Gennady Golovkin, Oscar De La Hoya exchange verbal blows over Canelo Alvarez fight
While both Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez need to win their coming fights to give their long-discussed September showdown the most meaning, it also would help if there were more agreement between the sides.
Yet in conversations with the Los Angeles Times, Golovkin says he hasn’t seen a contract offer, while Alvarez’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, said he’s delivered one.
“If Canelo wants the fight, give me the contract,” said three-belt, unbeaten middleweight champion Golovkin (36-0, 33 knockouts). “Send me the contract. I’ll get you the signature. Everybody wants this fight. I’m ready for anybody.”
Golovkin spoke Thursday in Big Bear while prepping for his March 18 HBO pay-per-view bout against Brooklyn’s Daniel Jacobs at Madison Square Garden.
De La Hoya, meanwhile, spoke to The Times about his boxing adventures this year, including his new Golden Boy Promotions’ deal with ESPN that opens with a March 23 card at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio. Bouts will include Ireland’s unbeaten Jason Quigley as well as unbeaten Coachella fighter Randy Caballero.
On May 6, Alvarez will move up to a 164-pound catch-weight against popular fellow Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
“And if everything goes well, Canelo-Golovkin … ,” De La Hoya said.
“In order to make this fight happen, Triple-G [Golovkin] has to sign the contract,” De La Hoya said. “The problem is his people have the contract and, most likely, he has no idea or no clue what’s going on.”
Golovkin’s promoter, Tom Loeffler, said he is awaiting a counteroffer response for a bout that would pit the unbeaten pound-for-pound king against a fighter whose only loss was at age 23 to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“If both guys win, I don’t see why a fight with Canelo shouldn’t happen in September, and [Golden Boy President] Eric Gomez feels the same way,” Loeffler said.
When asked whether De La Hoya should wait to present a contract offer after both fighters’ bouts are complete, he said, “It’s really difficult to negotiate through the media.
“The contract is fair. They have the contract.
Canelo wants to fight him. I know that. There’s no issue whatsoever,” De La Hoya said.
But Golovkin said he doesn’t believe that, considering how Alvarez surrendered his World Boxing Council middleweight belt to Golovkin last year instead of accepting his mandatory challenge.
“He’s not serious,” Golovkin said, adding that he expects Alvarez will express more interest in “a Chavez rematch, or [Miguel] Cotto.”
“Oscar knows this is his business, his life and Golden Boy’s future. I feel great and am fighting great right now. So maybe he wants it next year.”
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