Oscar De La Hoya: 'No Doubts' a Canelo vs Golovkin Fight Can Happen
Oscar De La Hoya has “no doubts” that an agreement can be struck to bring Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin into the ring together, he said in an interview with FOXBusiness.com.
Boxing fans are clamoring for a fight between Alvarez and Golovkin, who has publicly called for a unification showdown. Alvarez, the 25-year-old WBC middleweight champion, has a bout with British boxer Amir Khan on May 7. The WBC has said next week’s winner will have 15 days after the fight to agree to negotiations with the Golovkin camp. Otherwise Golovkin, the interim WBC middleweight champion, can be named the full titleholder.
When asked if there are any doubts that the fight could transpire, De La Hoya said he has “no doubts whatsoever.”
“Those are the types of fights that people want to see,” said De La Hoya, the boxing legend whose company, Golden Boy Promotions, represents Alvarez. “But first things first. Canelo has a very, very difficult task in front of him with Amir Khan. On May 8th, we can start talking about who his next opponent is going to be.”
De La Hoya added that Alvarez’s fight on May 7 will generate excitement in the boxing world. The fight in the new 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will be available for TV viewers on Time Warner’s (NYSE:TWX) HBO.
“This is a mega-event. This is a guaranteed action-packed fight,” De La Hoya said. “Canelo Alvarez is the superstar of the sport now. He’s exciting, he comes forward and he wants to knock you out. This is going to be one of the most exciting fights that anyone can watch.”
The only loss for Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) in his career came against Floyd Mayweather Jr. In November, Alvarez beat Miguel Cotto to take possession of the WBC middleweight belt.
On April 23, the undefeated Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) beat mandatory challenger Dominic Wade by way of a knockout in the second round. According to Nielsen ratings, it was the most widely viewed fight on HBO since then-middleweight champion Miguel Cotto knocked out Daniel Geale in June 2015.