it will happen whether they are on the same network or with different networks. The only thing is that they will be forced to work together, and the important thing is that Gennady is someone that people want to see."
Sanchez would like to see Golovkin return to the ring on a date in April or May.
"Regarding the date, we discussed the last few days of April or the beginning of May. Everything will depend on the network, on the opponent, on the weight. But it's fine, he's had a great career, for me a Hall of Fame career, and he will continue to achieve successes while we continue working," said Sanchez.
2023-10-22 10:23:38
