The Next Mega Fight

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Gennady Golovkin’s recorded his 19th consecutive knockout with an utter decimation of tough Englishman Martin Murray on Saturday in Monte Carlo, and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the hype behind ‘GGG’ is real. Sporting a pristine 32-0 record with 29 knockouts, Golovkin is becoming a destructive attraction for which people will shell out hard-earned cash, desiring to see his volatile yet incredibly poised art of war. Imagine a laser sighting on a wrecking ball or if U.S. Navy SEAL had been as precise with a rocket launcher as he was with a McMillan Tac-338 sniper rifle.

However, as Golovkin’s ascent on the pound-for-pound rankings continues amid a trail of broken bodies and shattered dreams, only one thing is preventing this friendly version of Ivan Drago from reaching the heights in popularity of a Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao: a marquee opponent. That is why “GGG” desperately needs Andre Ward to return and do his part to build up a massive showdown between two of boxing’s best.

Of course, there are other names that could help propel Golovkin further into the spotlight. However, if we want to be completely honest, a lot of those big names are not exactly tripping over each other to get a shot at Golovkin. Ask Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who thought better of his well being and bailed on a proposed fight in July. Never mind the nonsensical Chavez tweets that came after Golovkin destroyed Murray, claiming he would wager $1 million that he could knock out “GGG.” The truth of the matter is that Chavez had his chance and hit the eject button, which was probably best for his health and future.

“GGG” called out Miguel Cotto after beating Murray, but rest assured that the Puerto Rican will not be filling the vacancy for his May or June fight in New York City with Golovkin’s name. Considering that Cotto has more mainstream clout, he will want no part of Golovkin and will not risk getting annihilated and being used as a catapult to make the Kazakhstani fighter a household name. It does not matter that Golovkin put himself in line for a guaranteed shot at Cotto by capturing the WBC interim title when he beat Marco Antonio Rubio in October. Cotto is on his farewell tour and serving as a steppingstone for Golovkin is not something he is going to be interested in doing. More importantly, Golovkin is not an Al Haymon fighter, so it is doubtful that Haymon would pit one of his junior middleweights (Carlos Molina), middleweights (Peter Quillin) or super middleweights (Lucian Bute or Chavez) against “GGG” on a future Premier Boxing Champions card on NBC.

So who is left, with both the skills and a name? Andre Ward.

The 2004 Olympic medalist has compiled an unblemished 27-0 record with 14 knockouts since turning professional. With deft boxing ability, superior defense and a high boxing IQ, Ward has picked apart every single one of his opponents with relative ease. He owned the Super Six World Boxing Classic, proving he is one of the best fighters on the planet, and punctuated his reign by making former light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson verbally quit in their 2012 clash.

When you really think about it, Ward is the closest thing boxing has to Mayweather in terms of in-ring ability. With that said, he is not a casual fan’s dream to watch in the ring, nor is he a devastating force that stomps through his opponents. He has often been called boring, but no opponent has come close to cracking the Ward code. What he lacks is Mayweather’s villainous personality, which has made “Money” the sport’s biggest cash cow.

Meanwhile, Golovkin and his “good boy” persona have tormented foes with a blitzkrieg of debilitating punching power. Once the smile on his face during his ring walk dissolves, he becomes a killer, reminiscent of Pacquiao when he left Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Cotto and Erik Morales in his wake during his 2005-10 reign of terror. Golovkin’s beautiful destruction is the antithesis to Ward’s sweet science, which is why Golovkin-Ward would be the equivalent of Mayweather-Pacquiao -- if those two had met during the peak of their respective careers five years ago.

“GGG”-Ward would be an absolutely fascinating matchup between two polar-opposite fighters, and boxing pundits would be divided on the subject of who would win and why. With the careers of Mayweather and Pacquiao winding down, you would be hard pressed to find two fighters who could potentially fill their void and produce a spectacular big-money fight.

The problem is that Ward has not been able to hold up his end of the bargain. Despite being a brilliant ring tactician, his mainstream appeal is minimal and dwindling since he has not appeared in a boxing ring for more than a year. One of the reasons why Mayweather-Pacquiao held a ridiculous amount of hype was that the two fighters fought on relatively close dates and were able to upstage each other in the ring. During Golovkin’s rise in 2013 and 2014, Ward was nowhere to be found, thanks to a contract dispute and injuries. To complicate matters, Ward just does not possess the outside-the-ring appeal Mayweather wields. This is not to say Ward should become a narcissistic egomaniac who throws money like confetti, but he does need to be visible -- if not like Mayweather than perhaps more like “Sugar” Ray Leonard. Ward can still be a good guy, but he needs to raise his profile away from the ring.

Hopefully, his signing with Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports will help propel him into the spotlight. Considering that he is hands down the biggest name in Roc Nation Sports’ boxing wing and seeing as though Jay Z happens to be a huge fan of the Sweet Science, perhaps we will see Ward get a push that matches his in-ring ability.

Furthermore, without Haymon, Bob Arum or Golden Boy Promotions having a hand in either Ward or Golovkin, there should not be a political war that lasts a half a decade to prevent these two from eventually squaring off.

Ward’s team and Roc Nation Sports need to pull the trigger on getting him back into the ring now and they need to work diligently on broadening his appeal. After Mayweather and Pacquiao finally meet on May 2, boxing is going to be in dire need of another mega fight through which to capture the imagination of fans.