Pirog vs Golovkin Signed, Official For August 25 on HBO

Dan Rafael of ESPN reports that according to promoter Art Pelullo, the rumored August 25 HBO fight between Dmitry Pirog and Gennady Golovkin has been signed, and is official.

Pirog (20-0, 15 KO) will be forfeiting his WBO middleweight title, apparently, meaning that just the WBA "regular" title (and the lightly-regarded IBO belt) held by Golovkin (23-0, 20 KO) will be on the line in the fight.

Pirog will be returning to American soil for the fight for the first time since his stoppage win over Danny Jacobs in July 2010. Golovkin will be making his American debut, in his first HBO fight.

The likely co-feature bout is a 154-pound matchup between veteran Sergiy Dzinziruk (37-1, 23 KO) and Puerto Rican prospect Jonathan Gonzalez (15-0, 13 KO). It figures to be a huge step up for Gonzalez, but Dzinziruk hasn't fought since losing to Sergio Martinez in March 2011, either.

HBO owes Dzinziruk a fight, which is why that bout would be televised more than its quality (it's a fine fight, really), and the main event has been greenlit mostly, one figures, because HBO stars like Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr need opponents who have been featured on the network.

No matter the reason, though, it's a solid main event pitting two top middleweights, and a potentially interesting crossroads co-feature.