AlvarezGolovkin confirmed for Las Vegas

LOS ANGELES : Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin’s eagerly- awaited middleweight superfight will take place at Las Vegas’s TMobile Arena on September 16, fight promoters confirmed on Monday.

O sc a r D e L a Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions had suggested a range of venues from Dallas to Los Angeles were being considered for the fight, one of the most mouthwatering match- ups in years.

However G olden B oy confirmed on Twitter that the fight would be held at the 20,000- capacity T- Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“It’s official!!! We’re going back to Vegas! T- Mobi le Arena will host the Fight of the year,” Golden Boy wrote. “September 16 ! The f ight you’ve been craving for,” the company added.

“Everybody wanted this fight and I nailed it down,” De La Hoya later said on ESPN.

De La Hoya, who promotes Mexic an s t a r A lva r e z , predic te d an explosive fight.

“Everybody who wants to go to Vegas, have a great time. Watch a great f ight with Triple G ( Golovkin) and Canelo. I mean it’s going to be a train wreck, let me tell you.”

De La Hoya said Golden Boy had received of fers from several large- capacity venues, notably the Dallas Cowboys’ AT& T Stadium in Texas and baseball’s Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Madison Square Garden in New York had also lobbied for the fight.

However it was Las Vegas’s record as a party destination that swung the deal towards the T- Mobile Arena.

“Ultimately the entertainment factor ( was key) ,” De La Hoya said. “People want to go to parties after the fight. You want to stage the pre- fight parties, the weigh-in.”

The hard- hitting Kazakh Golovkin ( 37- 0, 33 knockouts) is widely seen as the favourite against Alvarez, who is 49-1-1 with 34 knockouts. — AFP