By Keith Idec

LAS VEGAS – The controversial scoring of his first fight in Las Vegas won’t prevent Gennady Golovkin from returning here for a rematch with Canelo Alvarez.

Tom Loeffler, managing director for K2 Promotions, said Team Golovkin wouldn’t rule out another fight against Alvarez in the “Boxing Capital of the World” just because he had to settle for a 12-round draw with Mexico’s Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. Kazakhstan’s Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) expressed his displeasure with Adalaide Byrd’s 118-110 score for Alvarez, and the unbeaten middleweight champion and his handlers think this controversy is about Byrd, not Las Vegas.

When Loeffler was asked whether he would request that their rematch take place at Madison Square Garden in New York, he said they’re open to fighting Alvarez anywhere.

“You know, that really depends,” Loeffler said during the post-fight press conference. “This was Gennady’s first time fighting in Las Vegas. I don’t think it’s the location so much as the judges. We think [referee] Kenny Bayless did a terrific job, a fine job between two combatants who were throwing big punches. And I think Kenny broke them correctly at the right times – he didn’t let either fighter hold. And he kept the action flowing, so we have to give him a lot of credit.”

Madison Square Garden executives and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones were among the bidders for the first Alvarez-Golovkin fight, but representatives for MGM Resorts International, a co-owner of T-Mobile Arena, made sure this fight came to Las Vegas. Like their first fight, having Alvarez accept their rematch is more important to Golovkin and his team than where the fight takes place.

The 27-year-old Alvarez won’t fight again until May, though, and isn’t contractually obligated to a rematch against Golovkin.

“Gennady’s fought six times at Madison Square Garden,” Loeffler said. “He always feels very comfortable there. When we made this fight, when I was negotiating with Oscar, and I told him, ‘It doesn’t matter where the fight is. Just get me the ring and just get me Canelo, and we’ll take the fight. So I’m sure it’ll be the same attitude he’ll have for the rematch, and we’ll just have to maybe check the judges a little bit closer, just depending on where the fight is.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.