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Steve KimESPN
LOS ANGELES — Oscar De La Hoya, founder of Golden Boy Promotions, said he was confident that a trilogy fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will happen.
De La Hoya made the statement during a rare public appearance on Tuesday to announce the company’s Sept. 14 card that will feature WBO junior middleweight titlist Jaime Munguia and lightweight Ryan Garcia in Carson, California.
That date had been held for Alvarez, but due to challenges in securing a desired fight, Alvarez will miss the September weekend for the first time in four years.
“I strongly feel that we will see a third fight. I strongly feel that being the warrior that Canelo is, and obviously ‘GGG’ being willing to fight Canelo, again I think the demand is there from the fans,” De La Hoya said. “I don’t know how soon we’ll see it, but I think eventually we will.”
Alvarez (52-1-2, 35 KOs) last fought on May 4, defeating Danny Jacobs in a 12-round decision in Las Vegas. Alvarez recently was stripped of his IBF middleweight title for failing to make a deal to face his mandatory challenger, Sergey Derevyanchenko. Currently, Golden Boy, Alvarez and DAZN (the streaming platform that signed the Mexican superstar to an 11-fight, $365 million contract at the end of 2018) are trying to get on the same page as it relates to a third go-around with Golovkin, who signed his own multi-fight deal with DAZN.
Golovkin and his side believe that they are guaranteed a fight with Alvarez, but thus far the reigning middleweight champion, who defeated Golovkin in September, has resisted. Eric Gomez, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, said it is Alvarez’s decision.
“It’s up to [Alvarez]. He has a win over [Golovkin] and it’s totally up to him if he wants to do it or not,” Gomez said. “He has said in the past that if that’s the fight that the fans really want, he’ll do it. He’s done it before, but it’s totally at his discretion, whenever he wants to do it.”
Gomez did say that he felt their partnership with DAZN was solid and that they were moving ahead with more dates to finish out the year.
“[Alvarez] wants to fight before the end of the year, and we’re working on that right now,” Gomez said. “There’s a few possible opponents; we’re hoping to have news very soon.”
This situation has put a strain on what was once an air-tight union between Golden Boy and their biggest star. Alvarez tweeted his displeasure with the company when he was stripped of the IBF title.
I’m very upset and ashamed with my fans, to be unfairly stripped of my belt by the IBF, but specially when i did not have the knowledge of the agreement that GBP match maker had signed.
— Canelo Alvarez (@Canelo) August 2, 2019
Gomez declined to comment on the company’s relationship with Alvarez.
Last week, the three parties had a meeting at the Golden Boy offices, which sources say were quite heated.
For De La Hoya, there is a tinge of irony given that during his days in the ring, he had issues with his then-promoter, Bob Arum, and ultimately created his own promotional company. De La Hoya didn’t seem too panicked by the current state of affairs.
“It’s not our first rodeo,” he said, “I think it’s going to continue happening; we have to just make sure that we deliver fights, and that’s what we do best. And we’re going to be working with Canelo for years to come.”