Nearly two months after knocking out Amir Khan, Canelo Alvarez has reportedly found his next fight—and it's the one everyone had their eye on.
Per a Wednesday report by Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) have reached a verbal agreement to fight in the fall of 2017.
ESPN.com's Dan Rafael added the match will be at 160 pounds, which is the reason for the long wait. According to Rafael's source, Canelo "wants a fight or two to acclimate to" the added weight.
Pugmire did note that Alvarez's next fight will be on Sept. 17, though an opponent has yet to be determined, and Golovkin will likely fight around the same time with Chris Eubank as a potential opponent.
Alvarez, 25, has won five straight matches since his September 2013 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. His sixth-round knockout of Khan might be the best moment so far on the 2016 boxing calendar, and he immediately set his sights on GGG after the fight.
“I invited him to come to the ring,” Alvarez said, per the Associated Press (h/t FoxSports.com). “Like we say in Mexico, we don’t (expletive) around. We don’t fight for belts and stuff like that. I don’t fear anyone. We don’t come to play in this sport—I don’t fear anyone. Right now I will put the gloves on again and fight him.”
One of the biggest issues was weight. GGG's camp consistently said he would not fight below 160 pounds—the standard for middleweight boxing. Alvarez has preferred fighting lighter, with his last two bouts coming at a 155-pound catchweight.
"Why would he give in to a diva?" Golovkin's trainer, Abel Sanchez, said, per Rafael. "Why would he give in to someone who's trying to change boxing? 155 is not a division. We have 17 divisions in boxing, I believe. Why would we need any more? He's not going to bow down to a diva. It's not the Canelo title. It's the middleweight title, which is 160 pounds. With Gennady, it's the principle."
For his part, Alvarez had backed off his stance about 160 pounds. He previously indicated he wasn't interested in fighting above his preferred weight but seemed to change his mind after the Khan knockout.
"There's not going to be any issues. No weight issues," Alvarez said, per Rafael. "We'll go with an offer and see if the fight can get made. I have a team, obviously, but for me there's no issue. I'll fight him at 160. Now, we'll sit down as a team and discuss it."
Now, the interesting thing for both fighters will be what happens in the interim. They are stars in the sport, but a loss could destroy some of the public interest if they are waiting more than one year to lock up.
Alvarez-GGG should be the biggest fight in boxing since Floyd Mayweather faced Manny Pacquiao in May 2015. But given the powerful styles of these two guys, the boxing world should be thrilled they agreed to go head-to-head.
Article courtesy of Yahoo Sports
Per a Wednesday report by Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) and Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) have reached a verbal agreement to fight in the fall of 2017.
ESPN.com's Dan Rafael added the match will be at 160 pounds, which is the reason for the long wait. According to Rafael's source, Canelo "wants a fight or two to acclimate to" the added weight.
Pugmire did note that Alvarez's next fight will be on Sept. 17, though an opponent has yet to be determined, and Golovkin will likely fight around the same time with Chris Eubank as a potential opponent.
Alvarez, 25, has won five straight matches since his September 2013 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. His sixth-round knockout of Khan might be the best moment so far on the 2016 boxing calendar, and he immediately set his sights on GGG after the fight.
“I invited him to come to the ring,” Alvarez said, per the Associated Press (h/t FoxSports.com). “Like we say in Mexico, we don’t (expletive) around. We don’t fight for belts and stuff like that. I don’t fear anyone. We don’t come to play in this sport—I don’t fear anyone. Right now I will put the gloves on again and fight him.”
One of the biggest issues was weight. GGG's camp consistently said he would not fight below 160 pounds—the standard for middleweight boxing. Alvarez has preferred fighting lighter, with his last two bouts coming at a 155-pound catchweight.
"Why would he give in to a diva?" Golovkin's trainer, Abel Sanchez, said, per Rafael. "Why would he give in to someone who's trying to change boxing? 155 is not a division. We have 17 divisions in boxing, I believe. Why would we need any more? He's not going to bow down to a diva. It's not the Canelo title. It's the middleweight title, which is 160 pounds. With Gennady, it's the principle."
For his part, Alvarez had backed off his stance about 160 pounds. He previously indicated he wasn't interested in fighting above his preferred weight but seemed to change his mind after the Khan knockout.
"There's not going to be any issues. No weight issues," Alvarez said, per Rafael. "We'll go with an offer and see if the fight can get made. I have a team, obviously, but for me there's no issue. I'll fight him at 160. Now, we'll sit down as a team and discuss it."
Now, the interesting thing for both fighters will be what happens in the interim. They are stars in the sport, but a loss could destroy some of the public interest if they are waiting more than one year to lock up.
Alvarez-GGG should be the biggest fight in boxing since Floyd Mayweather faced Manny Pacquiao in May 2015. But given the powerful styles of these two guys, the boxing world should be thrilled they agreed to go head-to-head.
Article courtesy of Yahoo Sports
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