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All the talk if Gennady Golovkin successfully defended his IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC middleweight titles against Danny Jacobs was centered on GGG finally getting in the ring with Canelo Alvarez. Now, there might be another big-money possibility after Saturday night’s close decision win: a rematch with Jacobs.

Actually, Golovkin most likely will next fight England’s Billy Joe Saunders, who owns the only belt in the weight class not in the Kazakh’s possession, the WBO’s version in the alphabet soup of championships. That could happen in Golovkin’s home country in June during the EXPO 2017 – a world’s fair type event .

Golovkin likes that idea, though it wouldn’t be a lucrative payday. The idea of completely unifying all the middleweight crowns is enticing for the 34-year-old power puncher who, for the first time in 24 fights did not stop an opponent. He outpointed a crafty Jacobs at Madison Square Garden.

”My goal is all the belts in the middleweight division,” he said after winning 115-112 on two cards, 114-113 on another. ”Of course, Billy Joe is the last one. It is my dream.”

GGG hasn’t fought at home since 2010, when he won the WBA crown against Nilson Julio Tapia. It simply hasn’t been a profitable place for boxing, though his handlers think there potentially could be a bigger purse during the expo.

The elephant in the ring, though, could be Jacobs. Nicknamed ”Miracle Man,” after overcoming bone cancer in 2011-12 to win 10 straight fights, he nearly pulled off the huge upset. In doing so by keeping GGG off-balance – Jacobs’ periodically switching to a left-handed style was a very effective tactic – and closing with a flourish, He put himself in the mix for another go with Golovkin.

”They want the big fight and Daniel Jacobs got X’d out,” he said. ”I am looking forward to the future; I think I gained a lot of fans. My style is good, I am a fan-friendly guy, and I thought I won the fight.”

Jacobs didn’t, barely. But he won tons of support, particularly after getting off the canvas in the fourth round and not just surviving but prospering. He won the last three rounds with two of the judges, and two of three on the other card.

”After the knockdown, I told him he had to kill me,” Jacobs said. ”When I got up I thought, ‘This is all he has?’ There were many times during the fight I went toe to toe because I knew I could.”

Going toe to toe with GGG again is not in Jacobs’ control. But at least he remains in the conversation.

”He’s my best opponent, he is very smart, he had very good boxing skill,” Golovkin said. ”He don’t mind fighting, he doesn’t lose control.

”I am ready for anybody. It’s my job.”

www.boxingscene.com/golovkin-billy-joe-saunders-last-one-it-my-dream–114767?print_friendly=1

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WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders says the next time he steps on the pitch at Emirates Stadium in London, he wants to be fighting WBA/IBF/WBC (interim) middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin or Chris Eubank Jr.

“The next time I’m here I either want to be playing as Arsenal’s new signing or a more realistic option is to fight Golovkin or Eubank,” said Saunders. “Golovkin would be an tremendous fight for British boxing. Muhammad Ali fought Henry Cooper at Highbury so in this new millennium what better than a super-unification fight between me and Golovkin? I know he was at West Ham the other week, but the Emirates is the place it has to be at. As for Eubank Jr, he’s already had his backside kicked by me. What better than me kicking it again in front of 60,000 at Arsenal?”

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by Cliff Rold

Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO) remains the true Middleweight Champion of the World.

He may not be the best Middleweight in the world anymore.

In the span of eight days, we will see the two strongest ‘heirs apparent’ to his throne and either might be favored to beat the 38-year old Argentine right now.  The louder hype, for the moment, centers on Kazakhstan’s 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24 KO).  The 31-year old has been a professional since 2006 and will attempt his ninth defense of a WBA belt, and sixth defense of the IBO belt, against Curtis Stevens (25-3, 18 KO) in New York next Saturday.

This Saturday, the spotlight falls on the less hyped, but in many ways equally impressive, WBO titlist at 160 lbs.  30-year old Peter Quillin (29-0, 21 KO), fighting out of Brooklyn, turned professional in 2005 and has slowly developed into a dangerous fighter.  Borrowing a nickname from one of the greats of the 1930s, this “Kid Chocolate” has shown sweet potential in his last four fights.

He will attempt to defend his belt for the second time against Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13 KO).  Quillin is expected to win.

The biggest question: if he does as expected, what will it look like?

When all else fails, boxing is a sport happy to promote based on comparison-shopping of the eyes.  Rosado challenged Golovkin in January of this year and, while defeated, gave a spirited account and lasted into the seventh round.  Reports of Golovkin battling the flu notwithstanding, if Quillin can dispose of Rosado earlier, easier, he will have a feather in his cap of what should be seen as the division’s real developing rivalry.

Quillin doesn’t have Golovkin in front of him this weekend.  Instead, he engages in what can best be called a proxy war.

It’s one he’d be well served to win.  The accomplishment gap between Golovkin and Quillin, in terms of quality wins, isn’t that wide.  The perception gap is.

Given the curt circumstances of the relationships between HBO and Showtime, perception matters for Quillin.  He’s in a tough spot.  Both Golovkin and Martinez are tied, for the moment, to HBO.  Most of the best action in the division this year has taken place on that network.  The action from 140-154 lbs. is well spread between the two networks.

In those divisions, Showtime is drawing from the deeper pool and has the premiere draw in the sport, Floyd Mayweather, on their side.  It’s not so from 160-68, where HBO also has the legitimate World Super Middleweight Champion Andre Ward on their side and has aired some of his better challengers as well.

Quillin could become one of the bigger victims of this whole mess.  To be the man, one eventually has to beat him and Quillin is a fighter who needs flexibility in networks that may not be available to him right away.

In lieu of that, the proxy wars he can win are of immeasurable value.  They are pathways to create public demand for him to be more than the Showtime side of the Middleweight bracket.  It’s not like he runs out of foes after Rosado, should he win this weekend.  Daniel Jacobs (26-1, 23 KO), a cancer survivor, is a great story.  Resurgent since returning to action in 2004 and a fellow New Yorker, he could make a fine challenger next year.

Up one class, Showtime will air the 168 lb. title fight between WBC titlist Sakio Bika (32-5-2, 21 KO) and Anthony Dirrell (26-0, 22 KO) in December.  A move up the scale isn’t out of the question.

Opponents can emerge.  They aren’t Martinez, Golovkin, and Ward.

Short of Mayweather moving up to Quillin to attempt a title in a sixth weight class, Quillin may want to root for Al Haymon stablemate Edwin Rodriguez (24-0, 16 KO) to upset Ward (26-0, 14 KO).  That could shift some scales.

For the time being, all he can do is win.  He’s done that against a fair set of recent foes.  A breakthrough stoppage of fringe contender Craig McEwan in 2011 announced him as a serious comer.  Subsequent wins that halted the comeback of “Winky” Wright, sent the capable Hasan N’Dam N’Jikam to the canvas five times for a title, and a dominant knockout of Fernando Guerrero elevated Quillin.

Compare those wins to the best Golovkin has posted.  Is there really that big a gap in quality between N’Jikam and Matthew Macklin?  Is beating a faded Wright less an accomplishment than beating a faded Kasim Ouma?  McEwan…Grzegorz Proksa…six of one, half dozen of another.

Where Golovkin has an edge is in the spectacular nature of some of his victories.  Quillin has a chance to try to be more spectacular this weekend.

Sergio Martinez might still be history’s Middleweight king, but in the ring there is every reason to believe the fight for best Middleweight in the world right now is Golovkin-Quillin.  Politics are in the way.

Quillin has to make his case bigger than the politics.

 http://www.boxingscene.com/peter-kid-chocolate-quillins-proxy-war–70931