Boxing news: Gennady Golovkin promoter reveals reason why Vanes is best May 5 opponent
GENNADY GOLOVKIN will fight Vanes Martirosyan on May 5 because of his popularity.
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That’s according to GGG’s promoter Tom Loeffler, who believes Vanos is the best opponent considering the circumstances.
The Armenian-American is a late replacement for Canelo Alvarez who has been banned following a positive drugs test.
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Vanes was not first choice replacement, with Spike O’Sullivan the preferred opponent.
But after O’Sullivan had his pay cut, Loeffler believes Vanes now brings a trickier test for Golovkin.
Gennady Golovkin will face Vanes Martirosyan on May 5
"We believe that Vanes has better credentials than Spike,” Loeffler said.
“No offense to him, he's fighting on Friday night in a great opportunity.
“But naturally the financials change when you're going from pay-per-view and a big arena in Las Vegas to regular HBO and a venue like StubHub.
"We weren't able to work out a deal with Spike, but we feel that Vanes, especially being rated number one by the WBC, and you can the popularity with his fans from Glendale.
“He has a very strong fan base here. It just made sense all the way around when Don King mentioned that he was interested. Nobody can underestimate Vanes, with his experience, his amateur experience.
“He will not be intimidated walking into that ring."
Golovkin faces Vanes in a battle for WBA (Super), WBC, and IBO middleweight titles.
Golovkin is yet to taste defeat in his 38 fights though his last fight against Alvarez in September ended as a draw.