Scraping The Barrel

Elliot Worsell wonders if Golovkin versus Martirosyan really is better than nothing

THE problem with taking your time to make a decision – or, in boxing’s case, never actually knowing what decision to make – is you eventually run out of time.

Middleweights Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez, once set to meet on May 5 in Las Vegas, ran out of time, and did so primarily because of boxing’s inability to make a decision or simply take a stance following Alvarez’s positive tests for the performance-enhancing drug clenbuterol, first reported on March 4.

Nobody saw it coming, so nobody knew what to do. There were a few weeks of self-preservation and an attempted contingency plan – let’s all get our stories straight – and then, when more gory details started to emerge, those in positions of power hit the deck, donned tin hats and prepared for the worst.

Canelo’s proposed April 10 hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission sounded ambitious, while a rescheduled date of April 18 (ahead of a May 5 fight) was essentially the final nail in the coffin. Golovkin couldn’t be expected to train, not knowing whether he’d be fighting or not, and fans couldn’t be expected to purchase tickets and book hotels with no guarantee of a payoff. So, finally, at the 11th hour, they did the right thing. A tainted fight was cancelled – officially, Canelo ‘withdrew’ – and Golovkin was allowed to get on with his career.