Gennady Golovkin Picks Dominic Wade for Canelo Tune Up

Unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will face the IBF’s mandatory challenger Dominic Wade on April 23rd, in preparation for his highly anticipated showdown with Canelo Alvarez later this year.

Weight and Wait

Golovkin and Alvarez were ordered by the WBC to negotiate a bout after the latter’s victory over Miguel Cotto last year. However, because of Canelo’s insistence to fight at a catchweight of 155 pounds, both camps failed to reach an agreement. Surprisingly, instead of stripping Alvarez of the title,  the WBC allowed both fighters to take a tune-up fight and postpone their negotiations until after their respective bouts. Last week, Alvarez announced that he will be fighting welterweight Amir Khan on May 7th. Now Golovkin has booked an earlier date and will have to wait for Canelo to take care of business.

Second Choice

The IBF had Taureano Johnson ranked on top of Golovkin’s challengers but after suffering a shoulder injury during his title eliminator bout against Eamon O’Kane, Wade was next in line and he immediately grabbed the opportunity to face one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Undefeated in 18 fights, Wade has good power (12 KOs) and an impressive amateur background. But he’s untested in the pros with his biggest win coming over 41-year old former champion Sam Soliman.

Undisputed

Golovkin meanwhile is on a mission to become undisputed middleweight champion. He is currently the WBA (super), IBF and interim WBC middleweight king. The WBO champion is Billy Joe Saunders while the WBA (regular) is Daniel Jacobs. However, it’s Canelo Alavarez’s WBC and Ring middleweight titles that he wants the most not only because those belts are more prestigious but because Alvarez is the biggest fish who would give him his richest payday ever. However, with Canelo’s insistence to fight at 155, it remains to be seen if the two parties can book a fight, even with the “waiting period” given to them.

Biggest Underdog Ever

When Mike Tyson fought Buster Douglas in 1990, Iron Mike was an incredible 49-1 favorite and we thought we’d never see those odds again in championship boxing. But Golovkin was a ridiculous 100-1 favorite when the betting lines opened, making this a real life Rocky Balboa movie in the making. Having said that, let’s remember that Douglas beat Tyson in 1990. However, Golovkin has knocked out his last 22 opponents and experts aren’t even concerned on who Dominic Wade is. After all, this is a tune-up fight for a Canelo Showdown later this year.