If you’re a boxing fan who would like to see Saul “Canelo” Alvarez take on Gennady “GGG” Golovkin sooner rather than later, you’d probably be doing a disservice to your desire by buying the HBO Pay-Per-View tonight.
That’s a hard stance to condone, considering the card, in its entirety, is set up to be nothing short of entertaining. Along with Canelo facing Khan in the main event, David Lemieux will face Glen Tapia in a middleweight bout; Mauricio Herrera and Frankie Gomez are at a crossroads in their 146 pound catchweight contest and Curtis Stevens will test Patrick Teixiera in a super middleweight fight. Not to mention two highly-touted prospects, Diego De La Hoya and Jason Quigley will have their fights televised in the “free-view” portion, on HBO, where you order the pay-per-view. They’re set up to impress in a slot that entices a potential buyer.
Action is the proposed theme of May 7. For the better part of the last six years, the motif of Cinco de Mayo weekend has been a balk at the attempt, thanks to Floyd Mayweather Jr’s superior boxing skills. A style not fond of by the Mexican fans, whose national holiday, one that commemorates an actual battle between human beings, has been more like a one-sided Drone War. While it isn’t their most cherished holiday, it’s tough to say who came up with the idea of fighting on Cinco de Mayo but promoter Oscar De La Hoya cemented it as a tradition toward the end of his career and in the early years of Golden Boy Promotions. After the “retirement” of Mayweather, who was also under the same banner for some time during his reign of the holiday, De La Hoya will look to reclaim Cinco de Mayo Weekend with his Mexican superstar.
“It’s important for Canelo; it’s important for the fight fans to carry that tradition because Canelo is an exciting fighter,” De La Hoya told UCNlive.com at a media workout for Alvarez on April 25. He continued, “When I owned that date back in, I believe it was in 2007 when I fought Mayweather, you know, it was a tradition. A tradition Julio Cesar Chavez started. On that date, people want to see fights. People want to see action; people want to see great boxing. For Canelo, in the next 10 years, it’s important we have a fighter like him because it’s guaranteed action. It’s a win/win for everybody.”
Held at the House of Boxing Gym in San Diego, California, the workout was no sweat for Alvarez. Including the entire two rounds of shadowboxing for the cameras, Canelo couldn’t have been there more than an hour total, as he also breezed through his media obligations. It paled in comparison to his last media outing last October before his fight with Miguel Cotto.
It was one that had Alvarez in the gym for an hour-plus workout and lasting close to three hours with him in the room. Everyone got what they needed that day as far as questions were concerned but about two weeks before Canelo-Khan, there wasn’t much for those who weren’t working for a major television outlet. For those left in the dust, the drive home was a chance to realize they were basically an extra in the latest episode of HBO’s “24/7.”
Yet, there is a caveat about the ordeal. Well over half the questions answered by Alvarez weren’t even in regard to his next opponent. And if you’re a fan of suspicious cabals, you’d think he stuck it to them for that reason alone. Although IBF/WBA middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin had just fought two days before the workout, even in an April 19 conference call, the frustration was obvious, regarding the amount of inquiries about some guy nicknamed “GGG.” While this writer doesn’t expect to get quality time with Canelo, a question couldn’t even get asked, let alone answered at the event, and that’s OK for this English speaker. Besides, in the Los Angeles press conference announcing his fight with Khan, Canelo gave everyone quality time but, of course, there was a limit of two questions:
De La Hoya worked overtime with the media that day, which is typically par for the course for the Hall-of-Famer-turned-promoter and the other question asked of him stuck to Mexican traditions in boxing, “Well, because them being established in Mexico and the tradition, yes, it does,” answered Oscar on whether the WBC belt held a higher regard for fighters south of the border. He continued, “But to me, I believe every top title is important for a young fighter, whether it’s the WBA, IBF and WBO – and obviously the WBC. But there is something special about the green belt that a Mexican fighter wants to capture.”
Alvarez, 46-1-1 (32) is the current holder of the WBC middleweight belt, a title he claimed after beating Miguel Cotto last November in a unanimous decision. Attached to that possession has been a mandatory opponent looming for two years come this October: Golovkin. If you’re wondering why it’s taking so long, step-aside fees have been paid to Golovkin by both Cotto and Canelo in order to prolong the imminent bout with the Kazakh knockout artist. It’s a temporary solution to the dangerous problem that lies ahead but Golovkin won’t disappear, as he continues to be a seat filler and the highlights from his most recent knockouts get a nod on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
The announcement of Khan as Canelo’s opponent was shocking to say the least and one that went under everyone’s radar from the gate. A career junior welterweight and former unified titleholder in the division, Khan has spent the past two years at 147 pounds. In those three fights, unanimous decisions over Luis Collazo, Devon Alexander and Chris Algieri, Khan’s move up in weight has been successful and dominant yet unsatisfying. It’s safe to say he’s recovered from the 2012 stoppage loss to Danny Garcia, however, and he’s undefeated since hiring Virgil Hunter to be in his corner since that fight. The 29-year old has taken a more defensive approach to fighting since joining with Hunter, a novel idea for the fast-handed boxer from the United Kingdom, whose chin reflects past moments of his career whenever it’s hit flush. With tonight’s fight contracted at a catchweight limit of 155 pounds, that lone characteristic of Khan’s game was the first thought in the mind of the consensus.
Khan, 31-3 (19), has been dropped to the canvas eight times in his career: Willie Limond, Michael Gomez, Rachid Drizlane and Julio Diaz have done it each in losing efforts. However, Breidis Prescott and Danny Garcia have forced Amir into submission by doing so twice in their stoppage wins. Khan also gives off a drunken disposition when tagged with a good shot but one thing you can’t say about Amir is he’s afraid in the heat of the moment. There is a switch that is turned on when he gets hit with a good shot and Khan feels compelled to exchange in those instances. Whether or not this has changed under the tutelage of Hunter remains to be seen but that will likely be answered against Canelo. There is little to no doubt that Khan’s hand speed can provide problems to Canelo and, in a match-up of speed vs. power, the former trait has thwarted the latter many times in boxing history. As for the disparity in size, both are nearly the same in height but Canelo has the thicker body as well as the experience at 155 pounds – a weight he’s dictated for the past two years, not to mention fighting over 150 pounds since 2011. The leap into the esteemed 155-pound “division” has been the focal point for this match but, once you see both men in the ring, the thought probably won’t cross the viewer’s mind – that is until Canelo lands his first flush shot to Khan’s chin.
Khan’s courage in taking this fight is commendable but it won’t come without great compensation. It’s reported that Khan will receive upwards of $13,000,000 for fighting Canelo and all the years of being trolled by Floyd Mayweather Jr. is finally being paid off with this fight. Khan has been looking for a fight of this caliber for his entire career and, in the end, he will be taking on a tough task with seemingly every card of the deck stacked against him. People are claiming the Brit is a massive underdog but the know-it-alls in Las Vegas have him slated as only a 4-to-1 underdog. For boxing’s standards, that’s a very low number, considering the sport is flooded with 50-to-1 underdogs nearly every weekend, including Golovkin’s last opponent, Dominic Wade, who was trounced in two rounds. One factor not being discussed is Canelo trying to take over the Cinco de Mayo date and it wouldn’t go well if he lost in this attempt. In short, he’s being set up to win.
Canelo-Khan can very well be a fun fight, for all we know but, the fact of the matter is, it’s not one fans have been banging the drum to see. The mission statement for Golden Boy Promotions has been to give fans the fights they want to see. In all honesty, they have delivered, for the most part, since having to regroup from the ransacking Al Haymon and former Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer executed in 2014. Yet they are still being heavily criticized during fight week for the match-up and being pressured, as Golovkin is still a favorite topic among reporters. Maybe it’s impatience for media and fans alike and, if you ask insiders, the realistic outlook on when Canelo-Golovkin will go down is a year from now. That’s unless Canelo disregards his duty as the WBC middleweight champion, vacates the “Green Belt,” eludes a mandatory obligation and disappoints everyone – including his own country. It’s unlikely, considering the Mexican people are proud in their traditions and aren’t known for backing down from a challenge. As for the WBC enforcing the fight, there’s no guarantee. It’s well-known that sanctioning bodies are corrupt and it’s sensible for the WBC, which is based in Mexico City, to cater to the biggest boxing star in Mexico. After all, they make money off Canelo having its title strapped around his waist.
This goes to show how messy boxing can be when trying to satisfy everyone but, at the end of the day, if Canelo-Khan is an overwhelming success at the box office, there is incentive to let the Golovkin fight marinate a little longer. Fans often forget their loudest voice resides in their wallet and, while the Canelo-Khan HBO PPV card is solid, from top to bottom, a message can be sent if they forego purchasing this one.
You can reach Michael Baca II at mikebaca2@gmail.com, follow him at twitter.com/mikebaca2 and visit him at his blog, writeonthebutton.squarespace.com.
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