The tale was grim and the outlook even grimmer as to whether or not we?d get a second helping of the biggest middleweight rivalry of the present time?
A handful of sports headlines broke across our preferred variety of screens on Wednesday. While absolutely nothing could outdo the news that the globe?s most popular sporting event, the FIFA World Cup will return to American shores in 2026, we boxing fans were treated to a welcome change of heart on the part of one of the biggest promotional giants in the business. Last week, the tale was grim and the outlook even grimmer as to whether or not we?d get a second helping of the biggest middleweight rivalry of the present time.
Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KO?s) was recently stripped of his Ring Magazine championship title after the publication?s editorial pack decided to huddle up and act on the Mexican superstar?s use (whether intentional or not) of banned performance enhancing substances. He failed two tests in February.
Gennady ?GGG? Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KO?s) now holds three of the recognizable 160-pound weight class titles instead of four after the IBF felt it necessary to strip him of that particular championship shortly after his proposed rematch with Canelo seemed to go up in a puff of smoke. He wasn?t in the mood to fight his mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
It?s doubtful that either man gives a rat?s ass about that. Not just any posterior of rat, but the giant variety which roam the New York City sewers. Of course, they fought to a questionable draw last September, after which their rematch originally scheduled for the fifth of May fell through because of the aforementioned positive test for Alvarez. They?ll clash for a second time on September 15.
Golovkin flattened Vanes Martirosyan instead in less than two rounds on May 5th in Southern California. Canelo?s not done much and by the time they meet for the second time at the same arena as well as in the same city, he will have been away from the ring for a full year. He hasn?t had a break that long in his nearly thirteen-year career. In fact, he didn?t become a ?twice per year? fighter until the Spring of 2012 when he topped Shane Mosley as part of the undercard of Floyd Mayweather?s last fight before he temporarily moved to the Clark County Jail in Las Vegas.
Just as was the case a year ago when several possible sites were being floated as a suitable venue for their initial matchup, Sin City won once again without any signs of a real fight. On Wednesday afternoon, we were notified that Golovkin wasn?t happy with the conditions in terms of a revenue split (57.5% to 42.5%), after which Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya declared to ESPN that there would be no fight. If matters stayed as such, then we?d likely get the replacement bout for Canelo, which would be a showdown with Danny Jacobs on September 15 in Vegas. As for ?GGG?, he would instead set his sights on WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders sometime in late August. We may have been happy with this in some small way, but it?s not what we wanted.
Well, we got it. Though official terms weren?t made public, the most important tidbit of information was blared out across social media on Wednesday afternoon. We have a fight indeed. Canelo got the bulk of the coinage last September (70% to 30%) and was set to take just five percent less last month. That fell through, as did negotiations, yet someone refused to take ?no? for an answer. We may not know who to applaud, so we?ll just clap for everyone. It?s just a bummer that no stadium was considered this time.
