Oscar de la Hoya president and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions caught the boxing world by surprise with the announcement that Canelo?s next fight will be at 155 pounds and he will defend his WBC, RING and Lineal middleweight titles against former champion Amir ?King? Khan. De la Hoya talked exclusively to fightnews.com about many subjects regarding this mega event.
?I?m very happy to have made this announcement, I promised that I will make the best fights for the public, for the fans and this is a huge fight, Canelo and Khan are great champions and they will give their all on May 7th, Canelo is strong and is the champion and Khan is a very fast fighter that can give Canelo problems, speed is a huge factor and Amir will push Canelo to be faster than ever and to train hard, we know that Khan is a warrior and that Canelo is a warrior, this makes for a great fight.?
ON THE WEIGHT DISPARITY
?When we were making this fight, it came to my mind when I fought Pacquiao, people were saying that Pacquiao was too small for me, that I would beat him easy, that Pacquiao had no chance and many more things, the critics were labeling my fight with Manny as a mismatch and you saw what happened, Pacquiao destroyed me, so I know Canelo has to be at 100 percent, Khan is a tall fighter, he is a big guy so I don?t think the weight will be a factor.?
ON HAYMON, NEGOTIATIONS
I didn?t speak to Al Haymon at all, I was talking to Amir?s father, our negotiation was direct with the Khans and we agreed on all terms, I also talked to Khan?s lawyer and we made the deal, I can also tell you there?s a rematch clause in the contract should Amir win and I?m happy for Khan and Canelo since this shows the type of fighters they?re, neither Pacquiao or Mayweather wanted to face Amir because of his speed and skills, Canelo wanted to fight him.?
THE VENUE FOR THE FIGHT
?There nothing set in stone, we?ve been talking about hosting the fight in Texas, Vegas and a few other venues but we have nothing on that yet. I?ve talked to Richard Sturm and he wants Canelo to headline the first event in the new MGM Arena but we are looking at many options and we will have an answer on that in the next few weeks.?
GGG
?This is a fight for the fans and Canelo always wants to fight the best and the fight with Khan is a clear example of that, he was the biggest name available and a fighter that neither Pacquiao or Mayweather wanted to face, that been said Canelo will face the best middleweights in the world eventually and that will happen soon, he will definitely fight GGG, there is no doubt about it, he (Canelo) will eventually grow to the full 160 pounds, Canelo is the star in boxing now, he is carrying the torch now and he is here to stay and we will continue to make the best fights for the fans, I?ll guarantee that?.
