For Alvarez, Golovkin bout can wait
Instead, fighter takes on Smith for his WBO belt
Canelo Alvarez carries almost a wry smile when Gennady Golovkin’s name is brought up.
The Mexican star thinks that he, not GGG, is the man to beat right now, and maybe he’s right.
After all, Canelo fights a massive underdog in England’s Liam Smith on Saturday, and yet, over 50,000 fans are expected to pack AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, to take in the junior middleweight title fight.
The redhead is boxing ’s top draw, and he calls the shots.
Dressed in a black-and-whitestriped polo paired with light jeans, Canelo (47-1-1, 33 KOs) insisted that GGG is the boxer who must earn the opportunity for a mega-fight between the pair that would easily eclipse 1 million payper-view buys.
“I don’t have to prove anything,” Alvarez told USA TODAY Sports through a translator after Thursday’s news conference at AT&T Stadium. “I’ve never had to prove anything. (Golovkin) is the one that needs to prove.”
Of course, Golovkin has been lobbying for a fight with Alvarez for well over a year. After Canelo dispatched Amir Khan in brutal fashion four months ago, he invited the 34-year-old Kazakh into the ring and said, “Mexicans don’t (mess) around.”
There was chatter the bout could even take place on the date on which Alvarez and Smith will compete, Mexican Independence weekend, but the fight everyone really wants will have to wait.
Oscar De La Hoya, Alvarez’s promoter, insisted the bout will happen and that the plan remains for the matchup to take place in September 2017. It’s a matter of when, not if, for the biggest fight that can be made in the sport.
“I’m not going to wait six or eight years to make Canelo- Golovkin the way (Manny) Pacquiao and Floyd (Mayweather Jr.) waited,” the Hall of Fame fighter said. “People have been talking about this big mega-fight for roughly about a year now.
“If I really did want to make the fans wait, I would wait another five years. But that’s not the case. Canelo, when’s he ready to jump up in weight, he’ll do it and he’ll challenge the very best.”
Meanwhile, Canelo will do his best to keep fans pining for the GGG matchup the only way he knows how: spectacular knockouts. If he claims Smith’s WBO 154-pound title as expected and suffers no injuries, he’ll return on HBO (not PPV) in December as he works his way up to the full middleweight limit of 160 where Golovkin competes.
Though the 28-year-old Brit is unknown to American boxing fans, the bout will be telecast on HBO pay-per-view. Canelo thinks Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) is someone to take seriously.
“It’s not so much important that they know him here in the United States,” Alvarez said. “The important thing is that we prepared, we know what he brings, we know how dangerous he is.”
Canelo is at the point in his career where he can sign for what’s perceived as an easy fight and still sell. He’s adored by his countrymen and has taken on his share of tough fights. His lone career defeat came vs. Mayweather.
But for Canelo to truly assume his position as the face of the sport, he’ll have to meet the challenge of Golovkin. He relishes his perch atop the sport.
“It’s a big responsibility,” Canelo said. “But I’m prepared to accept that. It’s extra motivation to work hard and train. This is something I’ve always dreamed of. Now that I have it, I have to maintain it.”