The Middleweight Division takes center stage in the boxing world in the last quarter of 2015 with two championship matches-but there can only be one champion.
The clash between knockout artists Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin and David Lemieux will unite the IBF, WBA, IBO and interim WBC championship belts on October 17. Meanwhile, the Puerto Rico vs. Mexico rivalry will be resurrected by Miguel Cotto and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on November 21.
Cotto will place his "lineal" championship along with the WBC middleweight championship. Which fight is the real deal?
David Lemieux has already staked his claim that his fight with the Kazakh destroyer should be the only one considered as a middleweight bout. In a statement during the promotions for the fight, Bleacher Report caught a bold declaration.
"[Miguel] Cotto shouldn't be fighting at middleweight. If you want to fight at middleweight make 160 [pounds]," Lemieux said. "You're a middleweight; don't be fighting at a catchweight. You wanna be 155? 154? You're scared but want to have the status of a middleweight but you don't want to make middleweight. You're not a real middleweight."
The WBC has actually mandated that the winner of the Golovkin-Lemieux fight will have a mandatory shot on the green belt holder at the end of Cotto Vs. Canelo, according to a tweet from Michael Woods.
However, there could be complications because that fight has a rematch clause. The negotiations for Cotto Vs. Canelo were extended to specify the terms.
Boxing observers expect that Cotto would probably dodge Golovkin as he was already supposed to give a shot to the winner of the GGG vs. Rubio fight (which was GGG). However, Canelo Alvarez might not be similarly inclined.
Lemieux's challenge to Cotto is also intriguing-both are slight underdogs in the respective fights but they may end up fighting each other in the future.