By Jake Donovan
With the news of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally coming to terms for their long awaited showdown – which takes place May 2 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas – the next expected move was for Golden Boy Promotions to firm up details for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’ ring return.
The wildly popular Mexican boxer had originally targeted May 2 for his next fight, agreeing to move off the date only if Mayweather-Pacquiao came to fruition. With that, Alvarez will now fight one week later, as he takes on James Kirkland on May 9 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
The stadium holds 43,000 for Houston Astros baseball games can support upwards of 50,000 fans for a boxing event – the first to take place at the venue since the Astros relocated from the Astrodome in 2000 – and event handlers are already working towards hitting that number.
Exact price points have yet to be released given the suddenness of the fight changing dates and locations, but fans can jump in early to buy tickets. An open-to-public pre-sale will be held on-the-line Sunday, February 22nd from 12:00-5:00 p.m., according to Leija-Battah Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions’ primary business partner for all of its events in Texas.
“Canelo is coming to Houston, Texas (on) May 9,” Mike Battah announced Saturday evening. “Call 210-979-3302 for pre-sale [t]ickets from 12:00 noon–5:00 p.m.”
Alvarez (44-1-1, 31KOs) fights for the first time since his 12-round split decision win over Erislandy Lara last July. The bout was the last of a five-fight stint with Showtime before deciding to walk back across the street to HBO, where he had originally rose to fame among stateside fans after establishing himself as the leading attraction in his native Mexico.
Original plans called for Alvarez to return to the ring last December, but an untimely injury forced him to withdraw from a targeted clash with Joshua Clottey. The bout was to take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, which was also the plan for his forthcoming clash with Kirkland. However, a scheduling conflict forced Golden Boy to move the fight to Houston, in addition to the show taking place one week later.
Kirkland (32-1, 28KOs)—born and raised in Austin, Texas—hasn’t fought since his savage 6th round stoppage of previously unbeaten Glen Tapia in Dec. ’13. The once-beaten southpaw is a cult favorite among the sport for his all-action style and blatant disregard for defense, but his career has been slowed by injuries, poor decisions at the negotiating table and in real life, and also a little bit of bad luck.
A title fight with unbeaten middleweight Gennady Golovkin was on the table last April for Kirkland, only for the opportunity to disappear upon the untimely passing of Golovkin’s father.
Some 19 months prior, Kirkland had the chance to land the assignment as the intended opponent for Alvarez’ network debut with Showtime. Their Sept. ’12 clash fell through, however, when a recurring shoulder injury forced Kirkland to the sidelines.
No belt will be at stake for the May 9 clash, just a great fight for the sake of putting on a great fight. For Alvarez and Golden Boy, it also means an extended Cinco de Mayo celebration.
“It is my hope and belief that this May week will usher in a new era of our sport, one in which we as a sport give fans what they want, the best facing the best,” wishes Hall-of-Fame boxing icon Oscar de la Hoya, founder and president of Golden Boy Promotions.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
