Being realistic, there was no driving force behind making Canelo fight Golovkin, beyond Canelo?s own drive to answer a challenge?
It?s about time we acknowledge the generous benevolence of Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez.
More than six weeks after handing Gennady Golovkin the payout of a lifetime, the 27-year-old deserves some recognition for his thoughtful actions in helping out the Triple G family and easing the crippling angst of G-loving media members everywhere by signing on for the middleweight showdown.
Despite what some media keyboard-slappers may tell you, Canelo didn?t HAVE to take the fight and, no, he wasn?t painted into a career corner, either. The Mexican and Mexican-American fans who loved Canelo would?ve loved him just as much if he had never stepped into the ring against Golovkin. Hell, in most quarters of Mexico, fans were not even too aware of who this Golovkin character was and why the gringos seemed so enamorado with the guy.
Canelo?s career would?ve gone on just fine while working around the Kazakh KO machine. He would?ve been buried in bad press, but the neutered boxing media long ago stopped being a factor that could influence sales. With two fights a year, Canelo could?ve gone years without conceding to a Golovkin challenge.
Consider it a credit to Canelo?s character that the bout took place this past September and not September of 2019. The fight happening now was a result of Alvarez?s own competitive drive, much like his insistence on taking the tough, complex challenges of Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara, against his team?s recommendation.
The red-headed Mexican could?ve retired a wealthy, popular man without Golovkin on his r?sum? and, for that matter, without Lara and Trout as well. Smart matchmaking could?ve kept Canelo neck-deep in tailor-made fall guys and highlight reel KOs for the rest of his career (kinda like Golovkin, up until meeting Daniel Jacobs).
The reality of the Golovkin concession, however, was that the riskier ?Triple G? fight really wasn?t all that much more profitable for Alvarez than easier, safer fights on his ledger. (Buy rate info for the Canelo-Golovkin PPV has never been officially released, but a rumored 1.3 million buy total has been quoted by various media outlets and, if that?s the case, the event just barely passed the million buy mark registered for the Canelo-Chavez Jr. PPV four months earlier).
Considering the risk vs. reward factor, Alvarez?s guestimated take for the Chavez Jr. fight is a better deal than what he likely made for the Golovkin fight. And he could easily make things even sweeter for himself by taking $10 million payouts for a series of soft touches that allow him to play to his base indefinitely.
The fact that Golovkin brought relatively little to the bottom line for Alvarez was likely the main factor keeping the fight from being signed for so long in the first place. No fighter anywhere or from any era would sign off on a bout where they assume all the risk and bring all the money to the table.
Golovkin showing signs of real tactical vulnerability against Daniel Jacobs may have pushed along efforts, from all parties, to make the bout out of fear of possibly losing it completely. But, ultimately, the decision to fight was all Canelo?s.
Being realistic, there was no driving force behind making Canelo fight Golovkin, beyond Canelo?s own drive to answer a challenge. He won?t get the credit for his decision?especially now, after Adalaide Byrd?s ridiculous fight night scorecard in his favor?but he should.
And, as for Team Golovkin still playing the ?he?s scared of Triple G, doesn?t want to fight him? angle after they already fought and are going to work on the rematch, well, that just screams of pathetic. Rather than trying to convince people that Alvarez is running in terror (once again), they should be huddled over a gigantic conference table somewhere, putting together the mother of all ?Thank You? letters.
