There are not many logical next steps for Gennady Golovkin.
A showdown with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez makes for the biggest fight in boxing that doesn’t involve Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather but Golovkin, fresh from his weekend victory over Daniel Jacobs, has his sights set on a different opponent.
Golovkin stretched his perfect professional record to 37-0 on Saturday night and retained his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and IBO middleweight titles in the process by claiming a unanimous decision in his toughest test thus far.
The knockout streak of GGG came to an end in Madison Square Garden but that’s done nothing to take away from his status as one of the most exciting boxers of his generation.
And while there are few challenges remaining for the Kazakh power-puncher, Golovkin has identified his dream fight and it’s against none other than WBO middleweight champion, Billy Joe Saunders.
“Saunders is my dream fight for unifying all the middleweight titles. It is my ambition to take from him the only belt I am missing,” Golovkin is quoted saying in the Daily Mail.
“So yes, I definitely want to fight him before the big drama against ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.”
Hertfordshire-based Saunders boasts an undefeated record of his own and defended his WBO crown by claiming a points victory over Artur Akavov last December.
Saunders would welcome a meeting with Golovkin and has revealed that he’s open to a unification bout in enemy territory.
“I’ll travel anywhere. I’m not bothered about fighting him in Kazakhstan — I’ll fight him in a field for all I care,” Saunders said in The Sun.
“He wants the WBO belt and I’m willing to put it on the line. Golovkin is strong but a boxer always beats a puncher and he’s never faced anyone as tricky as me.”
While Kazakhstan is a front-runner in terms of potential host locations for the bout, British fight fans will be excited to learn that the match-up could well take place on these shores.
Prior to defending against Jacobs, GGG stopped Kell Brook in London which has led Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler to suggest that the fight may well play out in the UK.
“We will sit down with Saunders’ camp and see how realistic it is to go to Kazakhstan,” he said.
“But the O2 sold out in 11 minutes when Gennady fought Kell Brook last year so the UK is always an option.”
