The much anticipated fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will most likely not occur in 2016.
Both sides had been in negotiations, but the two could not agree to terms on the potential super-fight, in which could be biggest since Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao.
Canelo instead will face off against 154 lb. titlist Liam Smith on Sept. 17 while Golovkin will defend his middleweight titles against Kell Brook on Sept. 10.
Former world champion and head of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya ,who represents Canelo Alvarez, recently spoke as to why Canelo and GGG haven't agreed to fight. De La Hoya said that talks of a fight began after Canelo defeated Amir Khan back in May.
“Yes, I called his [Golovkin’s] people the next day [after the Khan fight] but it didn’t go very far for some reason, it wasn’t our fault, we made the move and decided to fight the very best champion at 154 lbs,” De La Hoya said.
The former six-division champion told people to understand that while Canelo is already the 160-pound champion, he feels most comfortable at 154 lbs. His last five fights, all fights for the 160-pound world title, have been contested at a catchweight of 155 lbs.
“You have to realize Canelo Alvarez is only moving down one pound, he’s a natural 154 pound fighter," De La Hoya said. “Canelo Alvarez fought Amir Khan at 155 pounds and Canelo Alvarez is a junior-middleweight [super-welterweight], that’s the bottom line. Just like his past fights when he fought [Austin] Trout, Erislandy Lara and Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez always wants to fight the very best. Our solution was to fight the best champion at 154 pounds."
De La Hoya said that the plan for Canelo is to beat Smith, but acknowledged that the two camps will try to work something out in the future.
“First thing is first, Canelo has a tough fight in front of him, we at Golden Boy Promotions don’t like to set future fights up or look ahead," De La Hoya said. "After September 17, we’ll sit down and discuss future plans but right now the job is to go out and challenge Liam Smith.”
By Carlos Toro
