Gennady Golovkin Stripped of IBF Middleweight Title for Vanes Martirosyan Fight

Gennady Golovkin is no longer the holder of the International Boxing Federation middleweight title.

According to Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports, the IBF said it stripped Golovkin of his title in a Wednesday announcement. Mannix added more details, noting the IBF said Golovkin fighting "an unsanctioned contest" against Vanes Martirosyan was the primary driving force in this decision to vacate the title.

This comes after Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reported Golden Boy CEO and Canelo Alvarez promoter Oscar De La Hoya ended discussions about a potential rematch between his fighter and Golovkin because the latter wanted a 50-50 split. Instead, De La Hoya sent an offer to Daniel Jacobs to fight on Sept. 15.

Alvarez is a primary reason Golovkin fought Martirosyan in the first place. Alvarez and Golovkin were set for a May 5 rematch after they previously fought to a draw, but the rematch was canceled after Alvarez tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended six months.

Instead, Golovkin fought Martirosyan in what Rafael described as "a hastily arranged fight" against a "massive underdog" and won with relative ease with a second-round knockout.

Golovkin sports a 38-0 record with 34 knockouts, but he is no longer the holder of the middleweight title after this ruling.