Gennady Golovkin Next Fight: GGG Comments on Canelo Alvarez, Miguel Cotto

Gennady Golovkin is prepared to take the next step in his boxing career. After knocking out Willie Monroe Jr. in the sixth round Saturday night, the 33-year-old made it clear he wants Canelo Alvarez or Miguel Cotto.

HBO Boxing provided his post-fight comments regarding his future:

According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole, Golovkin also included Andre Ward in the mix, which didn't sit well with the crowd in Inglewood, California:

Eddie Chambers countered that a fighter like Ward might actually present the toughest possible test for Golovkin:

Boxing fans would likely love to see Golovkin seriously challenged against a star like Alvarez or Cotto. The Kazakh star is a perfect 33-0 in the ring, with 30 of his wins coming via knockout. Few boxers are more fun to watch than Golovkin.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden firmly believes he is talented enough to compete with the best:

"

GGG is done messing around. He's ready right now guys. Guys, he's ready. Guys.

— Jonathan Snowden (@mmaencyclopedia) May 17, 2015"

The question is whether Golovkin is a marquee name who can position himself for a fight of this nature. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix thinks that Cotto won't be tempted in the slightest to take a bout against Golovkin:

Raphielle Johnson of NBC Sports added that gunning for Cotto or Alvarez is at least an attainable goal for Golovkin, whereas a fight with Floyd Mayweather is completely out of the question:

Golovkin isn't shying away from the prospect of facing Mayweather, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael:

Rafael added what Golovkin envisions for his next fight if he can't land Cotto or Alvarez:

One of the problems with boxing is that it isn't a meritocracy. The top fighters don't always face off for reasons that are generally political more so than they are sporting.

Almost everybody would agree that Golovkin deserves to face the best in his weight class, but there's no guarantee that it will happen anytime soon. Instead, he'll likely be stuck with another lesser-known opponent in his next fight and gain only a little prestige from a possible victory, despite the fact that a potential super-fight with Alvarez, Ward or Cotto would garner major national interest.