It's Monday. Welcome back for another edition of Observe and Fight, The Boxing Observer's compilation of observations and random thoughts from the week that was in boxing. Get caught up on some of the most recent events you may have missed out on, including the triumphant return of Gennady Golovkin, a new major player at featherweight, more Floyd Mayweather trouble, Manny Pacquiao's basketball debut, triumph and tragedy in the world of boxing, and much more. Without further ado, check out the latest observations from the Boxing Observer, David Kassel.
Gennady Golovkin will continue having trouble getting big name fights. GGG's 18th consecutive knockout victory Saturday night against Marco Antonio Rubio was supposed to be a fight where Golovkin's chin should have been tested and where Golovkin was supposed to get some rounds in. Unfortunately, Golovkin's power was too much for the rugged Rubio. Golovkin has never made it to the championship rounds (rounds 11 & 12) and has only been into the 10th round once (a TKO victory over Kassim Ouma). I'm not sure there is anyone at middleweight (with the exception of Peter Quillin) who can last an entire 12 rounds with GGG. Golovkin is going to end up being a victim of his own success because he continues to knock out everyone in his path. That will make it very difficult for him to get a fight with Miguel Cotto (whom Golovkin called out after the fight). The rumor is that former world champion, the very formidable, Martin Murray is next in line for Golovkin in Monte Carlo (so long as Murray wins his fight this Saturday). That would be another step in the right direction for critics of Golovkin saying he hasn't fought anyone. The reality continues to be that as long as Golovkin remains at middleweight, we may not see him go the distance for a long time. It seems the only way Golovkin goes the distance, at this point, is by moving up to super middleweight.
Cotto and Canelo Alvarez should fight each other before going anywhere near Golovkin. As of right now, that's the plan for both men. However, from a promoter's perspective, it would be foolish to risk a Cotto vs. Canelo middleweight title, pay-per-view extravaganza by dangling an almost sure loss against Golovkin (yes, I believe Golovkin knocks both men out). Expect to see a Cotto vs. Canelo fight some time in the summer of 2015. After that, maybe we'll see the winner fight Golovkin. Of the two men, Canelo and Cotto, I believe Canelo would be willing to step in the ring with GGG tomorrow (although his handlers would strongly advise against that). I'm not so sure Cotto would jump at the chance to fight Golovkin.
There's a new major player in the featherweight division and his name is Nicholas Walters. As I predicted last week, Walters defeated Nonito Donaire, and while he didn't make it look easy early on, he did show he can take a punch as well as dish out as much punishment as anyone at 126lbs. Walters' style should make any fan salivate at the opportunity to watch his next fight. Titleholders Evgeny Gradovich and Vasyl Lomachencko already have scheduled title defenses in late November, although a fight against both men would be exciting to watch. However, Jhonny Gonzalez had already stated he wanted to fight the winner of Walters vs. Donaire. I don't see any reason why a Gonzalez vs. Walters unification fight cannot take place. The fight could take place in Mexico (where Gonzalez is a huge draw) or the United States. Walters doesn't mind traveling. That would be a great fight!
Nonito Donaire isn't close to being finished, but he needs to think about what is important to him. For those saying Donaire's focus has been lacking recently, maybe they are correct. In the last few years, Donaire jumped from flyweight to featherweight, he saw the birth of his first child, and he suffered a loss to Guillermo Rigondeaux. The former pound-for-pound fighter and 2012 Fighter of the Year has to decide how dedicated he is to the sport. Don't get me wrong, Nonito Donaire is boxing through and through, but even by his own admission, fatherhood has changed his life. I don't want readers thinking I am speaking negatively of Donaire for trying to be a wonderful father. I recently also became a father, so I now understand that everything is secondary to family. I would give up anything in the world if it meant my family was taken care of. I'm sure Donaire feels the exact same way. I'm also sure the Donaire household has had the conversation about how long Donaire will continue fighting. Donaire's wife, Rachel, is a former Taekwondo champion, so fighting is in the family's blood, but Donaire is a smart guy, and I'm sure there is already a plan in place for life after boxing. Now with children, I'm sure Donaire wants to make sure he will be able to see his children grow up. Donaire said he wants to move up to 130lbs., and eventually 135lbs. While Donaire has power that should carry up in weight, I'm not so sure his chin and body could hold up as Donaire seemed to indicate after the fight. We'll have to see what Donaire decides to do from here.
Floyd Mayweather needs to be very careful as he nears life after boxing. The now infamous scene on All Access where Mayweather had two fighters go 31 straight minutes during a sparring session is causing Mayweather more issues than he could have ever imagined. After some prodding by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Mayweather claimed the entire scene was staged and the sparring session did not really last 31 minutes. However, news broke last week that the sons of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, Hasim Jr. and Sharif, are suing Mayweather alleging battery, torturious assault, false imprisonment, negligence, defamation, unjust enrichment, having their names and likeness used without permission, and other charges. In the lawsuit, the two Rahman sons claim the sparring session was not staged and it indeed lasted that long. While I doubt the NSAC will punish Mayweather while he is still active because of the amount of money he brings into the state of Nevada on a single night, when his career is over, Mayweather wants to remain in boxing and promoting fights. As of now, there is not a single fighter on earth who can pull in the numbers Mayweather produces. Once Mayweather's career is over and he doesn't have the ability to bring in that kind of money anymore, his antics may not be treated with such little regard as they seem to be now. Mayweather needs to be very careful because life after boxing may not treat him as well as life does now.
Manny Pacquiao needs to stick to owning a basketball team and not forgetting about boxing. While Pacquiao may have a serious love for basketball, boxing is his bread and butter. I know Pacquiao starting in his PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) debut as a player/coach was more of a publicity stunt, but he needs to be very careful not to do too much because Chris Algieri's size and boxing skills may present bigger problems than most anyone believes. Algeiri is an extremely intelligent guy and carries himself with a quiet confidence that makes him very dangerous.
Congratulations to Steve "USS" Cunningham on his big win, and many prayers go out to his daughter, Kennedy. If you haven't been following, Kennedy, only 9-years-old, continues to await a heart transplant. As one of the smallest heavyweights in the world, Cunningham continues to fight at a high level and he continues to win. We're all pulling for his daughter, Kennedy, to win a much bigger fight than boxing.
I'm glad to hear welterweight titlist Kell Brook is back in the gym training. After his stabbing last month, it was unclear how long Brook would be out. Yet, it seems as if the setback won't be too detrimental to his career and he'll return to the ring after all.
It must have been a tough month for Mike Alvarado. Unbeknownst to most, Alvarado was arrested in Las Vegas in September and apparently has been held ever since. As of Friday, Alvarado was being transported back to Colorado to face a pair of open warrants. Hopefully, Alvarado can take care of his legal issues and get his career back on track after two straight losses.
More thoughts and prayers go out to former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks. Spinks had emergency abdominal surgery and suffered complications resulting in a second surgery. The 61-year-old remains in a Las Vegas hospital. We hope for a speedy recovery.
Finally, many more thoughts and prayers go out to Emanuel Augustus. Augustus was shot in the back of the head, although police believe the alleged shooter was not actually targeting Augustus. The bullet is still lodged in the back of Augustus' head and he is on life support. Very few fighters had as much of a fan-friendly style as Augustus and we hope he can make it out of this alive.
Each week, I feature an email from a fan on Observe and Fight. This week's email comes to us from Matt Jones regarding a potential Jermain Taylor vs. Gennady Golovkin unification match-up...
"David, my comment comes from (last) week's email you chose, I don't remember the guys name. Jermain Taylor can still box but he is not as busy and doesn't pump that jab 2 and 3 times like he used to. If he fights GGG, he literally will never wake up after he hits the canvas and I'm too big a Bad Intensions fan to see him even take a photo next to GGG, much less cash out and fight him."
We both agree on how that fight would end, that's for sure. Taylor is a shell of the fighter he once was, and his out of the ring problems have cost him more problems in the ring than anything else. He would not have won that fight had Soliman not injured his leg in my opinion.
That's all I've got for this week. Email any questions or comments to dkassel@fighthype.com and I will answer them throughout the week. Your email may be featured in the next "Observe and Fight." Follow me on Twitter @BoxingObserver, and be sure to "Like" The Boxing Observer on Facebook.
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