NAMIBIA’s WBO Africa middleweight champion is keen to fight Gennady Golovkin, after Canelo Alvarez withdrew from his proposed May 5 super-fight with unified middleweight world champion Golovkin.
Boxingscene.com reports that the rematch, that was scheduled to follow a blockbuster first encounter ending with a controversial draw between the two last September in Las Vegas, got in jeopardy following a pair of positive doping tests by the Mexican Alvarez in February.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission temporarily suspended Alvarez following the announcement of the failed tests. Team Golovkin, however, quickly made sure the Kazakh star will keep the May 5 date as his return date in Las Vegas. Soon, fighters started to stand up stating they are open to taking the shot against Golovkin even though now it is less-than-five weeks until fight time.
The latest of the line of world-rated middleweight contenders who displayed the willingness to fill the void created by the Mexican pugilist is unbeaten Walter Kautondokwa.
The hard-hitting Namibian currently ranks No. 3 by the WBO and has been thriving for a shot at champion Billy Joe Saunders for over a year now.
Kautondokwa (17-0, 16 KO) last fought this past March when he flattened Billi Facundo Godoy in five rounds in a successful WBO Africa title bout in his native Windhoek, Namibia.
“Saunders has been avoiding Walter and tiptoeing around us, but his time will eventually come to face us. Walter is now rated #3 and he just had a massive win against Godoy from Argentina. We hope that he becomes mandatory soon and there will be nowhere to hide for Saunders,” said Nestor Tobias, manager of Kautondokwa to BoxingScene.com.
The opportunity to face the consensus number one fighter in the middleweight class in Golovkin, however, is considered too good to be true for the best 160-pounder in the African continent.
“We will, however, not sit idle and wait for Saunders, life must go on for Walter and Golovkin is definitely an option, that is if Golovkin is ready to face the toughest opponent of his life because Walter is the real deal. What a fight that will be and while we respect GGG as a bloody good fighter, there is no way he can get past the power and prowess of Walter, and the world will be shocked, because Walter will not run, he will give GGG the fight that he wants, and make sure that he gives his all against the toughest middleweight that the world is yet to see.”
So, what about the short, seven weeks distance in between the Namibian’s last bout and a possible shot at Golovkin’s IBF/IBO/WBC/WBA titles?
“Walter is always in top shape. We would of course under normal circumstances not take a fight on such short notice, but this one is big, and we will step up to the challenge and make it happen. Walter is back in the gym already after his win and that’s the kind of commitment and dedication that we admire him for, always hungry for the next challenge and he fears nobody, not even GGG.”
Kautondokwa does not hesitate to back the point of his manager.
“I’m not scared of GGG, I can take him on anytime and I can bet my life on it, I will beat him. Take nothing away from him, he is an excellent fighter, but he has never faced a giant from Africa like me. This will be the biggest upset in boxing history and should the fight happen, boxing fans will talk about this upset for years to come,” said the ultra-confident 33-year-old pugilist to BoxingSecene.com.
“GGG would have sleepless nights worrying about a relatively unknown Walter, what my fighting style is, how much power I have, but I know him too well and have him figured out. It will be a bloody fight that I know for sure, and a fight he would wish he never accepted.”
Despite being ranked third in the world by the World Boxing Organization, Kautondokwa is struggling to get quality opposition based on his unknown profile combined with the risks he possesses thanks to his technical maturity, skills, and heavy hands. Obviously, a potential bout against a P4P top-listed fighter in Golovkin would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the Windhoek-based boxer.
“It would mean everything for me and my country and for Africa because they are who I represent, but it really what happens after the fight that will excite me more, because his belts will be with me and everybody will wonder just how that happened.”
Tobias, who has a tendency of producing willing and dangerous challengers who are ready to unseat world champions, has a clear and direct message towards Team Golovkin.
“GGG vs Alvarez would have been a big fight, now that it is not happening anymore, you now have an opportunity to pick an opponent that will give GGG his first loss and that in itself is very big, you stare that opportunity in your face so let us make it happen. GGG vs Kautondokwa, May 5th, we ain’t scared and we are about to give the fans the best fight they have ever seen involving GGG”. – boxingscene.com
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