Trainer Abel Sanchez talks about his thoughts on how negotiations between Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez/Chris Eurbank Jr. played out and what they have planned for him. Here's what he had to say:
Sanchez on failed negotiations with Canelo Alvarez and Chris Eubank Jr:
"Well first of all Canelo, I thought, was never going to fight us. At least not now anyway, it may happen when Gennady's 60 but for right now I didn't think he was going to fight us. Eubank, I'm surprised. I thought I had seen all the ways to turn down a fight, his father found a new one. Eddie [Hearn] tried everything according to Tom [Loeffler]. The deal was such a good deal that Kell Brook took the same deal within a couple hours...so it wasn't like Eubank was getting raked over the coals, his father was just putting up so many demands that Eddie wasn't able to fulfill."
On if he feels that managers and promoters stood in the way of those fights:
"No, absolutely not. I think that when you get tot his level, the championship level, these are grown men, these are men making decisions for the futures of their families and of their lives. And ultimately we all, promoters, managers and trainers, we work for the fighter. The fighter is who gets paid. The fighter is who gets into the ring, signs the contracts with the networks, so we work for them.
"So if a fight isn't made, it's not because the manger or promoter didn't want it, it's because the fighter didn't want it. But of course saying that, the promoter and the manager are going to discuss with the fighter what the best opportunities are, where the future lies, what he should and shouldn't do, but ultimately the fighter makes the decision."
On if he believes Canelo is waiting for Golovkin to age or look vulnerable before taking the fight:
"Well I hope that I'm wrong, not necessarily for me but for the fans because I think that it's a fight the fans really want to see, they're anticipating a great fight which I am too. I don't think it's a walkover fight, I think Canelo is a warrior and he would get in there and fight and make Golovkin fight too. But I think the business of boxing is why this fight is not happening. It's not happening today, it's not happening in September of this year, and it may not happen in September of next year, but it's got nothing to do with that [Canelo] is not ready. He's ready, it's just that the business of boxing is what they are basing their decision on."
On Canelo criticizing him for fighting Brook after they criticized him for fighting Amir Khan:
"Well just like he lied about facing Golovkin after the Khan fight, he's lying about that too. He didn't face a welterweight, he faced a lightweight that got knocked out in his first try against a decent fighter who was Breidis Prescott - he got knocked out in one round. Then he moves up to 140lbs and gets knocked out by Danny Garcia in 4-5 rounds. Then he moves up to 147, everybody that he fights hurts him. That he fought him at 155, he probably outweighed [Khan] by 25-30lbs by fight time. So he could have fought him at 152, he still is going to weigh 185lbs by the time the fight came.
"We're fighting a welterweight who has never fought below welterweight. We're fighting a welterweight that's undefeated, a welterweight that doesn't know how to lose, a welterweight that got as many knockouts as Golovkin, almost, does. A welterweight that's going to be fighting at 160lbs and probably will not be out-weighed by Golovkin by more than 10lbs by fight time. So it's totally completely different..."
On if they will still chase a fight with Canelo or if they will prioritize unifying all titles, looking towards Billy Joe Saunders:
"I think that Tom has got the plan set out to unify the titles but we're not going to wait for anybody. We're not going to wait for Caenlo, we're not going to wait for Saunders. If Saunders doesn't step up to the plate for whatever reason, Gennady has got to stay busy. He's 34-years-old, if the fight happens with Canelo in 2017 he'll be 35-years-old by then. So time is not on our side, we have to continue to fight three times a year and hopefully these guys step up, and if they don't, that's their business."
On Canelo-Smith belng looked at as more competitive than Golovkin-Brook:
"I think it's a very competitive fight. I also think ours is a competitive fight. Liam Smith is not as known as Kell Brook is, but Liam Smith is a big guy, he's a durable guy, he's not as talented as Canelo, Canelo should win the fight, but I think Liam Smith will scare him. I think Liam Smith has got nothing to lose, as does Kell Brook. Liam Smith is bigger than Canelo. Canelo when he fought Cotto didn't hurt Cotto with anything that he hit him with so is he going to be able to hurt Liam Smith?
"His knockouts that we've seen was against [James] Kirkland, a washed up guy that doesn't fight very often, and [Alfredo] Angulo who was unfortunately coming back after a long layoff and had not done very well in his preparation. So Liam Smith could scare him. That he beats him, maybe not, but I wouldn't be surprised."