The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of February 14
It was a relatively slow week in the sweet science, with no major fights occurring until the end of the month, but that doesn't mean we have nothing to talk about.
In this week's edition, we take a look at Gennady Golovkin's next fight and whether or not his highly anticipated clash with Canelo Alvarez could wind up in a certain football stadium in Texas.
We also take aim at the unbelievable stunt that future Hall of Famer-turned-sideshow Roy Jones Jr. has planned for his next "fight."
We also discuss the returns of Andre Ward and Lucas Matthysse amidst the hottest storylines in boxing.
Canelo-GGG at Jerry World?
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Sure, both fighters need to take care of business in their interim bouts, but does anyone believe that either Amir Khan (who faces Canelo on May 7, in case you live under a rock) or Dominic Wade (who encounters way too much, too soon against GGG on April 23) can kibosh plans for a superfight between boxing's biggest star and possible biggest attraction/drama show?
TMZ (h/t Boxing Scene) reports that Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones, who has been chasing a big fight for a while now and is apparently a big fan of Golovkin, is in the running to bring the fall contest to AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
GGG's promoter Tom Loeffler says that the allure for Golovkin is obvious. Jones is the consummate marketer (whether you like him and his methods or not), and the Cowboys are one of the most identifiable American franchises in sports. Association with both would allow GGG's charge to continue growing his rapidly ascending star in a new market.
Obviously, there's nothing close to a done deal here. Contracts (which will be contentious, if the weight issue is any indication) need to be worked out, and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and Madison Square Garden in New York City remain in contention as venues.
All those sites have a certain appeal that comes with hosting a major event within their confines, but the allure of 70,000-plus fans packing a football stadium could be something special.
Does GGG-Wade Mean More HBO/Haymon Business?
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Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times reported last week that a deal for Golovkin to defend his IBF Middleweight Championship (he also holds the WBA and interim WBC straps) against unbeaten prospect Dominic Wade has been reached for April 23 at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
The bout came together quickly after the IBF ordered negotiations when Tureano Johnson, the previous mandatory, had to withdraw from consideration with a shoulder injury.
The card will include a co-main event: pound-for-pound king Roman Gonzalez's defense of the WBC Flyweight Championship against McWilliams Arroyo.
The 25-year-old Wade has shown some skill in his 18 professional bouts, taking a controversial split decision from former titlist Sam Soliman (in a fight some observers felt should have gone to the Australian for landing cleaner punches) in his most recent bout.
Nothing says he's ready for this type of fight, but the IBF did what it did, and here we are.
Here's the bigger question: Does Wade's appearance on HBO—he's managed by Al Haymon, who hasn't done business with HBO since taking Floyd Mayweather Jr. across the street to Showtime in 2013—lead to further fights between the estranged power brokers?
GGG's promoter Loeffler probably hopes so: His fighter holds the higher of the two WBA Middleweight Championships and seeks to face the owner of the other, Daniel Jacobs, in the near future.
Two Men Fighting for a Shot at the Krusher
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Ward, a talented fighter but a terrible marketer, has finally reached an agreement for a long-expected bout with unbeaten light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera.
The two will meet March 26 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, where Ward has fought on six previous occasions and has a base of support, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.
Barrera is a stablemate of light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, who already has a contract for a pay-per-view showdown with Ward later in the year.
That fight came as a condition of Ward's recent HBO contract, and given how difficult it is to negotiate with the slick former 168-pound champ, it's a good thing that ink has already dried.
The Cuban former amateur standout Barrera has been particularly vocal about this fight, taking to social media several times to troll Ward for the slow pace of negotiations.
Ward welcomes the trash talk, basically inviting his opponent to back it all up when they square off in the ring in March. The winner moves on to a fight with Kovalev, who holds three-fourths of the light heavyweight gold and is rated the No. 1 fighter in the division by The Ring magazine.
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Roy Jones Is Literally a Sideshow Now
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Have we really devolved this far, Roy?
Jones Jr. (you'd be forgiven if y'all must've forgot) might be the most athletic and purely skilled fighter to ever lace up a pair of gloves, but he's become something of a carnival of questionable decisions over the past several years, ever since he lost relevance and continued his career against basically universal advice.
Enzo Maccarinelli brutally knocked him out in Russia (where Roy is now a citizen, cozying up to Vladimir Putin) this past December, and now Jones plans to participate in something that is so ridiculous that I don't even know why we're writing about.
This is bad, even for boxing, which is often the theater of the absurd.
Per Carlos Boogs of Boxing Scene, Jones will headline an odd pay-per-view put on by UR Fight in a match that will pit the former four-division champion against get this, a fan.
Who knows? It could be you, and, if it is, you could have the opportunity to walk away with a cool $100,000 from the sordid and deeply troubling affair.
Fans will be required to submit a video to UR Fight explaining why they should have the opportunity to face Jones.
What a sad, pathetic joke.
Does the Machine Still Have the Fire?
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Rafael of ESPN.com reports that Matthysse, a former interim titlist at 140 pounds, will likely return to the ring in the co-featured bout of the Canelo-Khan undercard on HBO PPV in May.
Matthysse, who spent his entire professional career fighting at junior welterweight, will make the jump to a talent-rich welterweight division and hopes to revitalize his career after a stunning setback against Viktor Postol last October.
The Argentine struggled in that fight against the tricky and sometimes awkward Ukrainian, tasting the canvas in Round 10 and never making an attempt to rise before the count ended his night.
Elisinio Castillo of Boxing Scene reports that Pablo Cesar Cano, a Mexican welterweight who has been in the ring with Erik Morales, Paulie Malignaggi and Shane Mosley, dropping all three in competitive fashion, is under consideration for the assignment.
Cano is a credible opponent, and he's not overly likely (assuming the Machine still has the drive to compete) to upset the apple cart.
That seems to be a good idea for Golden Boy Promotions, which seems to like the idea of matching Matthysse with whoever emerges with the now-vacant WBO Welterweight Championship when Jessie Vargas and Sadam Ali meet on March 5.
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