Last week Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KO) got back into the knockout business on Cinco de Mayo. Of course he was in with a lesser opponent in Vanes Martirosyan (36-4-1, 21 KO).
GGG did what he was supposed to do in getting the Martirosyan out of there in the second round. However, he was supposed to be in a rematch with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KO) after Canelo was given a gift draw in their first fight back in September.
However, the Mexican pulled out before receiving a six month suspension from the same Nevada State Athletic Commission that gave him that draw after failing 2 tests for PEDS. Canelo came up dirty for trace amounts of Clenbuterol.
It is my understanding that this drug is used to aid in weight loss while maintaining muscle mass. Canelo claims the positive tests came from tainted Mexican meat.
As preposterous as that sounds, to be fair there have been prior cases of athletes (fighters included) who came up dirty and were exonerated based on this meat alibi. Victor Conte whom I trust when it comes to this stuff claims that the amounts of Clenbuterol in his system were consistent with tainted meat.
However, skeptics and GGG fans believe that Canelo took this stuff before camp knowing that there was a meat alibi in place. He looked bad in not even showing up to defend himself in person in a hearing.
He later helped his cause by passing a hair sample test after passing all subsequent tests to the two positives before he pulled out of the fight. However, Golden Boy Promotions’ (Canelo’s promoter) Eric Gomez has claimed that Canelo will submit to testing upon signing of the contract for the rematch.
This would allow the Mexican to possibly dope before the signing of the contract. The only way for him to clear himself is to submit to year round WADA testing (the most rigorous in the world).
GGG has been under voluntary WADA testing for years. The Kazakh did so at trainer Abel Sanchez’ advice as he knew that there would be speculation about him based on his historic one-punch knockout power.
Alvarez appears to be taking a page out of Floyd Mayweather’s (who always used the less strenuous USADA testing) book in dictating when testing starts. This allows the fighter to possibly dope between testing, pass the tests, but still maintain some of the benefits. Mayweather has quietly raised questions in the past regarding PED testing.
This is where Golovkin needs to be smart. He is the middleweight champion and Canelo, though the bigger crossover name now needs the fight just as badly as GGG.
But unlike Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler who forfeited their negotiating power just to get Sugar Ray Leonard in the ring decades ago, the Kazakh should demand the power seat in negotiations for any rematch. He should demand that the Mexican submit to year round WADA testing as a prerequisite to negotiations.
On top of that, he should demand to be the A-side of the promotion, demand he get in the ring last and more importantly force Canelo to Madison Square Garden where there will not be more than a 1,000 Mexicans in the building. And of course, no Vegas based judges.
If Canelo balks, the middleweight division is now loaded with talent for GGG to try to cement his legacy, albeit less lucrative. He can fight a rematch with Daniel Jacobs (34-2, 29 KO) who gave him a closer fight than Canelo did.
There is also a unification bout out there with WBO strap holder Billy Joe Saunders (26-0, 12KO) who looked terrific against David Lemieux. Sergey Derevyanchenko (12-10, 10 KO) is the IBF mandatory challenger whom GGG probably should have fought in Canelo’s place last weekend.
Jermall Charlo (27-0, 21 KO) is an exciting contender with the talent to give GGG fits. Whichever way Golovkin goes, at 36 he can’t afford to wait.
He’s already showing signs of becoming a tad shopworn and at his age every training camp takes about a year off the prime he is already on the other side of. Talk soon.
Marksman
PS: President Donald J. Trump has brought home 3 hostages from North Korea. If talks with Kim Jong-un go well, could he be headed for the Nobel Peace Prize? Don’t hold your breath…