The sport of boxing never ceases to shock and bemuse it’s fans.

It was just this Monday that promoter Eddie Hearn moved to reassure everyone that we would see two big fights happen this autumn within a month of each other. A Middleweight showdown between Chris Eubank Jr and Gennady Golovkin and a Welterweight unification fight between Kell Brook and Jessie Vargas.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon and the circulation of a poster tweeted by Eddie Hearn announcing that Golovkin would face Brook for the Middleweight title instead, one could have sworn that he had been hacked or some idiot was trolling.

But no, it was as real as it gets, and the fight is set in stone for 10th September at the O2 Arena, leaving the boxing world in a frenzy, mixed with shock, excitement, justifiable derision and apathy at what had just unfolded.

Before even stomaching the match-up and the question marks raised we have to ascertain how we got there.

So, per a IFL TV interview released straight after the announcement, Eddie Hearn confirmed that the fight was made in pretty quick time after the Eubank’s (notably Chris Eubank Sr) failed to meet an imposed deadline (by Hearn) to sign off on discussed terms. Brook, regarded by many as the best welterweight in the world post Mayweather/Pacquiao, hit an apparent roadblock in his negotiations with Vargas which was blamed on dates, venues and ,funnily enough, Brexit. But when offered the terms which were previously laid on the table to Team Eubank, Brook couldn’t agree to the fight quickly enough. And in a 24 hour shift, a fight nobody expected (and arguably nobody wanted) was made. Almost something out of a budget soap opera.

When there is chaos, there is opportunity and Kell Brook is seizing what must be in his eyes the opportunity of a lifetime. Regarded as one of the most talented boxers from this perceived golden generation of British fighters, Brook’s profile has suffered and his progression has stagnated due to injury and a lack of meaningful fights after he wrestled the title away from Shawn Porter in Carson, California almost 2 years ago. Now, 2 months removed from his 30th birthday, he has everything he ever desired – a big name opponent on the biggest platform that he has even been featured on, with the potential upside of super-stardom in the palm of his hands.

But, the proverbial elephant room cannot be neglected. Brook is moving 2 weight divisions to fight one of the most devastating punchers in the entire sport. This weight disparity should, in the eyes of many, make his chances even worse than those Eubank Jr was given , yet some bookmakers have placed him at 11/2, giving him more of a chance than any of Golovkin’s previous opponents.

This is slightly surprising to me.

Yes, talent wise Brook is arguably Golovkin’s best opponent on paper, but as we sit here 2 months from fight night, the possibility of Brook being able to acclimatize to a new weight class is almost non-existent. And that matters significiantly – just ask Brook’s bitter rival, Amir Khan (brutally KO’d after climbing up 8lbs to face lineal middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez this past May). Whilst Brook is the more well rounded fighter of the two and the naturally bigger guy, his shortcoming will be similar to that of Khan’s. On top of the fact that Golovkin arguably has the better of Brook in every skill department, adapting to a new weight class and facing a bigger opponent carries grave physical risks and once he eats a left hook to the body or a stiff jab from his adversary, then Brook will slowly see the bridge between himself and greatness burn right in front of his eyes. Yes, boxing history will tell us that not only have welterweights made a step up like this but also Middleweight champions have had marquee wins over naturally smaller guys, but the competitor moving up normally fights several times at the higher weight to adjust physically.

In a competitive climate where fighters in the same weight class run in the opposite direction when offered the chance to fight Golovkin, Brook rightfully deserves every last bit of credit and respect from fans and peers alike for taking a fight of this risk. But everyone associated with the sport must look at themselves and think that “it doesn’t have to be like this”. Fear of loss on both their record and economic value shouldn’t drive fighters away from fighting the best individuals in their division and guys shouldn’t have to leap up several weight classes and put their body on the line to prove a immense level of fortitude. But the odd fascination I have for this sport is this lack of convention and to be blunt the absence of common sense that gets even more radical year after year. Two significant and anticipated match-ups – Canelo Golovkin and Khan Brook have imploded and immersed to leave us with two high proflie mis-matches (to go with majority opinion)

Which brings us to the plight of Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. Inevitably him and his managerial team will face much derision for choosing to fight a naturally smaller guy and rightly so. Golovkin criticized the making of Alvarez-Khan saying that it was a “business fight”and has now served to make a fight which has the only genuine upside of making him a lot of money and increasing his exposure in the United Kingdom, purely business incentives in their own right. However, options were razor thin (light middleweight’s tied down to TV deals and super middleweights all engaged or injured) and in his position activity is key in order to stay relevant and build his profile. And whilst the situation is far from ideal, as I mentioned in my previous piece, the prospect of seeing a top pound for pound fighter in his physical prime demonstrate his craft in the UK is still attractive to myself as it will be for many other fans, especially if the 34 year old wins in style as expected. Furthermore the expectation is that Golovkin will fight later on in the year, hopefully against a middleweight contender (should they feel more inclined to step up after this revelation). In this sport you have to be the architect of your own destiny and for better of worse GGG and his team press on in pursuit of legitimacy and extended appeal.

So where does this leave the neglected parties of Jessie Vargas and Chris Eubank Jr? Well as for Vargas, his promoter Bob Arum claims that contingency plans in place which will be revealed in the coming weeks (a rematch with Timothy Bradley or even a showdown with Joseph Benavidez Jr have been touted before). And as for Eubank Jr, he will have to face the music after all the taunting and posturing that he had been doing on social media and in interviews and should consider whether the excessive involvement of his father, who served to be the sole obstructive force in the fight negotiations (if we go by what both promoters have said), is a help or a hindrance at this stage of his career. Because when it is all said and done he will only have one person to blame for missed opportunities and fights that did not happen.

Boxing is one funny sport eh?

Championship Rounds

Golovkin isn’t the only Pound for Pound great who will be gracing the shores of the UK. Next Saturday, decorated amateur and current WBA Super Bantamweight Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux will defend his belt against Jazza Dickens, the current British champion from Liverpool. Whilst Rigondeaux’s style is neither profitable nor fan friendly, it is still an honour to have such a fighter travel to defend his belt here. This is the co-feature of a card which features a great domestic fight at light middleweight between Liam Williams and Gary Cocoran. Both undefeated and highly touted with a chance to kick start momentum on the way to further honours

In preperation for a November showdown against Andre Ward, Sergey Kovalev faces Isaac Chilemba this Monday (yes Monday) in Russia. Whilst nobody will be able to match Ward’s skill level and ring intelligence, Chilemba is an experienced top 10 Light Heavyweight contender who should last into the late rounds due to his awkward nature and durability. Ward faces Alexander Brand in August in Oakland California.

Stay tuned for more Boxing/Sport related posts

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