Is Julio Cesar Chavez the marquee name Gennady Golovkin needs?

WBA Middleweight Champion, Gennady Golovkin’s impressive eighth-round stoppage of Curtis Stevens on HBO drew the third-largest audience for a boxing match on cable in 2013. According to Nielsen Media Research, it averaged 1.41 million viewers.

Unsurprisingly, fans favourite Miguel Cottos comeback performance, a 3^rd round TKO victory Delvin Rodriguez, takes top stop after attracting an average viewership of 1.555 million viewers. In second place, is another fighter with a fanatical fan following- Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr, whose controversial victory over Bryan Vera yielded average viewing figures of 1.416 million.

Incidentally, Chavez Jnr  is a name which is perennially in the hat of potential opponents for Golovkin, whose devastating form in 2013 – 4 straight stoppage victories- has earned him the moniker of ‘most avoided man in boxing’.

The seemingly negative correlation between the risk of physical punishment and reward of financial profit when fighting Gennady Golovkin explains the aversion of his fellow middleweight titleholders to engage in combat with the 31 year old, Kazakh, who has knocked out his last 15 opponents.

However, there soon may not be such an imbalance in the relationship between the risk and reward of facing Golovkin- as the recent figures prove that he is gaining greater popularity and entering into the public consciousness of American network televisions audiences. Third place in the viewing rankings is no mean feat, especially considering his contest with Stevens was only his 4^th fight in on American soil, after making his US debut on September, 2012.

What Golovkin needs, is a major scalp- a popular fighter with a great fanbase, who will help raise his profile and popularity among the boxing television audiences in America.

If HBO’s viewing figures are an accurate indication, then Chavez is that opponent.

And although Chavez is not the unification bout he craves, he would be a notable feather on his cap that offers maximum exposure by virtue of his famous fighting name and loyal fan base.

If Chavez is to be one of ‘GGG’s opponents in 2014, his profile will rise precipitously in the United States. If he were to knock him out, the rise would be meteoric.

Golovkins promoter, K2 Promotions supremo, Tom Loeffler, has recently expressed his desire to make the fight happen. Loeffler stated to ESPN, “Longer-range, Gennady has always wanted to fight [Sergio] Martinez, Chavez Jr. Chavez says he can’t make 160 pounds anymore, which is fine. We would fight him at 168 if that’s what he wants. Gennady believes he is the best middleweight champion right now and he wants to prove it.”

Statements like that, allied to Golovkins announcement that he plans to replicate his fight schedule in 2013 by again fighting four times in the coming year, are clear statements of his intentions to make 2014 the year her breaks into boxing superstardom.

If he manages to entice the likes of Chavez Jnr into the ring, then it is a safe bet that Golovkin will scale new heights in the sport of boxing in 2014.

Froch has freedom of choice for next fight but defeat will spell disaster for his future plans

Eddie Hearn, the undisputed king of boxing promotion in the UK, recently reignited the debate about the potential for a second coming of Carl Froch vs George Groves. In an interview with Sky Sports, he stated that there is a “great chance” a rematch could occur.

Personally, I have confidence in Hearn’s conviction. In sporting and financial terms the stakes are so high that plans for a rematch surely must materialise.

However, any scheduled plans for a second bout will play subordinate to Froch’s ambition to do battle under the bright lights of Las Vegas or another famous venue in America. This ambition is the one stumbling block that could be insurmountable with regards to the rematch between Froch and Groves.

Eddie Hearn stated, “We’re speaking to Dan Goossen about Andre Ward, we are speaking to K1 promotions about Gennady Golovkin and we are speaking to Bob Arum and Top Rank about Julio Chavez Jr.”

No-one can deny Froch the chance to chase his dream. However, his dream could quickly morph into a nightmare if he were to lose his big fight in America.

And since it looks increasingly like Andre Ward will be Froch’s only conceivable option, if he wants the fight to be staged in the 1^st half of 2014, then I see his ‘dream’ fight turning into a tale of tragedy rather than triumph.

Where Andre Ward is concerned, Froch should right now abandon the romantic notion of gaining revenge on the peerless American. The sober reality is that he is too good for Froch. Any rematch would unfold in a similar manner to their 1^st meeting- unanimous decision in favour of Andre Ward.

No doubt about it.

By contrast, it is within the realms of possibility that he could emerge victorious against Golovkin, and there is no doubt that he has enough left in the tank to defeat Chavez Jnr. In any event, though, fights against Chavez and Golovkin would have to take towards the end of the summer as Chavez Jnr vs Brian Vera rematch has been confirmed for March 1^st, whilst James Kirkland is rumoured to be the frontrunner to face Gennady Golovkin in April, at Madison Square Garden.

So if we assume Froch wants to replicate his fighting schedule in 2013 by once again boxing twice in this current calendar year, then his options for his next fight are either George Groves or Andre Ward.

As previously stated, I think the pursuit of Andre Ward is a waste of time- it is an unwinnable fight for Froch. Yet one senses that the seeds which have been planted in Froch’s head will continue to grow until he gets his man in a rematch. Whilst it is a true testament of his fortitude that he is so eager to again engage in combat with a far superior fighter, in truth, Ward operates on a different level than Froch and is better in every department- barring the ability to absorb punishment.

Hypothetically speaking, if Froch did manage to secure a rematch against Ward and lose then would he have no option but to retire from the sport? It stands to reason that George Groves would have no interest in facing him in a grudge match with nothing but pride at stake- surely he would instead seek a showdown with Ward instead. Indeed, Ward has already stated that he would be interested in facing Groves, who after his stirring performance against Froch announced himself as an elite fighter in the 168lb class.

On the other hand, should he decide to renew his rivalry with George Groves only to lose in a rematch then his dream of fighting in the United States would be dead in the water.

So essentially, all his future plans for the remainder of his career in boxing hinge on entirely on whether he can avoid defeat in his next fight, whoever his opponent may be.

As a proud Scotsman, who is reveling in British boxing’s renaissance I sincerely hope that George Groves is the next fighter to face Carl Froch.

Who knows, maybe Eddie Hearn could kill two birds with one stone by making plans to stage the fight in the United States.

Who do you think should be Froch’s next opponent and why?

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