Gennady "GGG" Golovkin is looking for recognizable names willing to face him in a number of weight classes, but when Tim Bradley, scheduled to face unbeaten Jessie Vargas on Saturday, piped up he was met mostly with chuckles and shrugs.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said it would be unwise to dismiss Bradley as not only an opponent, but a real threat.
"Everyone that follows boxing knows the skill that Bradley brings to the ring," Arum said. "He's a four-time champion. But more than that, he's a guy that's not afraid to fight anyone.
"Tim looks to the future and knows that he will fight anyone that's put in front of him. So when he says 'Bring on this great middleweight champion Triple G Golovkin' people might laugh because Tim is somewhat smaller than Golovkin. But I'm not laughing, and none of you should because I wouldn't bet against Tim Bradley against anyone."
In this case, Arum is probably doing a sell-job of Bradley's fight with Vargas. There has not been much buzz for this fight, largely because both fighters are skilled and tough, but not known for exciting fights. Neither has much power, and although Bradley can be goaded into firefights, he prefers to use his boxing ability and defense to win fights.
Golovkin, on the other hand, is undefeated as a true middleweight and has registered 20 consecutive knockouts (31 overall). He is looking to fight the likes of Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez, and has even sought out bouts vs. super middleweights Andre Ward and Carl Froch.
Bradley has his share of big victories, having beaten Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez and Ruslan Provodnikov. None of those wins came at a weight heavier than 147 pounds though, so do not count on him being fed to Golovkin.
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