By Jeff Aranow: Mexican star Saul Canelo Alvarez says that the contract for his mega-fight against middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin is on his table right now, and all he has to do is accept the terms and they’ll fight at 160 pounds. Canelo says the boxing fans know he’s the best fighter in boxing right now, and he wants to prove that against Golovkin.
Canelo (48-1-1, 34 KOs) isn’t saying whether the offer to Golovkin is the same $15 million flat fee offer that was given before for the fight. Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler is likely to keep pushing for a better deal than that because there’s a lot of money to be made from this fight. Canelo’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions said on Tuesday that the chances for the Canelo-Golovkin fight have gone down since Golovkin’s close win over Daniel Jacobs last Saturday night.
“That fight is at 160, and we’re working on it,” said Canelo about the Golovkin fight. “The contract is on Golovkin’s table. All he has to do is accept, then we fight at 160 pounds,” said Canelo.
If the Canelo-Golovkin fight doesn’t get made in 2017, then the two fighters will need to go in another direction. Golovkin seems to be a little more ambitious when it comes to facing quality opposition compared to Canelo. While we’re seeing Golovkin fight dangerous guys like Jacobs and David Lemieux, Canelo is taking the easier road against the likes of Liam Smith, Amir Khan, James Kirkland, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Miguel Cotto. It should be interesting to see which direction the two fighters go in.
Golovkin plans on fighting WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders on June 10. If Golovkin cannot get the Canelo fight in September, it’s possible he’ll look to fight a rematch against Jacobs. There would be a lot of interest in a second fight between them, especially with Jacobs maintaining that he should have won their fight last Saturday.
“At that time I wasn’t a 160 lb. fighter, but the fight will happen at 160 pounds if he accepts the terms,” said Canelo in talking about why he never agreed to fight Golovkin in the past. “I think the people know I’m the best today, the best fighter that exists. He has the chance to beat me and become the best,” said Canelo.
As much as Canelo wants to see himself as the best, I don’t think he’s seen as the best in boxing, and definitely not the best in the middleweight division. Canelo has to beat Golovkin without controversy for him to have a chance to be viewed as the best fighter.
“I’m really happy because this is the fight the people really want,” said Canelo about the Chavez Jr. fight. “I’m happy to be in this fight, and give the Mexican people a good fight. I think this fight has come at the right time. I want to keep making history in the sport,” said Canelo.
Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya are saying that the Chavez Jr. fight is the one that the boxing public wants, but that’s not the truth. The fans don’t want this fight. They want Canelo to fight Golovkin. Chavez Jr. is just some fighter from the past that Golden Boy has picked out for Canelo to fight. It’s another James Kirkland type situation where Golden Boy found a guy that was once doing well in his career and who no longer is relevant. Chavez Jr. has been nearly invisible in boxing since losing to Sergio Martinez. The Canelo-Chavez Jr. fight would have made sense in 2012 before Chavez Jr. lost to Sergio Martinez, but it doesn’t make sense now other than for business purposes.
“This fight has been a long time coming for years,” said Canelo about the Chavez Jr. fight. It’s a rivalry. That’s part of the motivation. I love this sport and I respect it a lot. I see myself winning a great fight that the people will enjoy. I think all fights are important. It’s been coming for a year now. We chose the right one. We were able to make it, and I hope the people enjoy it. Whatever he weighs at the weigh-in, whatever he’s comfortable with, that’s fine with me,” said Canelo about Chavez Jr.