Gennady "GGG" Golovkin continues to search for a big name opponent,and while Erislandy Lara is basically begging for a bout, Andre "S.O.G." Ward remains an option. Golovkin's promoter Tom Loeffler spoke with ESPN about what kind of terms would get a deal done with Ward.
"GGG is now clearly the 'A' side yet Ward still would want to dictate terms, which makes no sense," Loeffler said. "GGG would fight Ward on a 50-50 basis, the best 160-pounder versus the best 168-pounder [at] 164 [and] a 50-50 split on all proceeds. But it seems like Ward needs more tuneup fights."
Ward, once considered the best or second-best fighter in the world pound-for-pound on most lists, has frustrated fans and stunted his growth in popularity with long layoffs. Most recently he was out of action for 19 months while he battled to break his contract with the late Dan Goosen. Ward finally returned to the ring on June 20, wiping out Paul Smith on a fight card televised on the cable network BET.
Ward is not the first option for Golovkin; his stated goal is to unify the middleweight division, which means fights vs. WBC champion Miguel Cotto, WBO champion Andy Lee, and IBF champion David Lemieux are all appealing. Cotto is fighting Canelo Alvarez this fall though, Lee is taking on Billy Joe Saunders in a mandatory defense, and Lemieux is expected to take a mandatory bout as well.
Outside of his division, junior middleweight titlist Erislandy Lara has issued a challenge, and feelers have been put out for a U.K. clash with ex-super middleweight champion Carl Froch. Out of all these names, Lara appears to be the most eager to face Golovkin, but promotional issues could hinder that fight since Lara fights under Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions banner.
[ESPN]
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