Pirog withdraws from Golovkin fight

BERN, Switzerland — Middleweight titleholder Dmitry Pirog has withdrawn from his HBO-televised August 25th fight against Gennady Golovkin due to a back injury, multiple sources told SI.com. A new opponent for Golovkin is being sought.

Pirog (20-0) was scheduled to face Golovkin (23-0), who owns a minor piece of the middleweight title. While Pirog and Golovkin are relative unknowns in the U.S., both are considered heavy handed punchers with the 30-year old Golovkin ranking among the best action fighters in the sport.