In a surprise move, Golden Boy Promotions announced on Wednesday that Canelo Alvarez would not be fighting Sept. 14 because a "decision was made in an effort to secure the right opponent and to do justice to the level of promotion required for a boxing star of his magnitude."
Said Alvarez via a press release: "As a Mexican, it's a responsibility and an honor to represent my country in both May and September. Those are my dates. However, as a world champion in multiple weight classes, I also have the responsibility of delivering the most exciting and competitive fights possible. That's why Golden Boy and my team have decided to postpone the date in order to do right by my fans by promoting the best fight possible and with the best opponent possible."
The Saturday date, which is part of Mexican Independence Day weekend, has been a staple for Alvarez; he has fought on it in eight of the last 10 years. His not stepping through the ropes on what has become known in boxing as "Canelo's day" is significant.
First, it means Alvarez and Golden Boy weren't able to entice WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev to take their offer. Sporting News has learned from a source close to the situation that the offer started at $4 million and ended up getting raised to $6 million.
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Kovalev and his camp wanted more money considering Daniel Jacobs earned around $12 million to face Alvarez in May. He had every right since he is a more prominent name than Jacobs, and he brings a more marquee bout due to the historical nature for Alvarez chasing a fourth world title in four different weight classes. Seeing that he wasn't likely going to get what he wanted, Kovalev shifted course and will take on Anthony Yarde on Aug. 24 in his native Russia.
Also, the move now allows Alvarez's rival Gennady Golovkin to step in and steal the date. The Athletic reports Golovkin is in conversations to square off with WBO junior middleweight champion Jaime Munguia.
The plan all along looked to be that, when both guys signed multi-year deals with DAZN, Canelo-GGG III would settle their score once and for all. However, Alvarez changed his tune. He didn't want to face Golovkin once again and give him the satisfaction of another lucrative payday. The 28-year-old felt he did enough to win both fights (Sporting News had Golovkin winning both bouts) and didn't see a trilogy fight as necessary.
Other options included WBA (super) super middleweight champion Callum Smith and WBO middleweight titleholder Demetrius Andrade. But given what Alvarez is looking for at this point, Smith and Andrade don't fit the bill.
Alvarez could have fought either Golovkin or Kovalev, and this would all be a moot point. Now it's hard to decipher what Alvarez is looking for in terms of an opponent. If it comes down to paying the opponent in the case of Kovalev, then he needs to tell Golden Boy to up the ante. Fighters know what other fighters are making. It isn't a dirty little secret. Boxers put their bodies on the line every time they enter the ring. One punch gone wrong could be the end of not only a fight, but a career and, most importantly, a livelihood. Because of that, boxers deserve to be compensated for what they feel they're worth.
The Golovkin matter is puzzling. Canelo-GGG III is one of the rare marquee attractions that doesn't need a title at stake to give it the extra pomp and circumstance. Maybe Alvarez is hurt and wants to heal before a return at the end of the year.
Based on what we know, Alvarez is displaying ignorance in refusing to face Golovkin, and his promoter doesn't want to pay Kovalev what he deserves.
What could happen — and what might be the most likely scenario — is Kovalev beats Yarde, raises his value and then takes on Alvarez later this year. But in the event Kovalev loses, that changes the complexity of the situation, and everything would be up in the air. DAZN isn't paying the Mexican star $35 million per fight for the next nine fights to take on low-quality opposition.
A press release and a statement from Alvarez wouldn't have been necessary had he not shown such disdain for Golovkin and fought him in eight weeks and still made a deal for Kovalev.
Unfortunately, as it always seems to be in boxing, the most obvious moves for the betterment of the sport are the ones not made.
