|
While the Nevada State Athletic Commission has listed a Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions event for May 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, don't assume that a deal for a third chapter between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin has been agreed to just yet. "We're putting a hold on that date. That's it," Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez said Tuesday morning. "They're assuming. We put a hold on that date for Canelo, May 4." Asked about the listing on the NSAC website, Tom Loeffler of GGG Promotions told ESPN on Monday night, "That's a Golden Boy question. They requested the date." It's customary for promoters to put a hold on dates and venues without having finalized agreements for fights. The Cinco de Mayo weekend is a coveted one in the boxing business. For years, it has been a key pay-per-view date for the sport's biggest stars. The likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather customarily performed on the first Saturday of May on major pay-per-view events in Las Vegas. Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KO) has made it clear that, moving forward, he plans to fight on this Mexican holiday weekend. This could be a pre-emptive step by Golden Boy, as there is talk of a rematch between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao landing on this date. Gomez reiterated that there is no deal in place for a third edition of Alvarez-Golovkin. "Nothing at all," Gomez said. "We have to see and what happens this Saturday." Alvarez, 28, who holds the WBC and WBA middleweight titles, is fighting Rocky Fielding this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York for the WBA "regular" super middleweight title. The assumption is that he will move back down to the middleweight division after this bout. In September 2017, Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KO) had to settle for a highly disputed draw against Alvarez in their first matchup, which produced the third-largest live gate in boxing history with over $27 million in ticket revenue generated. After their scheduled rematch in May was scuttled -- Alvarez was suspended by the NSAC for testing positive for a banned substance -- they met again on Sept. 15, with Alvarez winning by split decision. Both bouts were held at T-Mobile Arena and did over one million pay-per-view buys. Alvarez recently signed a lucrative multiyear deal with the streaming platform DAZN, while Golovkin, 36, is mulling various offers from networks. A third go-round between the two rivals remains one of the biggest potential fights in boxing. "We've had unofficial talks, like, 'Yeah, we're open to it.' It's very, very loose talks. We haven't even sat down," Gomez said. "I haven't even seen [Loeffler] in person to discuss the fight, and I told him we would be open to it and he said the same thing and that was it."
|
