Why Gennady Golovkin Should Set Sights on Andre Ward, Move to Super Middleweight

The boxing world has been following the lead of Floyd Mayweather for years. But while he is still undefeated and the most formidable fighter of his generation, he can't go on forever.

When Mayweather, 36, finally retires or slows down, boxing will need a new dynamic performer to take over the sport. One of the top candidates to man that spot is the Andre Ward, the dynamic and undefeated super middleweight fighter who has done a superb job of outclassing all of his opponents.

When that happens, Ward will need a big-time rival who can put his skills to the test and help enhance his reputation further. That opponent could be Gennady Golovkin, the hard-working and exciting middleweight titlist who has answered every one of his tests in thrilling fashion.

Golovkin is coming off a terrific third-round knockout of Matthew Macklin that featured a devastating body attack. GGG has been making a habit of dominating his opponents. He has already registered three knockouts since the start of the year.

K2 promoter Tom Loeffler told ESPN's Dan Rafael that Golovkin is likely to fight two more times before the end of the year. That could be stretching it a bit, since Loeffler said Golovkin's next fight would probably come Nov. 2 on HBO.

As Golovkin climbs the ladder, it is becoming tougher to find good opponents who want to get in the ring with him. GGG is a dangerous man in the ring, and any fighter that chooses to accept the challenge is going to get severely tested.

Golovkin's three stoppages this year were all of the brutal variety. In addition to the body shot that put Macklin away, he bloodied North Philadelphia's Gabriel Rosado with a nasty, heavy-handed attack that left him with a severe cut under his left eye, according to Sports Illustrated. The fight was stopped after the seventh round.

Two months later, Golovkin knocked out Nobuhiro Ishida in the third round. Golovkin has a certain frenzy of aggression in most of his fights, but Ishida was done in by his accuracy and timing.

As long as Golovkin can continue to pile up wins, he is going to raise his profile in the sport. With one or two more convincing wins before the end of the year, he is going to become that much more viable against big-name opponents.

A fighter like Curtis Stevens of Brooklyn might be a solid opponent for GGG before the end of the year. Stevens has three knockouts in a row of his own, and if he can survive his fight with Saul Roman Aug. 3, that fight could likely be made.

Give GGG one more fight after that and he might be given the opportunity to get in the ring with Ward, who called Golovkin a "freight train" when he analyzed the fighter for HBO.

Getting such a fight and being prepared to win it are two different things. Golovkin would have to improve his defensive techniques before he would be able to test Ward. He would also have to put on weight and get stronger.

Golovkin has shown that he is the real deal in the ring. Nobody knows when opportunity is going to come knocking, so he must be prepared if the opportunity to fight a star like Ward comes his way.

That's a fight that the public would love.

Sooner or later, somebody besides Mayweather will dominate boxing. It seems like it could be Ward, and GGG could turn out to be his worthy rival.