WBA orders Golovkin to face Jarrod Fletcher

WBA world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KO's) has been ordered by the WBA to face Jarrod Fletcher (18-1, 10 KO's) next as his mandatory opponent. Golovkin was inches away from a PPV showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on July 19th however Chavez Jr didn't sign the fight due to a contract issue with Top Rank Promotions. While that was a huge letdown to the fans it seemed that Golovkin's team would salvage some of it by trying to get a fight with Danny Geale for that same date. Geale was scheduled to face Matthew Macklin on May 24th however that fight card was cancelled. 

Things changed when the WBA mandated that Golovkin face Fletcher next. K2 Promotions, who manages Golovkin, have yet to say what they plan on doing next. While Fletcher is the mandatory, the fight lacks public interest and it's likely HBO will have a serious problem trying to justify showing it. Golovkin has the option to vacate the belt if he wants allowing him to fight whoever he wants next. If he doesn't, he may be able to get a voluntary defense before the Fletcher fight. More information will be available as the story develops.