The IBF already made it clear that unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin must fight its mandatory challenger, but now the WBC has an opponent for Golovkin in case a rematch against Canelo Alvarez does not happen next.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman spoke to ESPN Deportes and said that if the rematch between two of boxing's biggest stars does not happen in September, then Golovkin should face Jermall Charlo, the WBC's interim middleweight champion. Currently, talks between the two fighters have been going downhill due to Golovkin asking for a 50-50 split, a split that Golden Boy Promotions does not accept.
"Golovkin has all of our support, but if the fight [against] Alvarez is not made, he'll then have to go against (Jermall) Charlo, because the entire history is clear as it is. So we are recommending him to do what is most convenient for [Golovkin], because he wants the rematch, wants to earn the money that fight and wants the notoriety from the world that he's wanted. He has sacrificed a lot for so many years to get to this point and now something that isn't that important [like the financial split] is putting the fight at risk. It would behoove me that the fight is not made," Sulaiman said.
Charlo won the interim WBC middleweight title last April when he knocked out Hugo Centeno Jr. on the Adrien Broner vs. Jessie Vargas undercard. Charlo had actually won a title eliminator last year when he defeated Jorge Sebastian Heiland. Although Charlo had won the eliminator in the summer of 2017, after the fight between Golovkin and Alvarez, the WBC issued a rematch order, meaning Charlo would have to wait a long time for his chance to fight Golovkin.
If a fight between Alvarez and Golovkin does not happen, then the IBF will likely move forward with an order to have Golovkin face Sergiy Derevyanchenko, who has been the governing body's mandatory challenger since last year.