Gennady Golovkin: My Goal is To Collect All The Titles

By Francisco Salazar

Gennady Golovkin overlooking Dominic Wade?

Why would he?

After accumulating world title belts, earning endorsements, and remaining unbeaten, Golovkin has no reason to look past Wade, who may indeed be over his head tonight.

Golovkin lives by the motto of ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’

Besides, Golovkin has too much to lose, including a potential showdown against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, whenever that would take place.

Golovkin is expected to overwhelm and be too much for Wade tonight at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. But the bout could be more of a psychological battle for Golovkin more than a physical one.

The 12 round bout, along with the Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez-McWilliams Arroyo world flyweight title fight, will air live on HBO, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.

If Golovkin would have it his way, he would continue unifying the rest of the world title belts in the division. He currently holds the WBA, IBF, IBO and interim WBC titles.

Negotiations or proposed fights against Miguel Cotto and Billy Joe Saunders, who has been thumping his chest at Golovkin from across the Atlantic Ocean in the United Kingdom, did not work out.

Wade (18-0, 12 KOs) enters the picture.

So he is fulfilling his mandatory against Wade, who is ranked number one by the IBF. He received the mandatory slot when he won a suspect 10 round split decision over Sam Soliman on June 26.

While Golovkin is a prohibitive favorite, he is not overlooking Wade.

"I've seen a couple of fights of his," Golovkin addressed a pool of reporters this past Sunday. "He is not easy. He's a smart guy. He's a smart prospect.

"I remember my position three-four years ago (when I was an unknown fighter and new to the United States). It's the same for him. I hope he's at 100 percent. I promise to be at 100 percent."

Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) may be in a no-win situation tonight. A quick knockout may indicate Wade was too soft of an opponent and that he should not have deserved that ranking. If Wade takes Golovkin the distance, criticism may rain down on the Kazakh fighter.

Golovkin has heard all those criticisms, but he remains steadfast he can unify all the world title belts.

"He's undefeated. He's maybe more hungry. He wants it. Everything is possible. Every step is very important for me. He beats me, it's a dream fight for him," Golovkin said.

Of course, the opponent most boxing fans want Golovkin to fight against is Alvarez, who will be making a voluntary defense of the WBC title against Amir Khan on May 7 in Las Vegas, Nev.

The WBC has mandated the winner of Alvarez-Khan fight Golovkin next. Whether that will take place remains to be seen, but rumors that have floated around the boxing circle indicate that fight will not be happening in the fall.

Should Alvarez defeat Khan, which is a likely scenario in two weeks, will the popular Mexican fighter retain the WBC title or could he vacate it.

If that happens, the WBC could award Golovkin the title outright, making it one step closer to his goal of winning all the belts. Still, Golovkin would rather win a belt in the ring.

"It's my dream," said Golovkin, who is trained by Abel Sanchez. "It's a reward not just for me, but my team and my coach. I think people understand that in order to be number one, you have to win all the belts."

"It doesn't matter who has the title. Canelo is a great champ for the WBC. I have the interim title. Right now, my goal is to collect all the titles. My motivation is everything. I understand my situation. I understand that every step (fight) is important for me."

For now, Wade is the opponent. Golovkin will not treat him any less than any opponent he has faced. Whether it is big fights down the line or the amount of endorsements he has received (from Nike Jordan Brand, Apple, etc.), Golovkin admits he has an obligation to win and impress in the process.

Because a win continues to put forth a potential fight against Alvarez, whenever that may be. That bout is rumored to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., where Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has made a big push to host the fight.

"You can see Gennady growing into not just a draw in the U.S., but a fighter who gets worldwide attention," said Tom Loeffler, Golovkin's promoter. "You see it in the corporate interest from sponsors who want to back him. Gennady wants to fight a lot, and he wants the biggest names in the world."

Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.comsantio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing