Boxing
Golden Boy president says Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin trilogy fight 'is up to Canelo'
The coronavirus outbreak has wiped away sports' slate of events, including boxing's, and brought the world to a standstill.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, there will be big fights to be made. One of them could very well be Saul "Canelo" Alvarez taking on Gennadiy Golovkin in a trilogy fight, which would also mark a middleweight title unification bout.
Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez appeared on "The Ak & Barak Show" on Thursday and spoke about the possibility of Canelo and GGG resuming their rivalry later this year or even in 2021 — depending on how long the coronavirus continues to halt sports activity. Whatever the timetable, Gomez just wants boxing fans to know that the ball is in Canelo's court.
"We're going to consider everything and, like I said, it's up to Canelo," Gomez said about a possible Canelo vs. GGG trilogy. "It's really up to him. We're going to bring to him all the possibilities, we're going to present everything to him and then he'll make a decision.
"I know that trilogy is the fight that everybody wants to see," he continued. "At least the fans have made it known that they want to see that third fight. The first two were very good fights. They make for good fights because of styles. So, it's going to be up to Canelo, what he wants to do, and we're going to present different plans for him. But, yes, right now we're taking it day by day. There's other things to worry about right now."
Prior to the coronavirus turning into a global pandemic, there were reports about Canelo and Billy Joe Saunders closing in on a possible fight in May. However, the spread of COVID-19 and Saunders' own indiscretions have altered those plans. On Monday, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) suspended Saunders' license over a social media video in which the WBO super middleweight champion seemingly condones domestic violence against women. The video had Saunders doling out advice to men on how to handle an argument with their female partners while quarantining from the pandemic.
During the video, Saunders hits a heavy bag while instructing men how to react if "your old woman is giving you mouth," before saying “hit her on the chin” and then “finish her off” as he punches the bag some more. The combination of the ongoing coronavirus situation and Saunders' suspension puts an opportunity against Canelo in jeopardy.
"As far as Canelo is concerned, we have different plans in place for when all these (coronavirus) restrictions are lifted, and it's going to be up to him, whatever he wants to do," Gomez said. "But, yeah, if Billy Joe is ineligible and he's not going to be able to fight because he has a suspension, then of course, he's going to be eliminated. There's nothing we could do about that. He did it to himself."
