by Miguel Rivera

Abel Sanchez, head trainer for WBA/IBO/IBF middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin (34-0, 31KOs), is not confident that a mandatory fight with happen with WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

Last year, the World Boxing Council ordered then champion Miguel Cotto to make a defense against Golovkin. He was able to work a deal where a fight would take place with Canelo, and then the winner would have to face Golovkin in their first defense.

Canelo won a twelve round unanimous decision to capture the vacant belt, which Cotto lost a few days earlier over a dispute with the WBC over the sanctioning fee.

Another deal was worked out, where the WBC would allow both fighters to take interim-bouts before facing each other in the fall.

Golovkin will return on April 23rd in a mandatory defense against IBF #1 Dominic Wade, and Canelo will defend his belt on May 7th against Amir Khan, who moves by eight pounds to fight for the belt at 155.

The two boxers, should the win, have to collide before the end of the year. If Canelo refuses to face Golovkin, then the Mexican superstar will be stripped and the unbeaten puncher will become the full WBC champion.

Sanchez hopes the fight will take place this year, but he has serious doubts even with the WBC's order.

"I think that fight is already one of the biggest fights in boxing. For me it's the fight everyone wants to see, but I think that neither Canelo or Oscar De La Hoya is going to do it this year despite what they WBC says," Sanchez told ESPN Deportes. "I don't think it will happen, and if not then [we'll look for the fight] in 2017, but if he doesn't fight [Golovkin in the fall] then Canelo will lose the championship."