Boxing
Negotiations reportedly begin for Canelo-GGG 3 in 2021
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin were penciled in for a September 2020 trilogy fight, but COVID-19 had other plans and sent the boxing world into turmoil.
While the sport attempts to find its footing, both fighters are looking for other opponents who won't break the bank as boxing continues to hold events without fans in attendance. As for a Canelo-GGG 3, it's possible that it will take place in May 2021. Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez told Sky Sports that preliminary conversations about the fight are taking place.
"We have had some discussions about doing the third fight with Golovkin, which would be very exciting," Gomez said. "He is willing to entertain that third fight. Hopefully we can surprise everybody by getting that fight going next year."
A third matchup between Canelo and GGG would most certainly be the biggest fight that can be made for either fighter, but with the coronavirus pandemic preventing live-gate revenue, it's incredibly difficult for promoters to pay top fighters the large purses they can command. For Canelo, that means he'll need to take a pay cut to stay busy until a fight with Golovkin can be brought to fruition.
Gomez said that Alvarez's next opponent will likely be a British fighter in a potential Sept. 12 bout behind closed doors in Las Vegas. Two names that have been discussed are WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith and John Ryder, who lost a close decision to Smith last year.
"It all depends on the negotiations," Gomez said. "We are not living in the world that we lived in last year. Canelo will be taking a significant pay cut."
Golovkin is expected to defend his IBF middleweight title against mandatory challenger Kamil Szeremeta. If he and Alvarez take care of business, then Gomez believes their highly anticipated showdown will take place next year.
"They both realize now that their events were very successful," Gomez said. "For them, monetarily, it would be very beneficial to fight again. More than anything, the fans are very interested. Both fights were very close and exciting. They both realize that now. They are both open to the fight.”
Regardless of how open they are to a fight, the coronavirus will have the final say as to whether a fight of that magnitude can happen next year. But it's good to know that both sides appear ready to finally give boxing fans what they want.
