By Edward Chaykovsky
There appears to be some confusion with respect to a potential showdown between Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) and Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs).
Golovkin claims that he's never sign a contract to fight Canelo in the fall, while Canelo's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, maintains that a contract was sent and they are waiting for Golovkin to put his signature on paper.
Golovkin vs. Canelo, is a deal is reached, would take place on HBO Pay-Per-View on a date in September, likely on the 16th in line with Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Golovkin must first come through in his upcoming defense of the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC middleweight titles, against mandatory challenger Daniel Jacobs next Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
If Golovkin comes through, then Canelo must defeat countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a catch-weight of 164.5-pounds on May 6th from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“If Canelo wants the fight, give me the contract,” said Golovkin to the Los Angeles Times. “Send me the contract. I’ll get you the signature. Everybody wants this fight. I’m ready for anybody.”
De La Hoya is firm, telling the paper that a contract was sent over, and sensing that it may have never been shown to Golovkin.
“In order to make this fight happen, Triple-G [Golovkin] has to sign the contract,” De LaHoya said. “The problem is his people have the contract and, most likely, he has no idea or no clue what’s going on."
" 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."
Golovkin's promoter, Tom Loeffler, continues to negotiate the terms with Eric Gomez, who is the President of Golden Boy. Both of them appear confident that a deal will be reached, but fans are skeptical based on the ongoing issues with reaching an agreement on the financial terms.