Since his last fight, Bahamian middleweight boxer Taureano Johnson (19-1, 13 KOs) has had strong words for unified World Boxing Association (WBA) Super, International Boxing Federation (IBF), and International Boxing Organization (IBO) Middleweight Champion Gennady "Triple G" Golovkin (34-0, 31KOs), of Kazakhstan.
In his most recent rant, the 32-year-old who's known for his sharp comments and fearless attitude said he'd not only beat Golovkin if they ever squared off, but also that he'd do it in impressive fashion.
The day for Johnson to back up his words may be fast approaching as Golovkin's promoter Tom Loeffler of K2n Promotions is looking to potentially set up a fight between Golovkin and his No. 1 IBF mandatory challenger for April 23 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, if they fail to get a unification fight against World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders next.
"We've had preliminary talks," Golden Boy Promotions Vice President Eric Gomez said to ESPN.com. "It's Triple G's mandatory fight and it's a fight we'd like to make."
Johnson earned his spot as mandatory contender when he dominated Eamonn O'Kane on the undercard of Golovkin's most recent victory, a knockout over David Lemieux in his Pay-Per-View debut.
Golovkin's camp has already extended a lucrative offer to Saunders, but it's unlikely that he'll take them up on the offer. It appears he'll lean more toward making a voluntary defense of his WBO title against a lower level contender rather than taking a huge risk against Golovkin.
Many analysts believe Johnson's up-tempo style would provide an interesting challenge for Golovkin and a win could possibly set up a September date with middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, a fellow Golden Boy fighter, but at this point it's only speculation.
Back in October, Johnson thoroughly defeated O'Kane with effective combination punching and extended his win streak to five since suffering a controversial loss to Curtis Stevens in 2014. Following the fight, Johnson talked about a date with Golovkin and ensured victory if they ever stepped into the ring.
"When that opportunity comes, you won't be disappointed. I will definitely bring it and give all I can. I ain't just going to fight Triple G for fighting sake. I'm going to beat Triple G," he said. "That's what my game plan is. I hope you all enjoy it. We're going to make that happen. I definitely see a lot of things I can capitalize on when I watched David Lemieux and Triple G."
Both sides will be expecting Saunders' answer over the next few days as they work to finalize a deal.
Photos: Irish-boxing.com, allthebestfights.com & trainingshed.com
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