The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of July 3
Well, it was supposed to be a fight week, but the boxing gods have decided against it this time.
Without Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko II to look forward to (and we're being highly generous there), we need to churn up some of the other happenings in the sweet science that will need attention over the next week.
That, of course, includes when we might see the hugging match of a rematch between the sport's two most polarizing big men.
Gennady Golovkin, oh he of the concussive power, three middleweight belts and boogeyman reputation, seems close to finalizing his next championship defense. We break down the opponent and the reasons behind his decision.
Next, we turn to his hopefully future rival Canelo Alvarez, who is still knee deep in the mud (we think it's mud) related to his shameless decision to duck Golovkin in favor of challenging for a title in a weight class below.
Is his next fight (not this one, unfortunately) headed to regular HBO?
We conclude by looking at the latest in the Alexander Povetkin did-he-didn't-he doping saga and Sammy Vasquez's next fight.
These are the hottest boxing storylines for the week.
Is Chris Eubank Jr. Next for GGG?
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Golovkin has moved on from Canelo, who he will not fight until next fall at the earliest, and is close to finalizing plans for a lucrative fall defense of his middleweight titles.
Greg Beacham of the Associated Press reports that Golovkin is close to locking up terms for a trip to England to defend his unified titles against British middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr.
The contracts for the fight are mostly done, and Eubank's promoter Eddie Hearn doesn't believe there is anything left that could be a "deal breaker," per Nick Parkinson of ESPN. That the fight would take place in the United Kingdom would be a huge financial boon for both fighters.
Eubank has lost just once in his professional career, a close, some say controversial, split decision against current WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders in 2014. He's won five fights since, mostly against second-tier opposition, and will be taking a giant leap in class.
Still, he deserves plenty of credit for racing toward a Golovkin bout when so many other notable fighters, such as Canelo and even Saunders, seemingly have little desire to take the assignment.
Golovkin's play here makes sense for obvious reasons.
Eubank is a solid contender, currently ranked No. 6 in the division by The Ring Magazine (and could move up if/when Canelo is removed for leaving the division), and represents the best fighter in the division who was willing to take the fight.
Fighting in the UK should also bring significant money to the Kazakh destroyer and continue to build his international star.
Will Canelo Return to Regular HBO?
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Canelo has taken plenty of deserved heat for shamelessly ducking Golovkin and moving back down to junior middleweight for a fight against Liam Smith that absolutely zero people (outside Smith and his immediate family, perhaps) were demanding to see.
That fight is a tough sell on PPV (how many of you can't wait to shell out 70 bucks to see the new face of boxing take on an opponent with no profile to speak of in this country) and has been roundly lambasted by fans and media alike.
Perhaps sensing the fans anger, it seems likely that the cinnamon-haired star's next fight will be slated for regular HBO rather than asking fans to shell out more cash on PPV.
ESPN's Dan Rafael reports that Canelo, presumably assuming he beats Smith, is planning to fight once more this year on December 10. An opponent has not been floated (obviously bad form with a fight already on the docket) but, if it's on regular HBO, you shouldn't expect a whole lot.
Canelo's decision to push off a Golovkin fight to next year (maybe) was publicly stated as an opportunity for the fighter to gradually build himself into a full-fledged middleweight after several fights of dipping his toes in the water with catchweights.
One would assume, with that clock ticking, that a middleweight fight would come next, but given the already specious nature of this whole production, who knows?
All we know is you'll likely get to see Canelo fight for free a couple of weeks before Christmas.
What to Make of Wilder/Povetkin Mess?
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Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook reports that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has issued a new statement clearing former heavyweight champion Povetkin of wrongdoing based on a pair of positive drug tests for the banned substance melondium in April.
Povetkin was slated to challenge Wilder for the American's WBC Heavyweight Championship in May, but the fight was called off after reports broke that Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) random tests found traces of the substance, which was banned as of January 1 this year, in the Russian's A and B samples.
The fighter and his team immediately protested, openly admitting that he took melondium last year (before it was banned) and claiming that the trace amounts were residuals from that legal usage. Most of those pleas fell on deaf ears, and both the Povetkin and Wilder camps are currently involved in lawsuits against one another stemming from the affair.
As for WADA, the body has ruled that Povetkin is innocent of any wrongdoing in its eyes. It has stated that certain trace amounts of melondium are permitted in tests between January 1 and October 1 of this year, but that beyond that none will be allowed.
Povetkin's samples apparently fall within what they'd categorize as acceptable, which, once again, throws this whole situation right into the mud. It's worth noting that the WBC, which allowed Wilder an optional defense once the mandatory was postponed, has not removed Povetkin from its top spot.
So, where does this end up?
Who knows?
The WBC says a ruling will come next week, per Igor Lazorin of TASS.
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Can Sammy Vasquez Turn Back a Dangerous Late Sub?
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Vasquez, a U.S. Army veteran and undefeated rising contender, was slated to face veteran former welterweight titlist Luis Collazo on the undercard of Wilder's title defense against Chris Arreola on July 16.
But an injury to Collazo—he tore his right calf muscle—forced him to withdraw from the fight and left Vasquez with a challenge that is both more enticing to the fans and possibly more dangerous to his future prospects.
Felix Diaz, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist for the Dominican Republic, steps in as the late replacement, and, unlike most guys who take fights on this type of notice, is both a live dog and probably more dangerous than the previous opponent.
Diaz is best known for giving former 140-pound titlist Lamont Peterson fits in his last fight. The scoring that night (which favored Peterson) was close and somewhat controversial, and he's not the type of guy to come in and be an opponent.
He's not here for a paycheck, and his tricky style is enough to give most anyone fits.
The guy is coming to win and upset a bunch of peoples' plans.
Vasquez has looked like the real deal in his rise through the ranks, which included an impressive stoppage of Aaron Martinez last time out, but he's in a tough one this time with only a short time to prepare. This is the type of fight that's both dangerous and will show a lot about his potential.
Funny how things work out, sometimes.
Will October Finally Rid Us of Fury-Klitschko II?
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The first fight between Fury and Klitschko was so bad that most fans are only interested in the rematch to get it over with so they can move on to the truly exciting matchups featuring the division's better young fighters.
Fury took Klitschko's title, toppling him from a throne he held seemingly since the beginning of time, in a snoozefest this past November. The towering Brit did enough to win and clearly deserved the nod, but the fight did nothing to endear him much to fans who weren't already fans.
Now, that's not to say it was his fault. Klitschko laid an egg, looking like a fighter who was somewhere between petrified and fetal position in the corner whenever he left his hands go, which wasn't very often at all.
The rematch was supposed to take place July 9, but was postponed a couple of weeks before that date when Fury revealed he had injured his ankle.
That report was called into question by Rafael, who reported that his sources were indicating that Fury simply wasn't prepared to fight Klitschko. We don't know for sure, but the champion didn't make any secrets of his lack of conditioning in recent weeks.
Yuri Tarantin of Boxing Scene says that the most likely date for the rematch now stands at October 29 in Manchester. That's likely to be greeted by an audible groan from boxing fans who just want this mess dispensed with already.
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