Boxing has a lot of rules, sometimes everything makes sense and other times it is just a cluster you know what.
The Middleweight Division is now one of those clusters.
For those who don’t know, when you are the lineal champion in any weight division, it means you have gotten your Ric Flair on and beat the man, who beat the man and etc.
This is where our problem lies. Sergio Martinez was THE MAN and lineal champion, when he was beaten by Miguel Cotto. Cotto isn’t and never was a true middleweight. When he beat Martinez it was at a catchweight. All of Cotto’s middleweight defenses were never at the middleweight weight limit. He weighed less than a Jr. Middleweight for his fight with Canelo.
Canelo has never had a fight over 155lbs, but since he beat Cotto he is now the lineal middleweight champ without ever fighting at the middleweight limit or a true middleweight.
GGG is a traditional middleweight champion, he fights at 160 and all his opponents fight at 160, but to get the lineal crown and the mainstream attention he wants, he needs to fight Canelo.
Canelo while stating he isn’t scared of GGG says if he wants his middleweight belt he will have to fight at a catchweight.
GGG has refused so far and frankly he has a good point. How long can you call yourself the true middleweight champ if you never fight at the middleweight weight limit?
With that being said at the moment GGG needs Canelo more than Canelo needs GGG.
Canelo is younger and a more established star. GGG only has so many years to capitalize on his gifts in the ring while Canelo will likely be fighting high quality, big money fights for the next decade.
Which is why I think GGG should call their bluff and agree to a middle ground catchweight of say 157. If Canelo won’t agree to that, public opinion will start to turn on him.
Three pounds might not seem like a lot, but in boxing it means a lot, but sometimes you have to take a risk for a bigger reward.
GGG fighting Tureano Johnson or Andy Lee isn’t going to do anything to enhance his reputation, we already know what he can do against these guys.
So, while he is within in his rights to say he won’t come down in weight, I think he should see if Canelo and Oscar De La Hoya are really bluffing about fighting him.
Because that is the fight everyone wants to see. It is a fight where you could see a lot of action on it on places like IronBet.com, because it is a 50-50 fight in a lot of people’s eyes.
I think GGG would be a slight favorite, but with the catchweight maybe that evens the odds a bit? Oscar De La Hoya says he wants to make the fights the fans want, well here is his opportunity. Everyone wants GGG-Canelo, so let’s make it happen.