Still Significant Fight for Gennady Golovkin at 39?

On Thursday, former longtime Undisputed Middleweight champion and current IBF 160 lb. titleholder Gennady Golovkin turned 39 years of age. And while he has a recent title defense win, the questions continue to abound about whether there’s still a significant fight left for him out there?

Triple G acknowledged his big day by posting about his time with his children on social media,

Feeling blessed. All that matters in my life is here with me.
Happy birthday to me! pic.twitter.com/Q8qmDsVIku

— Gennadiy Golovkin (@GGGBoxing) April 8, 2021

We obviously have to acknowledge his greatness, as Golovkin successfully defended a portion of or the Undisputed Middleweight championship 10 times in the 2010’s.

This was before he’s two controversial fights with former Undisputed Middleweight and now Unified 168 lb. champion, Canelo Alvarez. Alvarez and Golovkin fought to a spirited 12-round draw in September 2017 that many of servers and fans still believe Golovkin actually won. Then, in the rematch 12 months later, it was again a close, hard-fought slugfest with Canelo’s hand ultimately being raised in victory.

Canelo was later stripped of his IBF portion of the championship for failing to fight Sergiy Derevyanchenko and that’s when Golovkin, 41-1-1, jumped at the chance to fight the Ukranian #1 contender for the vacant belt in October 2019.

That was another hard-fought competitive battle that saw Triple G take a lot of punishment, yet still emerge victorious by decision to recapture a portion of the Middleweight crown. Still, there are several prominent analysts and observers that saw that fight the believe that his better days are clearly behind him. Even longtime trainer and boxing analyst Teddy Atlas went so far as to say Golovkin “looked like a shot fighter” that night with the Derevyanchenko.

As we wrote back in December he finally fought his long-delayed IBF mandatory battle with Poland’s Kamil Szeremeta and scored an impressive, if not expected, 7th round KO.

Now, at five months later, we’re still wondering whether or not he and Alvarez will ever fight for a third time? And, it’s looking less and less  likely. Further, if not a trilogy with Canelo, what is another potential large fight for Triple G in the offing?

The WBA “World’ title is held by lightly regarded Ryota Murata of Japan, Meanwhile, unbeaten American veteran Demetrius Andrade has the WBO strap. Neither of those “move the needle” for a big night/payday for Golovkin.

But, the WBC belt is in the possession of unbeaten, hard punching, Jermall Charlo. And, if that bout could be made, it would have great interest. Still, at this point, with the hits Triple G took against Alvarez (twice) and Derevyanchenko, and with him being up there in age, maybe he shouldn’t entertain a Charlo bout.

So, we wait for where and when and mostly importantly, what opponent, Golovkin chooses and can get a deal with near term.