Finally, the fight the boxing world has been waiting for has been confirmed.
Unfortunately it may have put a spanner in the already lengthy works of another eagerly anticipated fight.
After outclassing his countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Las Vegas on Saturday night, it’s now been confirmed that Canelo Alvarez will face a bout with IBF-WBA-WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on September 16.
Unfortunately, that was the date pencilled in for Conor McGregor’s superfight against retired boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jnr.
UFC president Dana White was in Sin City on Saturday and confirmed that promoter Oscar de la Hoya has stolen the march with their choice of date.
“We just lost our date to Canelo and GGG, but that’s a good fight,” White told Fight Hub, via Bloody Elbow. “I’ll be at that one too!”
As Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza’s explained last week, the longer the McGregor-Mayweather bout is delayed the less likely it will be made at all.
“Floyd’s on 18 months, two solid years come September since he’s fought,” Espinoza said. “He’s still in great shape, but at a certain point, he’s not gonna do it after a while.”
McGregor is unlikely to get into fight mode himself for a few weeks after the birth last week of his first child, Conor Jr.
Having seen off Chavez in the T-Mobile Arena, Alvarez confirmed that GGG will be his next fight while being interviewed in the ring.
“Triple-G, you are next my friend,” the Mexican said. “The fight is done. I’ve never feared anyone since I was 16, fighting as a professional. When I was born, fear was gone.”
Alvarez’s victory against Chavez came courtesy of a unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 120-108 in his favour, giving him every round.
“Tonight I showed I could move and box,” Alvarez said. “I showed as a fighter I could do all things.”
With a combined record of 85-1-1 and 67 knockouts between them, the Golovkin-Alvarez fight will understandably be the talk of the boxing world.
Signed, sealed and delivered! @Canelo vs @GGGBoxing September 16, 2017 @GoldenBoyBoxing #CaneloGGG pic.twitter.com/Pe8k7Zbn8d
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) May 7, 2017
GGG, who was ringside for Alvarez’s victory on Saturday, wished his future opponent luck in the fight when asked if there was anything he had to say to Alvarez.
“Luck is for the mediocre people,” Alvarez responded, prompting a smile from GGG.
