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SPORTS Saturday 5 May 2018

After Canelo fell out, Gennady Golovkin picks up Martirosyan

By GREG BEACHAM stripped if he doesn't take
AP Sports Writer on mandatory challenger
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gen- Sergey Derevyanchenko
nady Golovkin spent sev- — a 32-year-old Ukrainian
eral months planning and with a paltry 12 professional
training for this weekend. bouts — by early August.
He intended to spend it That fight seems unlikely
under Las Vegas' bright- to happen, since Alvarez's
est lights as he proved his suspension will be up in
middleweight supremacy time for a rematch in Sep-
in a lucrative rematch with tember. Although Golovkin
Canelo Alvarez. has been sharply critical of
Instead, Golovkin finds him- Alvarez , the stars still need
self back in his adopted each other for the most lu-
home in Southern Califor- crative bout either could
nia, where he's making a make.
fraction of that potential Golovkin has attempted
payday to fight a gritty for years to hold all four
veteran contender with major belts simultaneously,
nothing to lose in a famous and he has been the WBA,
outdoor ring where crazy WBC and IBF champion
things happen regularly. since 2015. English WBO
Sure, it's not the Cinco de champ Billy Joe Saunders
Mayo that Golovkin (37-0- has kept the only remaining
1, 33 KOs) had in mind. hardware out of Golovkin's
The 160-pound Kazakh grasp, repeatedly declin-
middleweight kingpin is still ing Golovkin's challenges.
determined to make the Now that Saunders ap-
most of the holiday when Gennady Golovkin, center left, and Vanes Martirosyan pose for photos during a weigh-in Friday, pears more amenable to
May 4, 2018, in Los Angeles.
he takes on Vanes Martiro- Associated Press a fight, Golovkin could lose
syan (36-3-1, 21 KOs) on Sat- the IBF belt simply because
urday night on HBO. With a champion. the sport is the most impor- and ready to shock the he wanted to keep busy
victory in a fight he didn't The rematch seemed in- tant thing," said Golovkin's sport. while waiting for his payday
have to take, Golovkin evitable, and it might have trainer, Abel Sanchez. "This "I was just hungry, train- from Alvarez.
would tie Bernard Hopkins' been the biggest fight of is not a war. He's not out ing and training, and then Golovkin is bothered by it,
middleweight record with the year — until Canelo to hurt anybody. Yes, the that opportunity comes," but he's still fighting Martiro-
his 20th consecutive title failed a doping test in Feb- money comes along with Martirosyan said. "Basically syan.
defense. ruary. it, but the sport is the most you're waiting at home "He's 36 years old right now,
"I wanted to remain ac- When the Nevada Athletic important." watching TV, and you've and with all the boxing
tive, and I didn't want to Commission finally handed So Golovkin's camp went got a lottery ticket, and I politics and just not being
lose my date for this par- down Alvarez's six-month to work on a late replace- was just so happy to get the about to make a deal with
ticular fight," Golovkin said. suspension last month, it ment bout for StubHub call. I've been killing myself Saunders, he knows there's
"It wasn't my fault my first was already clear Golovkin Center's outdoor ring for the last two years, just a chance it might not hap-
opponent couldn't fight. I would have to wait for their among Los Angeles' savvy thinking, 'What mistakes did pen," said Tom Loeffler, Go-
didn't want to waste time. fight. But Golovkin didn't boxing fans. After struggling I make, or what did I do to lovkin's longtime promoter.
I want to have as many want to sit on his fists — not to find a suitable opponent deserve this, to be inac- "But for now, he knows he
fights as possible. I didn't at 36 years old, and not af- , Golovkin eventually chose tive outside of the ring?' has a difficult job on Sat-
really think about the busi- ter fighting just once in the Martirosyan, the former U.S. This fight is everything I've urday, and everything else
ness side of it." previous 14 months. Olympian with a strong fol- dreamed of, and I can't could depend on that."q
The first weekend in May The tenacious knockout lowing in Southern Califor- wait to show it to the world."
is traditionally a momen- artist built his late-blooming nia's Armenian community. In the notoriously fractious
tous time for boxing, and pro career on staying busy Golovkin and Martirosyan world of boxing's sanction-
Golovkin planned to do while other champions both competed at the Ath- ing bodies, Golovkin was
something big with Alva- sit around. Golovkin was ens Olympics in different bound to find trouble after
rez. Their first bout last Sep- hungry to match Hopkins' weight classes, but Mar- his rematch with Canelo fell
tember was a competitive record in a division he has tirosyan hasn't fought since through.
draw, with many observ- dominated just as zealously May 2016 after several re- The IBF has behaved the
ers believing Golovkin did as Hopkins did. cent potential matchups most foolishly, refusing to
enough to beat anybody Also, Golovkin just plain fell through. Just 4-3-1 in his put its title on the line for
on the scorecards ex- loves to fight. last eight fights, Martirosyan Martirosyan and then de-
cept the popular Mexican "This is a sport to him, and considers himself rested claring Golovkin will be