ARLINGTON, Texas-- Immediately after Canelo Alvarez retained the middleweight championship by brutally knocking out Amir Khan in May, he invited an interested spectator into the ring.
Unified titleholder Gennady Golovkin climbed through the ropes and while there was no confrontation between the two fighters, Alvarez made it clear that he, too, wanted what fans have been demanding -- a title unification fight with GGG that looms as the biggest event in boxing.
With Golovkin standing a few feet away from him, Alvarez explained when asked in his post-fight HBO interview with Max Kellerman why he invited GGG into the ring.
"Like we say in Mexico, we don't f--- around," Alvarez said through translator. "I don't fear anyone. We don't come to play in this sport. I don't fear anyone in this sport."
With his machismo oozing, Alvarez made it clear that Golovkin -- his mandatory challenger by virtue of his interim belt -- would be next and he reiterated his stance at the post-fight news conference. So did Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, who said he would call Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler the next day to begin negotiations, adding that he hoped Loeffler's cell phone would be on.
Yet the fight was not made -- not even close. And it was not because of Golovkin, who has been chasing Alvarez and is under no delusions about which fighter was the A-side of the promotion.
There was no real negotiation. Instead, Alvarez, the lineal middleweight champion (albeit fighting at his preferred catchweight of 155 pounds), gave up his alphabet title and left Golovkin, who was elevated to full titleholder and now owns three major belts, and fans around the world out in the cold.
De La Hoya and Loeffler said they made an informal agreement that they would negotiate the fight to take place in September 2017 while Alvarez, bashed by fans for what has been perceived as an outright duck of GGG, elected to return to junior middleweight, where he once held unified titles. Instead of the megafight with Golovkin, Alvarez will challenge England's little known 154-pound titlist Liam Smith on Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET) at AT&T Stadium.
The fight is on Mexican Independence Day weekend and has already sold more tickets than the two Manny Pacquiao fights the stadium hosted in 2010, according to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who also owns the stadium. That means a crowd of more than 50,000. Alvarez, one of boxing's biggest stars, would draw a crowd to fight anyone, but just imagine the hype, crowd and pay-per-view bonanza for a Golovkin fight.
Alas, it remains on hold and a distant prospect. Golovkin traveled to London last week and knocked out welterweight titlist Kell Brook in the fifth round and is expected back in the ring Nov. 26. If Alvarez beats Smith -- and he is a massive favorite to do so -- he is expected back in the ring Dec. 10 as they continue to circle each other.
Golovkin, 34, the Santa Monica, California-based Kazakhstan native, wants the fight as soon as possible. Alvarez, 26, of Mexico, and his team are in no rush, claiming Alvarez needs time to build himself into a true 160-pounder.
Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) has been forced to repeatedly defend his choice of Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs), 28, who has made two successful title defenses and scored eight knockouts in a row but has never faced a top opponent and is unknown outside of England.
"Just because Smith isn't very well-known in the U.S. doesn't diminish how tough he is as an opponent," Alvarez said. "We expect him to be very powerful, and we are training for that."
Despite the heavy criticism by fans and media for dodging Golovkin, Alvarez said he is ignoring it.
"Yeah, you know, there's always going to be critics," he said. "They're always there, and it's something that's part of it. It's part of the business. Obviously, there's good critics sometimes and there's bad critics. But the most important thing is it doesn't faze me. It doesn't faze me. That's fine, I'm used to it now, and I've got to do what's best for my career."
When De La Hoya was an active fighter during his Hall of Fame career, he had a sterling reputation for fighting all the top fighters of his time and never ducking anyone. But he has been as responsible as anyone for Alvarez's career direction -- perhaps, as many have suggested, as a way to protect his company's cash cow.
"It's basically the team's decision, you know? I mean, Canelo knows his body," De La Hoya said. "His trainers know his body, and the bottom line is Canelo is a 154-pound fighter. The fact that he fought at 155, people expect him to go up and fight at middleweight, and that's not the case. He's a '54-pounder, and he's going to go up to 160 when his body feels ready.
"People will always talk and will always want the very best when you are on top of the world, and that's what Canelo is right now. He's on top. He is the star fighter in boxing, and people want him to fight the very best. And he has always fought the very best. And fighting a Golovkin is going to be no exception. He's going to fight him, but when he's ready to move up to 160."
De La Hoya and Alvarez both insist the fight will happen a year from now. De La Hoya said he and Loeffler may not have a formal deal but that they will make one.
"As of today, Canelo is a 154-pound fighter. He only fought for a middleweight championship because fans wanted a fight with Miguel Cotto, and Canelo delivered by winning that fight convincingly," De La Hoya said of the November 2015 fight. "I have been clear that Canelo will fight Golovkin at 160 pounds and we have a verbal agreement to do it in the fall of 2017. But in the meantime, Canelo is going to build up to being a true middleweight. The plan is to face Smith, a big, bruising 154-pounder, and if Canelo emerges victorious, to start making his way up to 160 pounds and fight Golovkin on equal turf (in terms of weight)."
De La Hoya then laid out his plan.
"We envision Canelo doing a third fight in 2016 either at or close to the middleweight limit and then a fight (in May) on Cinco De Mayo at 160 before facing Golovkin in the fall," De La Hoya said. "I know Canelo-Golovkin is the biggest fight to make, the fighters know it's the biggest fight to make and the fans know it's the biggest fight to make. Everyone agreed that a fight for the middleweight championship should take place at the middleweight limit and once Canelo builds up to that weight, the fight will be on.
"In the meantime, we are hopeful and confident that Canelo will continue to perform at a level that has led to back-to-back knockouts of the year over James Kirkland and Amir Khan and when his body is ready, GGG should look out."
Until then, De La Hoya is focused on promoting the fight with Smith and on Alvarez winning another title Saturday.
"Look, people always say I've been running from that fight (with Golovkin)," Alvarez said. "I wanted to make it clear to people that I don't run from anyone. I always fight the best. But the fight against Golovkin didn't happen because of negotiations. They're very difficult for such a big fight.
"That fight will happen when it's supposed to happen. Now we have the 154-pound titleholder, Liam Smith. Obviously, he's not as big a name here in the United States, but we know how dangerous he is."