By Carlos Boogs, Ryan Burton

Abel Sanchez, trainer for IBF/IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin, explained why they were willing to face Carl Froch at the super middleweight limit of 168-pounds, but not Andre Ward (29-0, 15KOs).

On Saturday night in Oakland, Sanchez worked the corner for his fighter Sullivan Barrera, who was unanimously outpointed by Ward at the Oracle Arena.

The Olympic gold medal winner ended a nine-month layoff while fighting for just the fourth time in four years.

Last year there were serious discussions to make a fight between Golovkin and Froch. That fight never happened after Froch announced his retirement from the sport.

There were some minor talks for a fight between Ward and Golovkin, but they immediately hit a dead end when Golovkin and his team requested a catch-weight of 164-pounds.

Sanchez explained that a fight with Froch was worth the risk of going up to the full super middleweight limit because it would have taken place in a stadium with at least 80,000 fans due to Froch's drawing power, and Golovkin would have made at least $10 million. He says with Ward there wouldn't have been the same amount of money involved, and also says Golovkin is the bigger ticket seller and TV ratings draw.

"Absolutely [we would have fought Froch at 168], but you're not talking about fighting for ten cents. You're talking about going and fighting in front of 80,000 people. This is a business.....if he's going to go to England and make $10, $15 million dollars. How many people are here [at Oracle Arena]? Our guy is going to sell out The Forum. Why would we take a step backwards?," Sanchez explained.