Gennady Golovkin Forced to Settle for the Best of Bad Options in Kell Brook

Gennady Golovkin stunned the world when he announced late last week that he would defend his treasure trove of middleweight gold September 10 against current IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook at the O2 Arena in London on HBO.

The shock of the deal continues to reverberate throughout the boxing community.

Many fans and media members have been highly critical of the matchup, which pits the world’s top middleweight and most avoided fighter against a brash welterweight titlist who believes enough in his ability to take a fight nobody thinks he can win.

The angst is certainly understandable, but it does seem that a large percentage of the “boxing is a business” crowd have turned cheek when it comes to dealing with this particular fight.

Don’t think for a second that Brook was the preferred choice for either Golovkin or his promotional team led by Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. The latter has developed a reputation in the industry as one of the easiest guys to make a deal with, but you can’t make deals with people who won’t deal.

Brook fell into their laps when British middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr., who talked an awful lot during negotiations, suddenly balked at signing the contract for a fight that was widely expected to be finalized in a hurry.

ESPN.com’s Nick Parkinson quotes Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn as blaming the fight’s collapse on the “crazy demands” of Chris Eubank Sr., who wanted full operational control of the event, something that a promoter will never concede.

Hearn says he forwarded the Eubanks a final contract with a 24-hour deadline, and they never responded. He immediately offered Brook the same terms and a deal came together in a couple of days.

It’s pretty clear that GGG’s team was determined to expand the fighter’s reach to the United Kingdom.

He’s already sold out major arenas in the New York City and Los Angeles markets, and developing a presence in London, boxing’s biggest international scene, makes good business sense.

Brook is certainly not ideal, but with Eubank dropping the ball and WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders (the owner of the only 160-pound title not in GGG’s orbit) likewise talking big but acting small when he got offered a deal, the options were limited.

The matchup boxing fans were hoping for was a highly anticipated showdown between Golovkin and sort-of middleweight Canelo Alvarez.

The Mexican star, who has been labeled by his promoters as the new face of boxing, also reached for a welterweight in his most recent fight.

It’d be hypocritical to trash that matchup and give a pass on this one. However, it’s worth noting that Amir Khan—unlike Brook—had been blasted into oblivion on two prior occasions before he elected to move up two weight classes and face a known puncher.

Canelo imploded Khan’s chin that night. The result was expected.

What wasn’t expected was that he’d bring Golovkin into the ring for a “quien es mas macho” moment, drop an F-bomb while proclaiming how tough he was and then turn tail and hide behind his promoter.

You know, to get ready for the biggest, baddest middleweight on the planet by fighting a virtually unknown (in the States, anyway) junior middleweight who barely cracks the top-10 ranking in the division where he holds a world title.

He even pulled a Riddick Bowe and dropped his WBC title in the proverbial trash so that the organization couldn’t strip him when he failed to make his mandatory obligation.

Canelo should be fighting Golovkin in the fall.

It’s the biggest fight in boxing and the one fans have been demanding.

Nobody wants another Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao situation where everyone waits around for years for a fight that proves a dud because it’s passed the expiration date.

But a certain someone in his team at Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya (who as a fighter never shied from any challenge), decided that the best course for the man anointed boxing’s new face would be to begin his reign by thumbing his nose at the fans and having the dreaded “ducker” label attached to his name.

You can’t blame Golovkin for that.

You also can’t blame him for Eubank Jr. and Saunders being full of hot air and wanting the fight until they could have it.

Could GGG have reached into the middleweight pool and snatched up someone like Tureano Johnson or Avtandil Khurtzide?

Sure, but let’s not pretend that either of those fights would’ve satiated the fans critical of the Brook fight. The “he hasn’t fought anybody” chorus would’ve been just as drummed up if either of those men had been selected.

So, criticize the fight all you want. But be honest about it.