HBO Can’t Get Enough Of Middleweight Champ Gennady Golovkin

ByJose Espinoza

Following his victory last weekend against Daniel Geale, WBA Middleweight Champion Gennady Golovkin was interviewed by HBO boxing analyst Max Kellerman. During the interview, Kellerman asked “GGG” who he would like to fight and the answer was a resounding “Miguel Cotto”.

Following the interview, Kellerman made a few interesting comments in front of the HBO cameras.

“I can’t think of anyone else in sports right now that I’d rather see than a Gennady Golovkin fight,” said Kellerman. “He continues to create demand. He’s the surest thing in pro sports.”

The biggest names in boxing have moved away from HBO, and the network is trying desperately to sell this fighter to a reluctant public.

Let’s take a look at those comments by Kellerman. First of all, almost all the Golovkin main event fights have been free and that means no pay-per-view revenue generated. Second of all, no big names in the middleweight division want to face Golovkin because of his tremendous power punches that continually embarrass opponents.

In his last 17 fights, Golovkin has registered 17 knockouts in a row! Even if there was a unification bout and fighters like WBA Super Middleweight Champ Andre Ward, IBF Super Middleweight titlist Carl Froch or WBC Middleweight ruler Miguel Cotto would want to fight “GGG”, there is no incentive to do so because he wouldn’t generate any big pay-per-view sales for promoters.

Another factor that plays against Golovkin is his difficulty with the English language. I know some may cite Manny Pacquiao as an example to discredit my point but what makes Pacquiao so special is his willingness to take on the best that Boxing has to offer, which “GGG” is unable to do.

There are very few fighters that transcend the sport like Pacquiao and unfortunately, Golovkin is seen more like the character “Ivan Drago” in the film “Rocky 4”.

The general public doesn’t get to see the gentleman/ good sportsman attitude this youngster from Kazakhstan brings to the sport.

One thing is for sure, HBO is hoping the tide changes and the Boxing public embraces Gennady Golovkin. If no big fights are on the horizon for “GGG”, HBO will lose more than just a bit of revenue; it might just lose the big fight for viewership to rival network Showtime, which keeps gaining and gaining momentum.