Abel Sanchez heads into 2017 with IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin the same as 2016, talking about the biggest fight to be made in boxing, Golovkin vs. Canelo. The fight did not happen this year, but fans and media alike hope the new year can finally bring those two superstars in the ring with each other.
In part 2 of my “On The Ropes” boxing radio with Abel Sanchez, I discuss the Saul Alvarez bout and what the chances are that we see that fight next year. Abel also shares his views Ward-Kovalev and what he thought about the decision. Additionally, Sanchez shares his views on the current state of PPV’s in boxing and what it will take for a new star to have success on that platform. Here is what Abel Sanchez had to say.
Jenna J: You’ve said in the past that Gennady is willing to face anybody in the division but that a lot of fighters don’t want to face him. Do you think that’s going to change in 2017?
Abel Sanchez: Probably not, but all we can do is just continue to fight the best available guy. Everybody seems to talk like they want to talk Golovkin but all they do it talk, there’s no calling Tom Loeffler. You can’t make a fight on Twitter or on Facebook, you have to make the fight by calling the promoter and having their promoters call Tom and negotiate and make a fight, instead of arguing over it on social media, which does nobody any good. Golovkin is ready whoever but it’s just that those guys talking need to step up to the plate.
Jenna J: One of the guys who has talked a bit is Canelo Alvarez. His team says that they want to do the fight in September of 2017. Do you believe they really want to make the fight? Do you think it will happen in 2017?
Abel Sanchez: That’s the best fight in boxing right now. That’s the next fight that should happen, two of the best and most popular guys in boxing right now and they need to get in front of each other and decide who is the number one guy. Until that happens, we’re going to keep talking about it, but from what I understand from Tom, negotiations are going real good and if they are, we still have eight months to finish them off and get them together.
Jenna J: I want to get your thoughts on the Ward-Kovalev fight. What did you think of the actual fight and the decision?
Abel Sanchez: I thought Kovalev won, I thought Kovalev won by at least a couple of rounds and I said it after the fight. I thought it was the kind of fight that I didn’t want to see. The first six rounds were okay but the last six rounds were a wrestling match. You shouldn’t be able to win a fight by wrestling, this is not wrestling, it’s boxing. That’s how Andre fights and it’s not a pleasing style but for some reason he convinced the judges and they gave it to him, but I don’t think he won the fight.
Jenna J: That fight was a pay-per-view event and it didn’t do so great. Do you think Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao hurt the market for fighters going forward in the future?
Abel Sanchez: It’s unfortunate because we had two guys in Ward and Kovalev who are actually pretty popular — Ward being a gold medalist and Kovalev having a good run at it up to that fight — but I think the fans are upset because of what Mayweather and Pacquiao did to us and they are hitting us back. We need to continue to put on the best fights possible and I think we will get them back, we’re going to have these low numbers and we’re going to have to live with them until the fans come back to the table and start paying again to watch the great fights that are being put on.
Jenna J: What is you prediction for the Golovkin-Jacobs fight?
Abel Sanchez: I said a long time ago that I didn’t think anybody from 154 to 168 could go twelve rounds with Golovkin, maybe besides Ward and Chavez and maybe even Froch, but everybody else Gennady knocks out. Those three guys are probably the ones that could withstand and are big enough and have the kinds of styles that would keep Golovkin from knocking them out. But everybody else gets knocked out before the twelfth.
Jenna J: Is there any message you want to pass along to the boxing fans?
Abel Sanchez: Yeah, I appreciate you reaching out to me. Keep those fans supporting us, it keeps boxing alive for us. Up at The Summit we work hard, we hope to put up fights the fans want to see and hopefully Golovkin has a big year next year, for all of us.
Pacquiao, Lomanchenko, Nietes, Casimero, Crawford, Ward.
I don’t always agree with Abel Sanchez but I do in this case. All that he said was true. Abel never lies. He may say things I disagree with but he is always saying what he believes to be true. I can’t say the same thing for other coaches, like Andre Ward’s coach and Freddie Roach etc. Great article.
Can”yellow” is scared pussy.
there styles are made for eachother, canelo is heavier but ggg has more raw power
Golovkin will wait for a long time for a good and brave opponent to face him….. for now those talkers about wanting to fight him will just talk and talk and buy more time with wait and see strategy.
They know Golovkin will kick their asses … First, that is the main reason they are trying hard to avoid him for now… Second, they will wait. for they are sold to the idea of ripening the situation first to be able to reap more fans in buying PPV or ticket sales. Canelo win or loose does not matter to them as long as they can ripen it much and get more money.